Behind the Bastards Part Two: The Russian Scientist Who Helped Kill 30 Million People
Nov 14, 2018
Max Silvestri, a comedian with a knack for blending humor and history, joins Robert Evans to explore the grim legacy of Trofim Lysenko, a scientist whose misguided theories caused immense suffering. They discuss the disastrous agricultural policies of the Soviet Union and Mao's China, where ideology overshadowed science, leading to famine. With witty anecdotes interspersed, they highlight the absurdity of Lysenko's practices and the dire consequences of ignoring empirical evidence. The conversation is both enlightening and entertaining, revealing the chilling impact of flawed ideologies.
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Mao Embraces Lysenkoism
- Mao Zedong adopted Lysenkoist agricultural methods due to Soviet propaganda and his own ideological beliefs.
- This caused disastrous agricultural practices in China, mirroring Soviet failures but driven by Mao's revolutionary zeal.
Great Leap's Fatal Agricultural Policies
- The Great Leap Forward applied Lysenkoist ideas like close seed planting and deep plowing, which had already failed in the USSR.
- Mao intensified these ideas, notably ordering seeds planted even deeper, worsening China's agricultural crisis.
Faking Abundant Crops for Mao
- Chinese officials faked agricultural abundance by tightly packing plants before Mao's visits.
- After Mao left, crops were replanted normally, revealing the deceit in state propaganda.
