The Cabinet Wars were a period of supposedly restricted warfare, and no one was a greater Cabinet Warrior than Frederick the Great of Prussia. Though he was also in some ways the opposite. Today we look at the trajectory of Frederick the Great's military thinking, from the early idealism of his Anti-Machiavel to his later years of restricted warfare. Maps, pics, references and more at www.deadideas.net. Music by Rachel Westhoff.

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The balance of power system in place prior to WWI was meant to prevent a great war from ever happening again. Then what happened? Not just any great war, but THE Great War. What was this system and how was it supposed to work?

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Maps, pics, references and more at www.deadideas.net. Music by Rachel Westhoff.

Our serfdom grand finale! Guest Daniel Daughhetee of the Lesser Bonapartes and Canon Ball helps us bring it home in this cinematic mashup of the autobiography of runaway serf Nikolai Shipov with... Star Wars! Featuring music by David and Henry Dutton of 8-Bit Cinema!

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Music and graphic design by Rachel Westhoff. Guest music by David and Henry Dutton. Map by Adam McKithern. Pics, maps, references and more at www.deadideas.net.

The conquest of Siberia! Kinda. Sort of. Well, in name at least. How in the hell did the Russians manage to grab the northern expanses all the way to the Pacific? Find out today. Also, who were the Old Believers and what zany adventures did their founder get up to? Find that out too. Nick answers all the burning questions you never knew you had.

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Music and graphic design by Rachel Westhoff. Map by Adam McKithern. Pics, maps, references and more at www.deadideas.net.

Run away to join the Cossacks, young serf! Who were these cowboy-like steppe peoples? And what was their obsession with disdain for pants?! Anna digs into Russian author Nikolai Gogol for a unique view of these riders of the wild wastes.

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Music and graphic design by Rachel Westhoff. Map by Adam McKithern. Pics, maps, references and more at www.deadideas.net.

How did the Soviet kolkhoz, or collective farm, stack up against the serf commune? Here to help us understand is Kristaps Andrejsons from the podcast The Eastern Border. Also, it's my birthday! Yay!

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Music and graphic design by Rachel Westhoff. Map by Adam McKithern. Pics, maps, references, and more at www.deadideas.net.

What was the relationship like between serf and master? Hear chilling first-hand accounts from 19th-century serf autobiographies!

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Music by Rachel Westhoff. Map by Adam McKithern. Maps, pics, references and more at www.deadideas.net

Experience the horrors of the military draft and the joys (?) of marriage on a Russian serf commune in this role-playing game episode.

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Music and graphic design by Rachel Westhoff. Map by Adam McKithern. Maps, references, and more at www.deadideas.net.

What was life like on a Russian serf commune? Experience it today in our very first role-playing game episode! That's right, we're doing this as an RPG for an even more immersive experience. Be sure to support the show at www.patreon.com/deadideaspod to get your portrait drawn!

Maps, pics, references, and more at www.deadideas.net. Music and graphic design by Rachel Westhoff. Map by Adam McKithern.

What is serfdom, and why did Russia take it up just as it was dying out elsewhere in Europe, then keep it all the way up till the mid-19th-century? This institution of near-slavery is the focus of our new epic series. Today, find out how you got serfed!

Be sure to support the show at www.patreon.com/deadideaspod to get your portrait drawn!

Music and graphic design by Rachel Westhoff. Map by Adam McKithern. Maps, references, and more at www.deadideas.net.