History Extra podcast Soviet dissidents who challenged the Kremlin
12 snips
Sep 9, 2025 In this engaging discussion, historian Benjamin Nathans, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and author of 'To the Success of Our Hopeless Cause,' reveals the courageous stories of Soviet dissidents who emerged after Stalin's death. He explores their fight for civil rights and the legacy of their movements, connecting their struggles to today's global fight for freedom. Nathans discusses the mechanisms of dissent, like Samizdat, and addresses the evolving tactics of the KGB and the dissidents' role in challenging the Soviet regime.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Rights Defense Over Revolution
- Dissidents framed their actions as legal claims to rights already in the Soviet Constitution.
- They aimed to turn the USSR into a rule-of-law state rather than overthrow it.
A Second Act Of Soviet History
- Post‑Stalin Soviet life differed dramatically from the earlier violent period and opened space for new forms of dissent.
- Khrushchev's retreat from mass terror created the possibility of nonviolent legal activism.
The Samizdat Copying Chain
- Samizdat was produced on typewriters using onion-skin and carbon paper to create multiple copies.
- These rough handwritten-looking texts spread like chain letters to thousands of readers.
