In this introductory episode we cover the who, what, where, and why of “The Stalin Eras”, a multi-part series on the life and times of Joseph Stalin. In addition, we also lay the foundations of young Stalin’s life: from his humble birth in 1878 to his revolutionary career leading into the October Revolution of 1917.

This first narrative of the series, “From Soso to Stalin”, begins with his childhood, before movin into his time in church school followed by seminary, and finally his early days as a labor leader and journalist for the Party leading into the October Revolution. And ofcourse, we cover young Stalin’s daring bank robbery!

The Stalin Eras, inspired by the classic RevLeft Radio episode “Stalin: A Marxist-Leninist Perspective,” mixes both narrative history (ala Blowback) and discussion (like classic ProlesPod) to provide the most comprehensive English overview of the life and impact of Soviet leader, Joseph Stalin, in podcast format.

Whether you’re a socialist history enthusiast, someone who’s just curious to learn more than what you got in school about the Soviet Union, or even a total hater who wants to rage, this series has something for everyone.

Episode Sources

Reflections on Stalinism (2024) by J Arch Getty

Secret British ‘black propaganda’ campaign targeted cold war enemies (2022)

Stalin: Passage to Revolution (2020) by Ronald Grigor Suny

Revisioning Stalin and Stalinism Complexities, Contradictions, and Controversies (2020) Edited by James Ryan and Susan Grant

Stalin: From the Caucasus to the Kremlin (2017) by Christopher Read

US., Soviet Textbooks Give Different Accounts of History (1987)

Death of the department that never was (1978)

On Stalin (1953) by W.E.B Dubois

Recommend Reading

Stalin History & Critique of a Black Legend by Domenico Losurdo

The Collected Works of J.V. Stalin: Volume I

The Collected Works of J.V. Stalin: Volume II

Recommended Listening

Stalin: A Marxist-Leninist Perspective

Ep 61 - Foundations of Leninism

Was the Soviet Union Totalitarian? w/ Robert Thurston

Hey comrades!

This update covers the relaunch of the Patreon. We lost all of our subscribers and stuff, so PLEASE <3 resubscribe if you are able, even to the Free Tier. And if you're thinking of subscribing for the first time... thank you!

This is the perfect time because, despite having to push the release of the Stalin Eras - An Introduction (1878-1917) back for general release, it is now up for all paid tiers on our Patreon page, with the Backstage Pass bonus episode hitting it in the VERY near future!

On top of that, we have shuffled and added some benefits, with more planned to come in the future. So make sure you check them out!

Either way, THANK YOU! And we are excited to absolutely rock the airwaves with the Stalin Eras series, now premiering on Nov. 9, 2024.

Join the Proles and friend of the pod, Joel, for our first ever episode focused solely on a theory text. If you’ve been following along with the TheoryBeats project on Patreon, you already know the text. It is the the monumental "Foundations of Leninism" by Joseph Stalin. Rae takes the lead on this one.

We’ll take you through each of the nine sections of this text, unpacking the history and context while making connections to other thinkers, theorists, and movements both historically and today.

You can find the full text freely available to read at:

https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/stalin/works/1924/foundations-leninism/

Thank you to our (actual and legitimate, not a joke) sponsor, "Quotations from Michael Parenti" published by Red Prints Publishing through Marxist-Leninist Reading Hub. To learn more and to get a copy of the book, head here: https://www.mlreadinghub.org/books/quotations-from-michael-parenti

If you’d like to listen to the TheoryBeats, find studyguides, surprise drops, and more, don’t forget to head to Patreon.com/ProlesPod to subscribe. (Even the free tier has special stuff for you!)

If you like our work and want to support it, don’t forget to rate and review us on any of the podcast catchers, follow us on social media @ProlesPod and make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss our Stalin Eras series that’s coming up.

CW: This episode contains frank discussions of murder, torture, and sexual assault of both adults and children, primarily in the context of anti-semitic pogroms against Jewish people. Please proceed carefully through the episode or skip it entirely if any of these things may be difficult for you to hear.

Justin picks up where Jeremy left off to cover the development of OUN/UPA, Stepan Bandera's insecure self-promotion, and how the Ukrainian Nationalists were no better than the Nazis. Slava Ukraini bad. As last time, we try to bring some levity to the discussion, but it is a disgusting period for Eastern Europe and we couldn't sugar coat it.

Sign up at Patreon where you can get access to early release episodes, study guides, bonus episodes, TheoryBeats, and MORE! YOU CAN DO SO FOR FREE, which will get you the study guides, merch, and other random drops.

Please subscribe on your favorite podcast catcher and rate or review to help extend our reach. Like and rate us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @prolespod and Tiktok @proles.pod

If you have any questions or comments, email us at prolespod@outlook.com. May the spectre haunt your streets, and solidarity forever.

