Proles Pod

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

Foundations of Leninism 

Soviet Cinema 

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

Foundations of Leninism 

Soviet Cinema 

Stalin: A Marxist-Leninist Perspective 

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

Hey comrades!

This update covers the relaunch of the Patreon. We lost all of our subscribers and stuff, so PLEASE <3 resubscribe if you are able, even to the Free Tier. And if you're thinking of subscribing for the first time... thank you! 

This is the perfect time because, despite having to push the release of the Stalin Eras - An Introduction (1878-1917) back for general release, it is now up for all paid tiers on our Patreon page, with the Backstage Pass bonus episode hitting it in the VERY near future!

On top of that, we have shuffled and added some benefits, with more planned to come in the future. So make sure you check them out!

Either way, THANK YOU! And we are excited to absolutely rock the airwaves with the Stalin Eras series, now premiering on Nov. 9, 2024.

In this episode, we apologize for completely messing up. Our Patreon account got deleted. We are currently figuring out what the damage is, and will update as soon as we have a definite path forward.

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...

• 0:35.5 - 3:11.5 Introduction
• 3:17.8 - 4:56.3 The Secret Speech Ep 6 - Ukraine: Birth of Nationalism
• 5:10.7 - 6:47.1 The Non-Politics of HBO's The Sympathizer (2024)
• 6:54.4 - 9:39.7 The Secret Speech Ep 3 - The CIA, MK Ultra, and U.S. Psychopathy
• 9:53.2 - 13:56.8 The Secret Speech Ep 8 - Foundations of Leninism (Theory Explained) 
• 14:03.5 - 15:35.6 The Secret Speech Ep 2: Latvia's Red Partisans of World War II
• 15:44.8 - 17:28.7 The Secret Speech Ep 7 - Ukraine: Descent to Fascism
• 17:40.9 - 19:18.6 The Secret Speech Ep 3 - The CIA, MK Ultra, and U.S. Psychopathy
• 19:29.7 - 23:13.0 The Non-Politics of HBO's The Sympathizer (2024)
• 23:31.5 - 24:46.9 The Secret Speech Ep 1 - X-Men 97: A Marxist Perspective
• 25:04.0 - 28:03.0 Kids Who Die by Langston Hughes
• 28:04.8 - 28:48.4 The Sadistic Exploitation of America's Sweethearts
• 29:12.6 - 32:25.8 The Secret Speech Ep 8 - Foundations of Leninism (Theory Explained) 
• 32:42.6 - 36:04.7 The Secret Speech Ep 3 - The CIA, MK Ultra, and U.S. Psychopathy
• 36:33.3 - 37:22.4 The Secret Speech Ep 6 - Ukraine: Birth of Nationalism
• 37:42.3 - 40:38.8 *SPOILERS* The Secret Speech Ep 1 - X-Men 97: A Marxist Perspective
• 40:54.0 - 48:36.8 Q & Rae #1: Family, Ethics of Socialist Content Creation, and Life Abroad
• 49:08.0 - 57:28.7 The Secret Speech Ep 4 - Taiwan: A Short Long History
• 57:49.4 - 1:00.1 The Secret Speech Ep 3 - The CIA, MK Ultra, and U.S. Psychopathy

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.