Peace In Their Time

Episode 84 - The Revolution

Do I even need to introduce this one? The Bolsheviks overcame all the odds against them, and did the dang the thing. 

 

Bibliography for this episode: 

 

1. Hosking, Geoffrey Russia and the Russians: A History The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press 2001
2. Figes, Orlando A People’s Tragedy: The Russian Revolution 1891-1917 Penguin Books 1998
3. Smith, SA Russia in Revolution: An Empire in Crisis 1890-1928 Oxford University Press 2018
4. Fitzpatrick, Sheila The Russian Revolution, 4^th Edition Oxford University Press 2017
5. Kotkin, Stephen Stalin: Paradoxes of Power 1878-1928 Penguin Books 2015
6. Smele, Jonathon D The Russian Civil Wars C. Hurst & Company Ltd 2016
7. Mawdsley, Evan The Russian Civil War Pegasus Books LLC 2007
8. Suny, Ronald Grigor The Cambridge History of Russia, Vol III: The Twentieth Century Cambridge University Press 2006

 

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com

Episode 83 - Red October

The last days of the Provisional Government ticked by amidst plotting and feuding that would do its memory no favors. It also didn't do it any favors in the moment either, as the chaos swung vital public support towards the Bolsheviks. As October dawned, everything started coming together for the big revolution they had been dreaming of. 

 

Bibliography for this episode: 

 

1. Hosking, Geoffrey Russia and the Russians: A History The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press 2001
2. Figes, Orlando A People’s Tragedy: The Russian Revolution 1891-1917 Penguin Books 1998
3. Smith, SA Russia in Revolution: An Empire in Crisis 1890-1928 Oxford University Press 2018
4. Fitzpatrick, Sheila The Russian Revolution, 4^th Edition Oxford University Press 2017
5. Kotkin, Stephen Stalin: Paradoxes of Power 1878-1928 Penguin Books 2015
6. Smele, Jonathon D, The Russian Civil Wars C. Hurst & Company Ltd 2016

 

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com

Episode 82 - The Years of Revolution, Part II

Losing one major war was survivable for Imperial Russia, but damage done by WWI both militarily and socially proved too much. The Tsar would fall in 1917, but he clung to power long enough that the damage he had caused Russia would be too great for its succeeding government to deal with. 

 

Bibliography for this episode: 

 

1. Hosking, Geoffrey Russia and the Russians: A History The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press 2001
2. Figes, Orlando A People’s Tragedy: The Russian Revolution 1891-1917 Penguin Books 1998
3. Smith, SA Russia in Revolution: An Empire in Crisis 1890-1928 Oxford University Press 2018
4. Fitzpatrick, Sheila The Russian Revolution, 4^th Edition Oxford University Press 2017
5. Kotkin, Stephen Stalin: Paradoxes of Power 1878-1928 Penguin Books 2015

 

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com

Episode 81 - The Years of Revolution, Part I

The dam starts to break for Imperial Russia as it embarked on a terribly ill-advised war on the extreme edge of its empire. Long story short, it didn't go well and all the pressures that had been building for decades broke out in a frenzy of protest and violence. 

 

Bibliography for this episode: 

 

1. Hosking, Geoffrey Russia and the Russians: A History The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press 2001
2. Figes, Orlando A People’s Tragedy: The Russian Revolution 1891-1917 Penguin Books 1998
3. Smith, SA Russia in Revolution: An Empire in Crisis 1890-1928 Oxford University Press 2018
4. Fitzpatrick, Sheila The Russian Revolution, 4^th Edition Oxford University Press 2017
5. Kotkin, Stephen Stalin: Paradoxes of Power 1878-1928 Penguin Books 2015

 

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com

Episode 80 - The Disloyal Opposition

Last week I covered some of the major fixtures of the old Russia, and this week I go over their counterparts in the Russia to come. Many were not destined to last much longer than the autocracy itself, but all would have some influence on the revolutions that would lead to the USSR's formation. 

 

Bibliography for this episode: 

 

1. Hosking, Geoffrey Russia and the Russians: A History The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press 2001
2. Figes, Orlando A People’s Tragedy: The Russian Revolution 1891-1917 Penguin Books 1998
3. Smith, SA Russia in Revolution: An Empire in Crisis 1890-1928 Oxford University Press 2018
4. Fitzpatrick, Sheila The Russian Revolution, 4^th Edition Oxford University Press 2017
5. Kotkin, Stephen Stalin: Paradoxes of Power 1878-1928 Penguin Books 2015

 

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com

Episode 79 - Autocracy on Edge

A memorable revolution needs a cartoonishly unsympathetic adversary, and the Communists had that in the autocracy that ruled Russia up to 1917. Today I cover some of the big institutions and figures whose mismanagement made Russia such fertile ground for revolution and the establishment of a new kind of state. 