Sources:

Ukrainian Nationalists and the Holocaust by John-Paul Himka

Stepan Bandera: The Life and Afterlife of a Ukrainian Nationalist by Grzegorz Rossolinski-Liebe

Intro Music:

"ProlesPod Theme" by Ransom Notes

Midroll Ad:

Written and read by Jeremy

Music "Macho Man Reagan Sandwich" by DJ DTA

Outro Music:

Eastern Bloc Beats by DJ DTA

CW: This episode contains frank discussions of murder, torture, and sexual assault of both adults and children, primarily in the context of anti-semitic pogroms against Jewish people. Please proceed carefully through the episode or skip it entirely if any of these things may be difficult for you to hear. To signal the depravity of racist language in quotes used in this episode we have used a bleep instead of "contextually stating" the slur or "n-wording" it.

Jeremy leads us in a discussion of the early history of what we now know as Ukraine, all the way through the early twentieth century, before taking a depressing turn into the brief period in which nationalists controlled the region from 1918-1921. This brief and tragic era of Ukraine is dominated by a “civil war” and countless pogroms, primarily perpetrated against Jewish residents of the area. We do our best to lighten the material in the first half of the episode, but honestly, there’s nothing to be joked about in the latter half.

Sign up at Patreon where you can get access to early release episodes, study guides, bonus episodes, TheoryBeats, and MORE! YOU CAN DO SO FOR FREE, which will get you the study guides, merch, and other random drops.

Please subscribe on your favorite podcast catcher and rate or review to help extend our reach. Like and rate us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @prolespod and Tiktok @proles.pod.

If you have any questions or comments, email us at prolespod@outlook.com. May the spectre haunt your streets, and solidarity forever.

Resource Links - Soviet Books:

Ismail Badiou Soviet Book Archive (over a thousand soviet era books!)

Lazy Izdihar Soviet Book Archive

Sources:

The Gates of Europe by Serhii Plokhy

In the Midst of Civilized Europe by Jeffrey Veidlinger

Medieval Ukraine by Charles River Editors

Intro Music:

"ProlesPod Theme" by Ransom Notes

Midroll Ad

Written and read by Jeremy

Music "Gyro Maidan" by DJ DTA

For this episode we’re joined by guest expert Beth Pitts for a journey into the heart of the Ecuadorian Amazon. We’re talking about the past, present, and future of indigenous resistance in Ecuador to begin to think about what their struggle can teach us, the benefits and limitations of taking legal action against the imperial nation-state, and the ways in which we can broaden our understanding of the frontline of struggle.

For our full interview with members of the Siekopai Remolino community, head over to the Patreon. (Don’t worry; we translated it into English.)

For information on the communities mentioned, access to their fundraisers, and our guest expert’s book:

• Siekoya Remolino website: https://www.siekoyaremolino.org/ and Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/siekoyaremolino

• Siekopai social media: Twitter: @Siekopai, Facebook: @Siekopai, Instagram: @Nacion.Siekopai

• Sëra Foundation crowdfunding campaign: https://www.gofundme.com/f/siekopai-indigenous-amazonian-youth-foundation

• Native People of Sarayaku website: https://sarayaku.org/

• Children of the Jaguar documentary (Sarayaku): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ma1QSmtuiLQ

• Interview Alexandra Narvaez (Sinangoe): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwmQMdGuBMc

• Under Rich Earth documentary (Intag): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRinnhejBIw

• Moon Guide to Ecuador & the Galapagos Islands: https://www.moon.com/?s=bethany+pitts

Don’t forget to subscribe to ProlesPod on your favorite podcast catcher. Rate, review, and share with your friends. It really helps us a lot.

If you want to keep the party going, make sure you’re subscribed to our Patreon where you can find the companion study guide to every episode (even at the free tier!!), TheoryBeats, early release of main feed episodes, The Secret Speech (bonus content), surprise drops, and you can be the first to know about our limited run merch.

If you have any questions or feedback, please email us at ProlesPod@Outlook.com. Find and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TwitterX, and Tiktok.

Charles Xu joins the show to give us a whirlwind tour of the history of Taiwan starting from about 15,000 years ago to the late 1980s to explain to us the origins of the current tensions between China and the West (led by the United States of America, ofcourse) that has been recklessly escalating to a war!

The history covered here is covered in much more detail on the Qiao Collective website which hosts their outstanding Taiwan: An Anti-Imperialist Resource.

Charles Xu is a member of the Qiao Collective. The Qiao Collective is a diaspora Chinese media collective challenging U.S. aggression in China.

Sign up at Patreon where you can get access to early release episodes, study guides, bonus episodes, TheoryBeats, and MORE! YOU CAN DO SO FOR FREE, which will get you the study guides, merch, and other random drops.

Please subscribe on your favorite podcast catcher and rate or review to help extend our reach. Like and rate us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @prolespod and Tiktok @proles.pod.

If you have any questions or comments, email us at prolespod@outlook.com. May the spectre haunt your streets, and solidarity forever.

Intro Music:

"ProlesPod Theme" by Ransom Notes

Midroll Ad

Written and read by Jeremy

Music "Monstertruck Meow" by DJ DTA