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Conversations with Tyler
Stephen Kotkin on Stalin, Power, and the Art of Biography
Dec 4, 2024
Stephen Kotkin, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and a prominent historian of Russian and Soviet history, dives deep into the mechanics of totalitarian power. He discusses the enduring influence of Buddhism and shamanism in Siberia, and how the landscape shaped its residents. Kotkin shares personal anecdotes from his time in Magnitogorsk and explores Stalin’s complex relationship with artistic genius. He also navigates the intricacies of researching WWII, revealing the moral dilemmas faced in studying such a controversial figure.
01:26:25
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- Stephen Kotkin's biography of Stalin reveals how totalitarian power is exercised through both elite terror and everyday societal choices.
- The podcast highlights the current complexities of Buddhism in Russia and the cultural persistence of shamanism amidst geopolitical challenges.
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