O Comrade, Where Art Thou

On today's show, Alex and Andrew talk about the recent ongoing protests and demonstrations in the US after George Floyd's murder, and draw comparisons to the Orange and Maidan revolutions in Ukraine.

Today we answer the question: How did Russia get so big? As it turns, the same way as the United States: colonial expansion in pursuit of resources. What then can we learn from these parallel histories, and what does it mean for each each country going forward? Find all our episodes at: ocomrade.wordpress.com Follow the Show on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/OComradePod Email Us: ocomradewhereartthou@gmail.com

In this episode we look at the pandemics impact in Russia. How has the Russian government reacted to the pandemic? More importantly, how have the Russian people reacted? Find all our episodes at: ocomrade.wordpress.com Follow the Show on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/OComradePod Email Us: ocomradewhereartthou@gmail.com

We continue our discussion on how the historical contexts around revolutions shape the societies they create. How did the crisis preceding the Russian Revolution shape the state of the Soviet Union? How might the crisis of a pandemic fundamentally shape how our society looks when it's passed? Find all our episodes at: ocomrade.wordpress.com Support the Show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/OComrade Follow the Show on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/OComradePod Email Us: ocomradewhereartthou@gmail.com

Today we go long and talk about the historical contexts necessary for revolutionary moments, but also how those contexts shape and inform the revolutions themselves. How does the Russian revolution reflect the society that came before it? How does our own historical context inform the revolutionary moments of today? Find all our episodes at: ocomrade.wordpress.com Support the Show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/OComrade Follow the Show on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/OComradePod Email Us: ocomradewhereartthou@gmail.com

Today, we talk about the land reforms proposed in the breadbasket of Europe: Ukraine. We discuss what the reforms are, how they came about, and how Ukraine's history might explain why there is caution around the reforms. Find all our episodes at: ocomrade.wordpress.com Support the Show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/OComrade Follow the Show on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/OComradePod Email Us: ocomradewhereartthou@gmail.com

Today we look at the effects that things such as show trials, whether Stalin's show trials in the Soviet Union, or an impeachment trial with a foregone conclusion in the United States, have on people's beliefs. Do they reinforce existing beliefs? Do they shack the confidence of a population? Why might one have a different effect from another? Find all our episodes at: ocomrade.wordpress.com Support the Show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/OComrade Follow the Show on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/OComradePod Email Us: ocomradewhereartthou@gmail.com

Today we talk about the Russian government's recent mass resignation, and proposed constitutional amendments. Alex gives historical context explaining why it's almost always better for Russian leaders to leave power on their own terms. Find all our episodes at: ocomrade.wordpress.com Support the Show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/OComrade Follow the Show on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/OComradePod Email Us: ocomradewhereartthou@gmail.com

After a holiday break, we're back to talk about the end of empires: What did it look like when the Soviet Empire began to fall apart, and how does that compare to where the United States is at today? Support the Show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/OComrade Follow the Show on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/OComradePod Email Us: ocomradewhereartthou@gmail.com

With the recent publication of the Afghanistan Papers, and realization that the United States is locked in a forever war, we talk about the Soviet Union's own war in Afghanistan. We also talk about the effect forever war has had on Russian society, including many stark similarities to its effect on ours. Support the Show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/OComrade Follow the Show on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/OComradePod Email Us: ocomradewhereartthou@gmail.com

Today we talk about two classic pieces of Soviet science fiction by director Andrei Tarkovsky: Solaris and Stalker. How does science fiction told from a Soviet lens differ from our own, and how is it the same? What can we learn from Soviet society from these works, and what does that mean about our own works of fiction? Support the Show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/OComrade Follow the Show on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/OComradePod Email Us: ocomradewhereartthou@gmail.com

Today we talk about the institution of Serfdom in the Russian empire, and the legacy it had throughout the Soviet Union and Russia today. How is it different than American slavery, and are these institutions really gone? Or did they simply assume different forms? Support the Show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/OComrade Follow the Show on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/OComradePod Email Us: ocomradewhereartthou@gmail.com

Today we talk about the rapid industrialization the Soviet Union underwent in the beginning of the 20th century. How was a backwards, agrarian society able to accomplish in decades what took other nations nearly a century? What role did the United States and Americans play in helping the Soviet Union industrialize? And as the climate crisis demands restructuring of our own economy, what lessons are there to be learned from the Soviet Union industrialization? Support the Show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/OComrade Follow the Show on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/OComradePod Email Us: ocomradewhereartthou@gmail.com