Ep 74 - The Stalin Eras, Part 4: Enemy at the Gates (1939-1942)

In the narrative for Part 4.0 of "The Stalin Eras”, we detail Joseph Stalin’s life within the context of Soviet history through the years 1939-1942. This narrative, titled “Enemy at the Gates" highlights the pivotal years leading to the Nazi invasion of the USSR: the invasion of Poland, Soviet influence over the Baltics, the death of Leon Trotsky, and the start of Operation Barbarossa!  Stay tuned for the next episode which will continue the narrative through from 1943-1953, Stalin's final years.  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 just wants to rage, this series has something for everyone.  Support the show at www.patreon.com/prolespod   Recommended Supplemental Reading Western Marxism: How it was Born, How it Died, How it can be Reborn by Domenico Losurdo  For a Few Canards More: Counter Inquiry on Stalin and the Soviet Union by Aymeric Monville   Recommended Supplemental Listening Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic 101: Pre-history to World War II w/ Iskolat How Stalin Tried to Prevent World War II w/ Michael Jabara Carley Was the Soviet Union Totalitarian w/ Robert Thurston Understanding Siege Socialim w/ Gabriel Rockhill  The American Ambassador Who Supported Stalin w/ Dominique Petit-Wagner Stalin's Constitution & Life in 1930s Soviet Union w/ Samantha Lomb   Sources Stalin's Wars: From World War to Cold War, 1939-1953 by Geoffrey Roberts Stalin: History and Critique of a Black Legend by Domenico Losurdo The Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union, 1941-45: A Documentary Reader by Alexander Hill Stalin: From the Caucasus to the Kremlin by Christopher Read The Boy in the Woods: A True Story of Survival During the Second World War by Maxwell Smart Soviet Russia and the Baltic Republics by Philip Farr The Baltic Riddle: Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania—Key Points of European Peace by Gregory Meiksins Russia, Finland and the Baltic W.P. and Zelda K. Coates