 

Bibliography for this episode: 

 

1. Hosking, Geoffrey Russia and the Russians: A History The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press 2001
2. Figes, Orlando A People’s Tragedy: The Russian Revolution 1891-1917 Penguin Books 1998
3. Smith, SA Russia in Revolution: An Empire in Crisis 1890-1928 Oxford University Press 2018
4. Fitzpatrick, Sheila The Russian Revolution, 4^th Edition Oxford University Press 2017
5. Kotkin, Stephen Stalin: Paradoxes of Power 1878-1928 Penguin Books 2015

 

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com

Episode 78 - The Eastern Bear

Fresh new miniseries this week as I get started on unpacking the Soviet Union's early years. But as you're probably familiar with by now, a topic that big deserves some setup, and today I begin a way-too-fast overview of the conditions in the Russian Empire leading up to the early 1900s. In short, the place was a mess and it turns out that an out-of-touch autocracy wasn't the best institution to fix it. 

 

Bibliography for this episode: 

 

1. Hosking, Geoffrey Russia and the Russians: A History The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press 2001
2. Figes, Orlando A People’s Tragedy: The Russian Revolution 1891-1917 Penguin Books 1998
3. Smith, SA Russia in Revolution: An Empire in Crisis 1890-1928 Oxford University Press 2018
4. Fitzpatrick, Sheila The Russian Revolution, 4^th Edition Oxford University Press 2017
5. Kotkin, Stephen Stalin: Paradoxes of Power 1878-1928 Penguin Books 2015

 

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com

Episode 77 - Theory Into Practice

Today we wrap up this season's coverage on China with the early life of its eventual leader, Mao Zedong. His early years were dominated by intellectualism, but for the longest time he cast about for the proper cause to believe in. It was only after witnessing the escalating disasters that befell the nation that he came to accept Marxism, but once done he became its committed champion. 

 

Bibliography for this episode: 

 

1. Short, Philip Mao, A Life Henry Holdt and Company LLC 1999
2. Fairbannk, John K & Albert Feuerwerker The Cambridge History of China, Volume 13: Republican China 1912-1949, Part 2 Cambridge University Press 1983

 

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com

Episode 76 - The Generalissimo

It's the return of biography episodes today and first on deck is Sun Yat-sen's unlikely successor, Chiang Kai-shek. I say unlikely because for most of his early life Chiang was a fairly anonymous foot-soldier for a failing political movement. It was only after Sun enjoyed some lucky breaks that Chiang was eventually handed the responsibility of shaping what would become the most powerful army in China. And having that army made up for a lot of Chiang's deficiencies as a leader. 

 

Bibliography for this episode: 

 

1. Taylor, Jay The Generalissimo: Chiang Kai-shek and the Struggle for Modern China Harvard University Press 2011
2. Fairbannk, John K & Albert Feuerwerker The Cambridge History of China, Volume 13: Republican China 1912-1949, Part 2 Cambridge University Press 1983

 

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com

Episode 75 - The Northern Showdown

Going back to the KMT this week, the party and NRA found themselves somewhat at a loss on how to move forward without Chiang Kai-shek. Militarily they were holding it together, but politically were splintering again. With Wang Jingwei not providing the leadership needed, it was eventually decided for Chiang to return to command. More powerful than ever, Chiang took charge of the Nationalists to conclude the Northern Expedition once and for all. 

 

Bibliography for this episode: 

 

1. Fairbank, John K & Denis Twitchett The Cambridge History of China, Volume 12: Republican China 1912-1949, Part 1 Cambridge University Press 1983
2. Fairbannk, John K & Albert Feuerwerker The Cambridge History of China, Volume 13: Republican China 1912-1949, Part 2 Cambridge University Press 1983
3. Sheridan, James E. China in Disintegration: The Republican Era in Chinese History 1912-1949 Macmillian Publishing Co, Inc 1975
4. Taylor, Jay The Generalissimo: Chiang Kai-shek and the Struggle for Modern China Harvard University Press 2011
5. SCM Paine The Wars for Asia 1911-1949 Cambridge University Press 2012

 

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com