The Pete Quiñones Show Reading Solzhenitsyn's '200 Years Together' w/ Dr Matthew Raphael Johnson - Part 92
Dec 6, 2025
Dr. Matthew Raphael Johnson, a former history professor and expert on Russian political ideology, joins for a captivating discussion on Solzhenitsyn's '200 Years Together.' They delve into the brutal industrialization of the USSR in the 1930s and explore the controversial role of Western financiers in aiding Soviet growth. Johnson critiques historical narratives on Stalin and Jewish representation in leadership, while linking central planning to both international capitalism and Bolshevism. The conversation highlights the devastating impact of forced collectivization on peasant life.
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Forced Industrialization Remade Russia
- The 1930s forced rapid industrialization that crushed the peasantry and reshaped Russian life.
- Solzhenitsyn argues the brutal transformation nonetheless produced an industrialized power through coerced sacrifice.
Western Capital Enabled Soviet Growth
- Western capital supplied technology and equipment that made Soviet industrialization possible.
- Pete and Matthew highlight that the USSR paid with resources and concessions while Wall Street benefited from access and control.
Anthony Sutton Shifted Matthew's View
- Matthew recalls discovering Anthony Sutton, which altered his view of 20th-century history.
- He cites Henry Ford building a major truck plant near Kharkov in the Depression as an eye-opening example.
