Proles Pod Ep 69 - The Stalin Eras, Part 3: Triumphs, Trials, and Tribulations (1935-1936)
In the narrative for Part Three of "The Stalin Eras”, Tony and Jeremy detail Joseph Stalin’s life within the context of Soviet history through the years 1935-1936.
This narrative, titled “Triumph and Tribulations” highlights the USSR as a rising star to both the global proletariat and colonized peoples, the utter triumph of socialist construction during the Great Depression, the highly progressive 1936 Soviet Constitution, and finally the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War!
Stay tuned for the next episode which will continue the narrative through from 1936-1939 focusing mostly on the controversial Moscow Trials, the Great Purge, the climax of the Spanish Civil War, and apocalyptically - the beginning of World War II.
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 at www.patreon.com/prolespod
Recommended Additional Reading
Stalin History & Critique of a Black Legend by Domenico Losurdo
Western Marxism: How it was Born, How it Died, How it can be Reborn by Domenico Losurdo
Recommended Additional Listening
Stalin's Constitution & Life in 1930s Soviet Union w/ Samantha Lomb How Stalin Tried to Prevent World War II w/ Michael Jabara Carley
Stalin: A Marxist-Leninist Perspective
Sources
The New Soviet Constitution: A Study in Socialist Democracy by Anna Louise Strong
Stalinist Values: The Cultural Norms of Soviet Modernity, 1917–1941
The Bloomsbury Handbook of the Spanish Civil War
Broué, P. (1990). Party opposition to Stalin (1930-1932) and the first Moscow trial. In J. W. Strong (Ed.),
Essays on revolutionary culture and Stalinism. Selected papers from the Third World Congress for Soviet and East European studies. Craig, G. A. (1951).
Documents on German Foreign Policy 1918–1945. Series D (1937–1945). Volume III. Germany and the Spanish Civil War 1936–1939. London: His Majesty's Stationery Office. Volodarsky, B. (2015). Stalin's agent. The life and death of Alexander Orlov. London and New York: Oxford University Press.