The Sickle and the Hammer: A Socialist History of the Soviet Union

50 episodes

27.a - The Declaration of the Rights of the Peoples of Russia
2026/06/07 | 4 mins.
Source: https://www.hist.msu.ru/ER/Etext/DEKRET/peoples.htm
27 - Introduction to the National Question
2026/06/07 | 57 mins.
What attitude ought socialists and communists have to the question of national self-determination? Survey says: Ask Lenin and Stalin!
Please consider supporting me on Patreon at patreon.com/sovietpod or buymeacoffee.com/sovietpod.
Sources:
Natsional’ny Vopros v Nashei Programme - V. I. Lenin, published in “Iskra” 15 July 1903
Kriticheskie zametki o natsional’nom voproce - V. I. Lenin, published in “Prosveshchenie”, November-December 1913
Rabochii klass i natsional’ny vopros - V. I. Lenin, published in “Pravda” 10 May 1913
Nuzhen li obyazatelny yazyk? - V. I. Lenin, published in “Proletarskaya Pravda” 18 January 1914
O Prave Natsii Na Samoopredelenie - V. I. Lenin, 1914
O Natsional’noi Gordosti Velikorossov - V. I. Lenin, published in “Sotsial-Demokrat”, 12 December 1914
Revoliutsionny Proletariat i Pravo Natsii na Samoopredelenie - V. I. Lenin, 16 October 1915
Marksizm i Natsional’ny Vopros, J. V. Stalin, 1906.
Texts found on leninism.su and marxist.org
26 - Epilogue to Brest-Litovsk
2026/04/27 | 39 mins.
The narrative is over. Now comes the fun part: analysis!
Please consider supporting me on Patreon at patreon.com/sovietpod or buymeacoffee.com/sovietpod.
25.a - The Socialist Fatherland Is In Danger!
2026/04/20 | 4 mins.
Source: https://www.hist.msu.ru/ER/Etext/DEKRET/opasnost.htm
Please consider supporting me on Patreon: patreon.com/soviet
25 - An Unacceptable Peace, Ratified
2026/04/20 | 1h 2 mins.
The saga of ending Soviet Russia’s participation in World War 1 comes to an end.
Please consider supporting me on Patreon at patreon.com/sovietpod or buymeacoffee.com/sovietpod.
Sources:
Rabinowitch, Alexander. The Bolsheviks in Power: The First Year of Soviet Rule in Petrograd. Indiana University Press, 2007.
Gluckstein, Donny. The Tragedy of Bukharin. Pluto Press, 1994.
“Sedmoi S’ezd RKP(b).” Bolshaya Sovietskaya Entsiklopedia, 3rd edition. Accessed via booksite.ru
“Brestskii Mir.” Bolshaya Sovietskaya Entsiklopedia, 3rd edition. Accessed via booksite.ru
“Chresvychainy Chetvyorty Vserossiiskii S’ezd Sovietov.” Bolshaya Sovietskaya Entsiklopedia, 3rd edition. Accessed via booksite.ru

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About The Sickle and the Hammer: A Socialist History of the Soviet Union

We are often told the USSR was an oppressive, authoritarian society, lacking freedom and democracy. There were endless purges that claimed the lives of millions of “dissidents,” purges that were designed for one thing and one thing only: to keep power in the hands of those who wielded it.And as we all know, the economy was based on socialist and communist principles, which is why it barely functioned at all. There were endless famines, genocides against minorities within the nation, and an industrial base that was constantly tottering on the edge of collapse.But instead of trying to address these issues at home, the leaders of the USSR were fixated only on world domination, on spreading communism in order to destroy freedom around the world. From Europe and Asia to Latin America and Africa, the Communists were a threat to freedom the world over.…. Or were they?Learn the story of the Union of Soviet Socialists Republic you’ve never heard! What was life really like in the Soviet Union? How authoritarian was it? Did a “totalitarian” state really exist? How did the economy function to meet the needs of its citizens? How were the governing apparatus structured? And were the Soviets hell-bent on world domination…. Or world liberation? Or neither?Subscribe to find out!Please consider supporting me on Patreon at patreon.com/sovietpodYouTube: @TheSickleandtheHammerBlueSky: @sovietpod.bsky.socialThumbnail from Toni Strauß. Find them at:https://www.youtube.com/@1framedhttps://pin.it/5Al9BA2jo

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