The Patreon page for this show has been updated in significant ways. Head on over to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://patreon.com/sovietblog">patreon.com/sovietpod</a> to check it out for yourself!

The Patreon page for this show has been updated in significant ways. Head on over to patreon.com/sovietpod to check it out for yourself!

The Patreon page for this show has been updated in significant ways. Head on over to <a href="http://patreon.com/sovietblog" rel="noopener noreferrer">patreon.com/sovietpod</a> to check it out for yourself!

**Announcement** Patreon page updates!

We are often told the USSR was an oppressive, authoritarian society, lacking freedom and democracy. There were endless purges that claimed the lives of millions of “dissidents,” purges that were designed for one thing and one thing only: to keep power in the hands of those who wielded it.And as we all know, the economy was based on socialist and communist principles, which is why it barely functioned at all. There were endless famines, genocides against minorities within the nation, and an industrial base that was constantly tottering on the edge of collapse.But instead of trying to address these issues at home, the leaders of the USSR were fixated only on world domination, on spreading communism in order to destroy freedom around the world. From Europe and Asia to Latin America and Africa, the Communists were a threat to freedom the world over.…. Or were they?Learn the story of the Union of Soviet Socialists Republic you’ve never heard! What was life really like in the Soviet Union? How authoritarian was it? Did a “totalitarian” state really exist? How did the economy function to meet the needs of its citizens? How were the governing apparatus structured? And were the Soviets hell-bent on world domination…. Or world liberation? Or neither?Subscribe to find out!

History

We are often told the USSR was an oppressive, authoritarian society, lacking freedom and democracy. There were endless purges that claimed the lives of millions of “dissidents,” purges that were designed for one thing and one thing only: to keep power in the hands of those who wielded it. And as we all know, the economy was based on socialist and communist principles, which is why it barely functioned at all. There were endless famines, genocides against minorities within the nation, and an industrial base that was constantly tottering on the edge of collapse. But instead of trying to address these issues at home, the leaders of the USSR were fixated only on world domination, on spreading communism in order to destroy freedom around the world. From Europe and Asia to Latin America and Africa, the Communists were a threat to freedom the world over. …. Or were they? Learn the story of the Union of Soviet Socialists Republic you’ve never heard! What was life really like in the Soviet Union? How authoritarian was it? Did a “totalitarian” state really exist? How did the economy function to meet the needs of its citizens? How were the governing apparatus structured? And were the Soviets hell-bent on world domination…. Or world liberation? Or neither? Subscribe to find out!

Share Announcement Patreon page updates!

Sign up to save your podcasts

Announcement Patreon page updates!

Announcement Patreon page updates!

More shows like The Sickle and the Hammer: A Socialist History of the Soviet Union

Revolutions

Jacobin Radio

a16z Podcast

Chapo Trap House

The Daily

Rev Left Radio

TRIGGERnometry

Joshua Citarella

Real Dictators

Bad Faith

The Rest Is History

Short History Of...

Geopolitical Economy Report

Legacy

The Economics Show