Episodes

  • Ep 71 - The Stalin Eras: Part 3.5 Narrative (1936-1939)
    Dec 30 2024

    Our longest and most controversial episode. This narrative, titled “War Is Already Here” (using the latest archival scholarship) details the legitimacy of the controversial Moscow Trials, the origins of the “Great Terror”, the climax of the Spanish Civil War, war with Japan and apocalyptically - the beginning of a second globe spanning conflict!

    The Stalin Eras, inspired by the classic RevLeft Radio episode “Stalin: A Marxist-Leninist Perspective", mixes both narrative history (ala Blowback) and discussion (like classic Prolespod) to provide the most comprehensive English overview of the life and impact of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin in podcast format.

    Whether you’re a socialist history enthusiast, someone who’s just curious to learn more than what you got in school about the Soviet Union, or even a total hater who just wants to rage, this series has something for everyone.

    Support the show at www.patreon.com/prolespod

    Recommended Supplemental Reading

    Stalin History & Critique of a Black Legend by Domenico Losurdo

    Western Marxism: How it was Born, How it Died, How it can be Reborn by Domenico Losurdo

    For a Few Canards More: Counter Inquiry on Stalin and the Soviet Union by Aymeric Monville

    Recommended Supplemental Listening

    How Stalin Tried to Prevent World War II w/ Michael Jabara Carley

    Was the Soviet Union Totalitarian w/ Robert Thurston

    Understanding Siege Socialim w/ Gabriel Rockhill

    The American Ambassador Who Supported Stalin w/ Dominique Petit-Wagner

    Stalin's Constitution & Life in 1930s Soviet Union w/ Samantha Lomb

    Sources

    Stalin's Failed Alliance: The Struggle for Collective Security, 1936-1939 by Michael Jabara Carley

    Nomonhan, 1939: The Red Army's Victory That Shapped World War II by Stuart D. Goldman

    Stalin and War, 1918-1953: Patterns of Repression, Mobilization, and External Threat by David Shearer

    International Communism and the Origins of World War II by Jonathan Haslam

    Marshal of Victory: The Autobiography of General Georgy Zhukov

    The Bloomsbury Handbook of the Spanish Civil War ed. Antonio Cazorla-Sanchez, Alison Ribeiro De Menezes, Adrian Shubert

    Reflections on Stalinism ed. J.Arch Getty, Lewis Siegelbaum

    How Russia Blasted Hitler's Spy Machine by Joseph E. Davies

    Soviet Archives

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    3 hrs and 53 mins
  • Ep 70 - The Stalin Eras: Part 3.0 Discussion (1935-1939)
    Dec 9 2024

    In the Part 3 Discussion, we cover evidence for the Moscow Trials (more to come in the Part 3.5 Narrative), The Spanish Civil War, Molotov-Ribbentrop, and more. Our host is Legacy Prole, Taylor!

    The Stalin Eras, inspired by the classic RevLeft Radio episode “Stalin: A Marxist-Leninist Perspective, mixes both narrative history (ala Blowback) and discussion (like classic Prolespod) to provide the most comprehensive English overview of the life and impact of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin in podcast format.

    Whether you’re a socialist history enthusiast, someone who’s just curious to learn more than what you got in school about the Soviet Union, or even a total hater who just wants to rage, this series has something for everyone.

    Support the show at www.patreon.com/prolespod

    Recommended Additional Reading

    Stalin History & Critique of a Black Legend by Domenico Losurdo

    Western Marxism: How it was Born, How it Died, How it can be Reborn by Domenico Losurdo

    Recommended Additional Listening

    Stalin's Constitution & Life in 1930s Soviet Union w/ Samantha Lomb

    How Stalin Tried to Prevent World War II w/ Michael Jabara Carley

    Stalin: A Marxist-Leninist Perspective

    Foundations of Leninism

    Sources

    Stalin’s Constitution: Soviet Participatory Politics and the Discussion of the 1936 Draft Constituion by Samantha Lomb

    The New Soviet Constitution: A Study in Socialist Democracy by Anna Louise Strong

    Stalinist Values: The Cultural Norms of Soviet Modernity, 1917–1941

    The Bloomsbury Handbook of the Spanish Civil War

    Broué, P. (1990). Party opposition to Stalin (1930-1932) and the first Moscow trial. In J. W. Strong (Ed.),

    Essays on revolutionary culture and Stalinism. Selected papers from the Third World Congress for Soviet and East European studies. Craig, G. A. (1951).

