The Pete Quiñones Show Reading Solzhenitsyn's '200 Years Together' w/ Dr Matthew Raphael Johnson - Part 74
Sep 27, 2025
Dr. Matthew Raphael Johnson, a researcher and former professor specializing in Russian history, joins to discuss Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's '200 Years Together.' They delve into the complexities of the Ukrainian pogroms during the Civil War, exploring who perpetrated violence and the reliability of casualty counts. The conversation addresses how narratives shaped political dynamics, especially regarding Jewish involvement with Bolsheviks. Johnson also examines the broader implications of these events on social groups amid revolutionary chaos.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Scale Of 1919–1920 Pogroms
- Pogroms in Ukraine during 1919–1920 were massively larger than earlier incidents and tied to Civil War dynamics.
- Dr. Matthew Raphael Johnson argues scope, scale, and atrocity reflect armed, cohesive conflict rather than simple mob attacks.
Pogroms As Multi‑Sided Civil War Violence
- Johnson frames many pogroms as events within civil war battles involving armed groups rather than one-sided massacres.
- He stresses perpetrators included Whites, Cossacks, Poles, and some leftist and peasant rebels, making violence complex and multi-sided.
Numbers Need Civil‑War Context
- Johnson questions casualty estimates and highlights that many reported deaths may include combatant shootouts, not only civilian massacres.
- He cautions that raw numbers from civil-war contexts can conflate battle casualties with pogrom victims.
