The Pete Quiñones Show Reading Solzhenitsyn's '200 Years Together' w/ Dr. Matthew Raphael Johnson - Episodes 31-40
Oct 20, 2025
Matthew Raphael Johnson, a researcher and former professor specializing in Russian history, dives deep into Solzhenitsyn's '200 Years Together.' He reveals how Russia's oil and coal industries influenced revolutionary motives and critiques historical attempts to address the Jewish question. The discussion spans themes of Zionism, European antisemitism, and the financing of revolutions, emphasizing the interplay between media narratives and international reactions. Johnson also highlights the lasting consequences of events like the Kishinev pogrom on Jewish identity and self-defense.
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Economic Concentration And Political Power
- Jewish financiers and merchants controlled strategic sectors (rail, oil, sugar, gold) and often intermarried to consolidate power.
- That economic concentration shaped foreign influence and revolutionary dynamics in late imperial Russia.
Verify With Primary Sources
- Check primary archives and commissions (e.g., Dershavon) before accepting textbook narratives.
- Cross-reference contemporary press translations to spot propagandistic distortions.
Finance As Leverage Over States
- Jews dominated finance and banking leadership across major Russian banks by the turn of the century.
- This financial leverage made Russian foreign policy vulnerable to external banking interests.