    Documents on German Foreign Policy 1918–1945. Series D (1937–1945). Volume III. Germany and the Spanish Civil War 1936–1939. London: His Majesty's Stationery Office. Volodarsky, B. (2015). Stalin's agent. The life and death of Alexander Orlov. London and New York: Oxford University Press.

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    1 hr and 45 mins
  • Ep 69 - The Stalin Eras: Part Three Narrative (1935-1936)
    Nov 25 2024

    In the narrative for Part Three of "The Stalin Eras”, Tony and Jeremy detail Joseph Stalin’s life within the context of Soviet history through the years 1935-1936.

    This narrative, titled “Triumph and Tribulations” highlights the USSR as a rising star to both the global proletariat and colonized peoples, the utter triumph of socialist construction during the Great Depression, the highly progressive 1936 Soviet Constitution, and finally the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War!

    Stay tuned for the next episode which will continue the narrative through from 1936-1939 focusing mostly on the controversial Moscow Trials, the Great Purge, the climax of the Spanish Civil War, and apocalyptically - the beginning of World War II.

    The Stalin Eras, inspired by the classic RevLeft Radio episode “Stalin: A Marxist-Leninist Perspective, mixes both narrative history (ala Blowback) and discussion (like classic Prolespod) to provide the most comprehensive English overview of the life and impact of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin in podcast format.

    Whether you’re a socialist history enthusiast, someone who’s just curious to learn more than what you got in school about the Soviet Union, or even a total hater who just wants to rage, this series has something for everyone.

    Support the show at www.patreon.com/prolespod

    Recommended Additional Reading

    Stalin History & Critique of a Black Legend by Domenico Losurdo

    Western Marxism: How it was Born, How it Died, How it can be Reborn by Domenico Losurdo

    Recommended Additional Listening

    Stalin's Constitution & Life in 1930s Soviet Union w/ Samantha Lomb

    How Stalin Tried to Prevent World War II w/ Michael Jabara Carley

    Stalin: A Marxist-Leninist Perspective

    Foundations of Leninism

    Sources

    Stalin’s Constitution: Soviet Participatory Politics and the Discussion of the 1936 Draft Constituion by Samantha Lomb

    The New Soviet Constitution: A Study in Socialist Democracy by Anna Louise Strong

    Stalinist Values: The Cultural Norms of Soviet Modernity, 1917–1941

    The Bloomsbury Handbook of the Spanish Civil War

    Broué, P. (1990). Party opposition to Stalin (1930-1932) and the first Moscow trial. In J. W. Strong (Ed.),

    Essays on revolutionary culture and Stalinism. Selected papers from the Third World Congress for Soviet and East European studies. Craig, G. A. (1951).

    Documents on German Foreign Policy 1918–1945. Series D (1937–1945). Volume III. Germany and the Spanish Civil War 1936–1939. London: His Majesty's Stationery Office. Volodarsky, B. (2015). Stalin's agent. The life and death of Alexander Orlov. London and New York: Oxford University Press.

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    1 hr and 29 mins
  • Ep 68 - An Intermission
    Nov 11 2024

    Comrades!

    We are hard at work on the Stalin Eras, as you all know. Part 3 in particular, given the Moscow Trials, The Military Trial, Ezhovchina, and other major topics, this episode in particular has taken a LOT of work. We have also uncovered a bunch of archival material that we hope will create context that we believe has never been presented in the English language.

    On top of that, a few listeners have given us feedback that, particularly given the very dense nature of the material, that they feel like they are falling behind and thus unable to engage with the discussion online and participate in the live-listens we do for every new Stalin Eras episode on the Patreon.

    As such, we are taking an intermission of sorts (still slaving away in the podcast mines) to give people time to catch up and to give us the time to properly represent our vision in Part 3 as the DEFINITIVE collection of materialist analysis and historiography on the Stalin Era of Soviet History.

    We didn't want to leave you hanging, so, here is a peek behind the Iron Curtain of the paywall, featuring our two most recent Q & Rae episodes. We hope you enjoy. Please consider subscribing so that we may continue to put the effort that we have put into the Stalin Eras into all of our future episodes.

    We hope you're enjoying it, and solidarity forever.

