This episode shines a light on what's happening behind the Iron Curtain from the years 1964 to 1970, shortly after new Soviet leader Alexander Shelepin takes power in the USSR after deposing Khrushchev (episode 5). While at first it looks as if Shelepin, neo-Stalinist though he is, will not be as repressive or heavy-handed as his idol, an early spate of high-level executions of former Soviet leaders indicates otherwise. This proves to be only the beginning of an entirely new set of purges in which hundreds of thousands of Soviet citizens are executed, sent to gulags or vanish into mental hospitals. Shelepin is obviously preparing for something...but what?

Length: 21:10

Show Notes For This Episode

Next Episode: September 26, 2021