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Ep 63 - The Stalin Eras: An Introduction (1878-1917)

Proles Pod

Release Date: 10/09/2024

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Proles Pod

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Ep 78 - The Stalin Eras, Part 6: Conclusions show art Ep 78 - The Stalin Eras, Part 6: Conclusions

Proles Pod

In the FINAL main-feed episode of the Stalin Eras, we sat back and took a look at where we started and where we ended up. Were we successful in what we set out to do? What did we learn? What do we hope listeners learned? How did the process change us? We answer these and more. Please comment what you learned, something that surprised you. We would love to see them. 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...

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Ep 77 - The Stalin Eras, Part 5: Criticisms and Contradictions show art Ep 77 - The Stalin Eras, Part 5: Criticisms and Contradictions

Proles Pod

The much anticipated criticisms and contradictions episode of The Stalin Eras! In this episode we wrestle with the following controversies during Stalin’s leadership of the USSR: the Gulag, anti-homosexuality laws, anti-abortion Laws, the “Final” Contradiction, and more! You don’t want to miss this one!  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...

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More Episodes

In this introductory episode we cover the who, what, where, and why of “The Stalin Eras”, a multi-part series on the life and times of Joseph Stalin. In addition, we also lay the foundations of young Stalin’s life: from his humble birth in 1878 to his revolutionary career leading into the October Revolution of 1917. 

This first narrative of the series, “From Soso to Stalin”, begins with his childhood, before movin into his time in church school followed by seminary,  and finally his early days as a labor leader and journalist for the Party leading into the October Revolution.  And ofcourse, we cover young Stalin’s daring bank robbery!

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 wants to rage, this series has something for everyone.         

Episode Sources 

Reflections on Stalinism (2024) by J Arch Getty  

Secret British ‘black propaganda’ campaign targeted cold war enemies (2022)

Stalin: Passage to Revolution (2020) by Ronald Grigor Suny

Revisioning Stalin and Stalinism Complexities, Contradictions, and Controversies (2020) Edited by James Ryan and Susan Grant 

Stalin: From the Caucasus to the Kremlin (2017)  by Christopher Read

US., Soviet Textbooks Give  Different Accounts of History (1987)

Death of the department that never was (1978)

On Stalin (1953) by W.E.B Dubois 

Recommend Reading 

Stalin History & Critique of a Black Legend  by Domenico Losurdo

The Collected Works of J.V. Stalin: Volume I

The Collected Works of J.V. Stalin: Volume II 

Recommended Listening

Stalin: A Marxist-Leninist Perspective

Ep 61 - Foundations of Leninism 

Was the Soviet Union Totalitarian? w/ Robert Thurston