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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • Ep 67 - The Stalin Eras: Part Two Discussion (1930-1934)
    Nov 4 2024
    In the discussion for Part Two of “The Stalin Eras”, the gang responds to questions from Jen (aka Big Nasty), host of How the Red Was Won and overall badass comrade. The years in focus are, again, 1930-1934, and based upon the previous episode (which you should listen to if you haven't already). We talk Stalin's sigma male grindset, writing letters to the man himself, the rise of fascism, and the contradictions facing the USSR at this time. The Stalin Eras, inspired by the classic RevLeft Radio episode “Stalin: A Marxist-Leninist Perspective, mixes both narrative history (ala Blowback) and discussion (like classic Prolespod) to provide the most comprehensive English overview of the life and impact of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin in podcast format. Whether you’re a socialist history enthusiast, someone who’s just curious to learn more than what you got in school about the Soviet Union, or even a total hater who just wants to rage, this series has something for everyone. Support the show and get bonus content at patreon.com/prolespod Recomended Resources on "Holodomor" as Genocide Question Academics who do not consider the Ukraine famine of 1932-1933 to be a genocide include: J. Arch Getty, Stephen Wheatcroft, Mark Tauger, R.W Davies, Hiroaki Kuromiya, Ronald Grigor Suny, Stephen Kotkin to name a few. Recommended Additional Reading Stalin History & Critique of a Black Legend by Domenico Losurdo Another View of Stalin by Ludo Martens Recommended Additional Listening Stalin: A Marxist-Leninist Perspective Foundations of Leninism Episode Sources The Lesser of Two Hells by Alvin D Coox Practicing Stalinism by J Arch Getty Excesses Are Not Permitted byJ Arch Getty Origins of the Great Purges by J Arch Getty I Change Worlds by Anna Louise Strong I Was Stalin's Bodyguard by Achmed Amba The Pattern Of Soviet Power by Edgar Snow Revolution on my Mind by Jochen Hellbeck Stalin's Library by Geoffrey Roberts The Great Conspiracy by Michael Sayers & Albert E Kahn Conjuring Hitler by Guido Giacomo Preparata Molotov Remembers, Conversations with Felix Chuev Black Bolshevik by Harry Haywood Teachers of Stalinism by E Thomas Ewing Stalin: From the Caucasus to the Kremlin, Christopher Read, 2017, Routledge Publishing Next to Stalin by A.T. Rybin Betrayal of an Ideal by G.A. Tokaev Soviet Famine 1930–1933: "The Law of Spikelets" Myth Explained by Polistrum In Search of New Facts: Interwar Japanese Military Intelligence Activities in the Baltic States and Finland: 1918–1940 by Shingo Masunaga, Wrestling with Aspects of Interwar Stalinism by William J. Chase, Why I resigned from the Trotsky Defense Committee by Mauritz Alfred Hallgren, 1937, International Publishers Muder at the Kemerovo Mines by Ernst Fischer Trial of the Major War Criminals before the International Military Tribunal (Nuremberg, 1949), Vol. 29 The Goebbels Diaries: 1942-1943 by Joseph Goebbels, “Secret Hitler-Benes Negotiations in 1936-37.” bt Gerhard L. Weinberg The Road to Terror. Stalin and the Self-Destruction of the Bolsheviks by J. Arch Getty and Oleg V. Naumov Russian Soviet Archives U.S. Archives, Library of Congress Czech Republic Archives Vienna Bureau of the Austrian Chancellor The Red Book, Leon Sedov, 1936, Byulletin Oppositsii, Nos.52-53, October 1936 The Prophet Outcast: Trotsky, (1929–1940), Isaac Deutscher, 1963, Vintage Russian Library The Russian Enigma, Ante Ciliga, 1940, Pluto Press “Red Wreckers in Russia.”,by John D Littlepage My Life, byLeon Trotsky Leon Sedov: Son, Friend, Fighter, Leon Trotsky Harvard Trotsky Archive, Houghton Library, Harvard University The Great Terror. A Reassessment by Robert Conquest Bukharin and the Bolshevik Revolution 1888-1938 by Stephen Cohen The Kirov Murder and Soviet History by Matthew Lenoe Many, many diaries published on https://prozhito.org/
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    1 hr and 45 mins
  • Ep 66 - The Stalin Eras: Part Two Narrative (1930-1934)
    Oct 28 2024
