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

<p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>…. Or were they?</p><p>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?</p><p>Subscribe to find out!</p>

Episode 17 - Lessons to be Learned

Wherein we find out what the point of all this was, and close the book on the revolutionary period.

09-28
55:43

Episode 16 - Filling in the Blanks

This is the first of a two-episode retrospective on the Russian Revolution. In this episode, we discuss some of the finer details that we passed over, in order to provide a more complete understanding of the revolutionary period.

09-26
48:25

Episode 15, supplemental b - Address of the Second All-Russian Congress

Source: https://www.hist.msu.ru/ER/Etext/DEKRET/IIsiezd.htm

09-03
03:44

Episode 15, supplemental a - To the Garrison of the City of Petrograd and the Surrounding Areas

Source: https://marxists.architexturez.net/russkij/trotsky/works/trotl336.html

09-03
02:18

Episode 15 - Checkmate

Kerensky gets pushed right off the board, and the revolutionary masses emerge victorious.Please consider supporting me on Patreon at patreon.com/sovietpod.Sources:Rabinowitch, Alexander. The Bolsheviks Come to Power: The Revolution of 1917 in Petrograd. 1976

09-03
01:05:38

Episode 14 supplemental: The Bolshevik Central Committee Resolution of 10 October

Source for text: https://ru.wikisource.org/wiki/Заседание_Центрального_Комитета_РСДРП(б)_10_(23)_октября_1917_г._(Ленин)

07-30
04:41

Episode 14 - On The Eve

Who knew preparing to overthrow a government would be this much work?!Please consider supporting me on Patreon at patreon.com/sovietpod.Sources:Trotsky, L. D. Istoriya Russkoi Revoliutsii. 1930Cliff, Tony. All Power to the Soviets: Lenin 1914-1917. 1976, republished by Haymarket Books, 2004.Rabinowitch, Alexander. The Bolsheviks Come to Power: The Revolution of 1917 in Petrograd. 1976

07-30
01:04:11

Episode 13 supplemental - The Life of Natasha Morozova

Natalya Ivanovna Morozova was born in village Yagodnoe in the Volga region. This is her story.A fictional biography of a peasant woman living through the events discussed in our series so far, as written by me.Please consider supporting me on Patreon at patreon.com/sovietpod.

07-06
43:43

Episode 13 - The People on the Brink

Russian society is being torn apart by its class contradictions not just in the cities, you know. Fun times.Please consider supporting me on Patreon at patreon.com/sovietpod.Sources:Trotsky, L. D. Istoriya Russkoi Revoliutsii. 1930

07-06
49:23

**Announcement** “The Sickle and the Hammer” guest spots!

I recently did two guest spots on two other fantastic shows. Check out their Patreon pages!Patreon.com/thedeprogramPatreon.com/movies_vs_capitalismPatreon.com/sovietpod

06-15
03:53

**Announcement** Patreon page updates!

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!

06-14
10:52

Episode 12 - Building Momentum

It’s the home stretch of the revolution, folks.Please consider supporting me on Patreon at patreon.com/sovietpod.Sources:Trotsky, L. D. Istoriya Russkoi Revoliutsii. 1930Cliff, Tony. All Power to the Soviets: Lenin 1914-1917. 1976, republished by Haymarket Books, 2004.Rabinowitch, Alexander. The Bolsheviks Come to Power: The Revolution of 1917 in Petrograd. 1976

05-27
47:25

Episode 11 - The People’s Defense

Everyone loves an underdog story.Please consider supporting me on Patreon at patreon.com/sovietpod.Sources:Trotsky, L. D. Istoriya Russkoi Revoliutsii. 1930Cliff, Tony. All Power to the Soviets: Lenin 1914-1917. 1976, republished by Haymarket Books, 2004.Rabinowitch, Alexander. The Bolsheviks Come to Power: The Revolution of 1917 in Petrograd. 1976

05-12
47:07

Episode 10 - Kerensky’s Farce

The government puts on a show in Moscow. Too bad there’s no popcorn.Please consider supporting me on Patreon at patreon.com/sovietpod.Sources:Trotsky, L. D. Istoriya Russkoi Revoliutsii. 1930Cliff, Tony. All Power to the Soviets: Lenin 1914-1917. 1976, republished by Haymarket Books, 2004.Rabinowitch, Alexander. The Bolsheviks Come to Power: The Revolution of 1917 in Petrograd. 1976

04-24
36:05

Episode 9 - Reaction and Recovery

Sometimes the bark is worse than the bite.Please consider supporting me on Patreon at patreon.com/sovietpod.Sources:Trotsky, L. D. Istoriya Russkoi Revoliutsii. 1930Cliff, Tony. All Power to the Soviets: Lenin 1914-1917. 1976, republished by Haymarket Books, 2004.Rabinowitch, Alexander. The Bolsheviks Come to Power: The Revolution of 1917 in Petrograd. 1976

04-14
47:19

Episode 8 - June and July

Whatever you do, don’t try to prematurely overthrow the government… No, I said DON’T do that!Please consider supporting me on Patreon at patreon.com/sovietpod.Sources:Trotsky, L. D. Istoriya Russkoi Revoliutsii. 1930Cliff, Tony. All Power to the Soviets: Lenin 1914-1917. 1976, republished by Haymarket Books, 2004.Rabinowitch, Alexander. The Bolsheviks Come to Power: The Revolution of 1917 in Petrograd. 1976

04-03
49:38

Episode 7 - The People and the Party

The fusion of the party with the people doesn’t just happen overnight, folks.Please consider supporting me on Patreon at patreon.com/sovietpod.Sources:Trotsky, L. D. Istoriya Russkoi Revoliutsii. 1930Cliff, Tony. All Power to the Soviets: Lenin 1914-1917. 1976, republished by Haymarket Books, 2004.

03-24
38:00

Episode 6, supplemental d - Miliukov’s Note

Source for text: http://www.obraforum.ru/lib/book2/2.htm

03-13
03:48

Episode 6, supplemental c - The Tasks of the Proletariat in the Current Revolution

Source for text: https://www.hrono.ru/libris/lib_l/lenin_apr.phpPlease consider supporting me on Patreon at patreon.com/sovietpod.

03-13
13:53

Episode 6, supplemental b - Address of the Soviet to the Peoples of the Entire World

Source for text: http://www.spbiiran.nw.ru/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/токарев-ВИД-4.pdf

03-13
04:46

قرآن 📿 Quran

سبحان الله و الحمدلله و لا اله الا الله و الله اکبر 🇵🇸❤️🇮🇷 Free Palestine boom boom Tel Aviv

09-17 Reply

Will Shogren

You're doing a good thing.

09-17 Reply

Will Shogren

Yeah, it's been a while but I remember Mike Duncan's podcast being uncharacteristically fair, at least by western historian standards.

09-16 Reply

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