Why we’re still mesmerized by the myth of Rasputin

In the century since Russia’s “Mad Monk” was poisoned, we’ve come to believe a lot of things: he was mystical, he was evil, he was the world’s greatest lover.

This hour: Rasputin — the all-too-human peasant who found his way to friendship with the Romanovs and the comical, absurd version of him that just won’t die.

Plus, a look at "The New Rasputins."

GUESTS:

• Douglas Smith: Historian and author of Rasputin: Faith, Power, and the Twilight of the Romanovs

• Anne Applebaum: Staff writer at The Atlantic, Senior Fellow at the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University and the School of Advanced International Studies, author of books including Autocracy, Inc.: The Dictators Who Want to Run The World

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Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, Cat Pastor, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show, parts of which originally aired May 3, 2022.

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