    In the narrative for Part Two of “The Stalin Eras”, Justin and Jeremy detail Soviet society and all that comes with it under Stalin’s leadership from 1930-1934. This narrative, titled “Stewards of the Human Soul”, covers the varied personal experiences of Soviet citizens from the center to the periphery of the USSR, the winding down of rapid industrialization and collectivization, the controversial anti-religious and anti-kulak campaigns, the so called “show trials” on industrial sabotage, the true nature of internal opposition, and the astonishing results of the first five year plan. Stay tuned for the next episode which will feature a full length discussion with guest host Jen of How the Red Was Won. Jen joins to guide an in-depth discussion about the era covered in this narrative episode. The Stalin Eras, inspired by the classic RevLeft Radio episode “Stalin: A Marxist-Leninist Perspective, mixes both narrative history (ala Blowback) and discussion (like classic Prolespod) to provide the most comprehensive English overview of the life and impact of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin in podcast format. Whether you’re a socialist history enthusiast, someone who’s just curious to learn more than what you got in school about the Soviet Union, or even a total hater who just wants to rage, this series has something for everyone. Support the show and get bonus content at patreon.com/prolespod Recomended Resources on "Holodomor" as Genocide Question Academics who do not consider the Ukraine famine of 1932-1933 to be a genocide include: J. Arch Getty, Stephen Wheatcroft, Mark Tauger, R.W Davies, Hiroaki Kuromiya, Ronald Grigor Suny, Stephen Kotkin to name a few. Recommended Additional Reading Stalin History & Critique of a Black Legend by Domenico Losurdo Another View of Stalin by Ludo Martens Recommended Additional Listening Stalin: A Marxist-Leninist Perspective Foundations of Leninism Episode Sources The Lesser of Two Hells by Alvin D Coox Practicing Stalinism by J Arch Getty Excesses Are Not Permitted byJ Arch Getty Origins of the Great Purges by J Arch Getty I Change Worlds by Anna Louise Strong I Was Stalin's Bodyguard by Achmed Amba The Pattern Of Soviet Power by Edgar Snow Revolution on my Mind by Jochen Hellbeck Stalin's Library by Geoffrey Roberts The Great Conspiracy by Michael Sayers & Albert E Kahn Conjuring Hitler by Guido Giacomo Preparata Molotov Remembers, Conversations with Felix Chuev Black Bolshevik by Harry Haywood Teachers of Stalinism by E Thomas Ewing Stalin: From the Caucasus to the Kremlin, Christopher Read, 2017, Routledge Publishing Next to Stalin by A.T. Rybin Betrayal of an Ideal by G.A. Tokaev Soviet Famine 1930–1933: "The Law of Spikelets" Myth Explained by Polistrum In Search of New Facts: Interwar Japanese Military Intelligence Activities in the Baltic States and Finland: 1918–1940 by Shingo Masunaga, Wrestling with Aspects of Interwar Stalinism by William J. Chase, Why I resigned from the Trotsky Defense Committee by Mauritz Alfred Hallgren, 1937, International Publishers Muder at the Kemerovo Mines by Ernst Fischer Trial of the Major War Criminals before the International Military Tribunal (Nuremberg, 1949), Vol. 29 The Goebbels Diaries: 1942-1943 by Joseph Goebbels, “Secret Hitler-Benes Negotiations in 1936-37.” bt Gerhard L. Weinberg The Road to Terror. Stalin and the Self-Destruction of the Bolsheviks by J. Arch Getty and Oleg V. Naumov Russian Soviet Archives U.S. Archives, Library of Congress Czech Republic Archives Vienna Bureau of the Austrian Chancellor The Red Book, Leon Sedov, 1936, Byulletin Oppositsii, Nos.52-53, October 1936 The Prophet Outcast: Trotsky, (1929–1940), Isaac Deutscher, 1963, Vintage Russian Library The Russian Enigma, Ante Ciliga, 1940, Pluto Press “Red Wreckers in Russia.”,by John D Littlepage My Life, byLeon Trotsky Leon Sedov: Son, Friend, Fighter, Leon Trotsky Harvard Trotsky Archive, Houghton Library, Harvard University The Great Terror. A Reassessment by Robert Conquest Bukharin and the Bolshevik Revolution 1888-1938 by Stephen Cohen The Kirov Murder and Soviet History by Matthew Lenoe Many, many diaries published on https://prozhito.org/
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    2 hrs and 18 mins
  • Ep 65 - The Stalin Eras: Part One Discussion (1917-1929)
    Oct 21 2024

