A podcast that focuses on history from a communist perspective in a round-table discussion over booze.
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
Sources
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.
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
Sources
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.
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.
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/
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/
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
Stalin: A Marxist-Leninist Perspective
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
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
As we are VERY busy working on the Stalin Eras series which premiers as early release for paid Patreon subscribers on September 18, and for the main feed September 23, we did not feel that we could do a typical episode justice. Instead, we decided to put together an episode of short clips from almost all of our bonus content that is available to paid subscribers over on the Patreon page. There are timestamps below in case you have already heard some of the content or want to easily reference/skip something. The bits on media (particularly the X-Men 97 episode) contain spoilers, so be mindful of that also.
We tried to collect a mixture of humorous clips, serious clips, and thoughtful clips. Some of this content was recorded before Rae and Martín got decent microphones, so many apologies for the terrible audio quality on some of their parts.
We have all dedicated a lot of time and energy to this podcast and first and foremost we hope that you are enjoying it and finding it helpful in your lives. It takes a lot to bring bi-weekly content, as well as a constant stream of bonus content, and our hope is that we can eventually move away from full-time wage labor toward full-time revolutionary education and entertainment but we cannot do that without your help.
If it is within your means, please find a tier that interests you over at the ProlesPod Patreon page and smash that subscribe button. If you are unable to support financially, that's okay. We get it! We also have a free tier with study guides to accompany the main feed episodes, as well as occasional exclusive content and announcements. If you're an absolutely dedicated comrade, it really helps us reach more people if you post reviews on any of the sites like Spotify, Apple, or any other place that it might be available, and comment on our YouTube episodes!
Check out the Stalin Eras trailer, which drops today, and make sure to follow so that you can get notifications when the genre-bending episodes premier! It will be Soviet history as you've never heard it before...
Join the Proles and friend of the pod, Joel, for our first ever episode focused solely on a theory text. If you’ve been following along with the TheoryBeats project on Patreon, you already know the text. It is the the monumental "Foundations of Leninism" by Joseph Stalin. Rae takes the lead on this one.
We’ll take you through each of the nine sections of this text, unpacking the history and context while making connections to other thinkers, theorists, and movements both historically and today.
You can find the full text freely available to read at:
https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/stalin/works/1924/foundations-leninism/
Thank you to our (actual and legitimate, not a joke) sponsor, "Quotations from Michael Parenti" published by Red Prints Publishing through Marxist-Leninist Reading Hub. To learn more and to get a copy of the book, head here: https://www.mlreadinghub.org/books/quotations-from-michael-parenti
If you’d like to listen to the TheoryBeats, find studyguides, surprise drops, and more, don’t forget to head to Patreon.com/ProlesPod to subscribe. (Even the free tier has special stuff for you!)
If you like our work and want to support it, don’t forget to rate and review us on any of the podcast catchers, follow us on social media @ProlesPod and make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss our Stalin Eras series that’s coming up.
CW: This episode contains frank discussions of murder, torture, and sexual assault of both adults and children, primarily in the context of anti-semitic pogroms against Jewish people. Please proceed carefully through the episode or skip it entirely if any of these things may be difficult for you to hear.
Justin picks up where Jeremy left off to cover the development of OUN/UPA, Stepan Bandera's insecure self-promotion, and how the Ukrainian Nationalists were no better than the Nazis. Slava Ukraini bad. As last time, we try to bring some levity to the discussion, but it is a disgusting period for Eastern Europe and we couldn't sugar coat it.
Sign up at Patreon where you can get access to early release episodes, study guides, bonus episodes, TheoryBeats, and MORE! YOU CAN DO SO FOR FREE, which will get you the study guides, merch, and other random drops.
Please subscribe on your favorite podcast catcher and rate or review to help extend our reach. Like and rate us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @prolespod and Tiktok @proles.pod
If you have any questions or comments, email us at [email protected]. May the spectre haunt your streets, and solidarity forever.
Sources:
Ukrainian Nationalists and the Holocaust by John-Paul Himka
Stepan Bandera: The Life and Afterlife of a Ukrainian Nationalist by Grzegorz Rossolinski-Liebe
Intro Music:
"ProlesPod Theme" by Ransom Notes
Midroll Ad:
Written and read by Jeremy
Music "Macho Man Reagan Sandwich" by DJ DTA
Outro Music:
Eastern Bloc Beats by DJ DTA
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