    Breht O’Shea, host of Revolutionary Left Radio, joins to guide a discussion based on the events covered in the narrative for Part One (which you should listen too first, if you haven’t already!).

    In this discussion, the gang led by Rae and Jeremy answer wide ranging questions about the nature of Stalin’s rise to prominence in the party, Lenin’s death, the dreaded NEP Men, the first five year plan, and the trials, tribulations, and triumphs in everyday life of Soviet citizens.

    The Stalin Eras, inspired by the classic RevLeft Radio episode “Stalin: A Marxist-Leninist Perspective, mixes both narrative history (ala Blowback) and discussion (like classic Prolespod) to provide the most comprehensive English overview of the life and impact of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin in podcast format.

    Whether you’re a socialist history enthusiast, someone who’s just curious to learn more than what you got in school about the Soviet Union, or even a total hater who just wants to rage, this series has something for everyone.

    Support the show here: www.patreon.com/prolespod

    Thematic Introduction Source: "Forword" of Stalin: A New World Seen Through One Man by Henri Barbusse

    Episode Sources

    I Change Worlds by Anna Louise Strong

    Stalin: A New World Seen Through One Man by Henri Barbusse

    The Great Conspiracy: The Secret War Against Soviet Russia

    The Great Soviet Encyclopedia

    Stalin: From the Caucasus to the Kremlin by Christopher Read

    Small Comrades: A Revolutionizing Childhood in Soviet Russia 1917-1932.

    Recommended Additional Reading

    Stalin History & Critique of a Black Legend by Domenico Losurdo

    Silencing the Past by Michel-Rolphe Trouillot

    Recommended Additional Listening

    The Indigenous Peoples of the Soviet Union w/ Alice and Dennis Bartels

    Foundations of Leninism

    Soviet Cinema

    Stalin: A Marxist-Leninist Perspective

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    2 hrs and 27 mins
  • Ep 64 - The Stalin Eras: Part One Narrative (1917-1929)
    Oct 14 2024

    In the narrative for Part One of “The Stalin Eras”, Rae and Jeremy detail Joseph Stalin’s life within the context of Soviet history through the monumental years of 1917-1929.

    This narrative, titled “Reconstruction In One Country”, covers Soviet history from the early days of the October Revolution, through the Civil War and Imperialist interventions, the Volga Famine, Stalin’s rise in party leadership, the New Economic Program, ultimately ending with the start of rapid industrialization/collectivization, and the of Soviet Union’s first five year plan.

    Stay tuned for the next episode which will feature a full length discussion with guest host Breht O’Shea of Revolutionary Left Radio. Breht joins to guide an in-depth discussion about the era covered in this narrative episode.

    The Stalin Eras, inspired by the classic RevLeft Radio episode “Stalin: A Marxist-Leninist Perspective, mixes both narrative history (ala Blowback) and discussion (like classic Prolespod) to provide the most comprehensive English overview of the life and impact of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin in podcast format.

    Whether you’re a socialist history enthusiast, someone who’s just curious to learn more than what you got in school about the Soviet Union, or even a total hater who just wants to rage, this series has something for everyone.

    Support the show here: www.patreon.com/prolespod

    Thematic Introduction Source: "Forword" of Stalin: A New World Seen Through One Man by Henri Barbusse

    Episode Sources

    I Change Worlds by Anna Louise Strong

    Stalin: A New World Seen Through One Man by Henri Barbusse

    The Great Conspiracy: The Secret War Against Soviet Russia

    The Great Soviet Encyclopedia

    Stalin: From the Caucasus to the Kremlin by Christopher Read

    Small Comrades: A Revolutionizing Childhood in Soviet Russia 1917-1932.

    Recommended Additional Reading

    Stalin History & Critique of a Black Legend by Domenico Losurdo

    Silencing the Past by Michel-Rolphe Trouillot

    Recommended Additional Listening

    The Indigenous Peoples of the Soviet Union w/ Alice and Dennis Bartels

    Foundations of Leninism

    Soviet Cinema

    Stalin: A Marxist-Leninist Perspective

    Show More Show Less
    57 mins