10.94- The New Policies

When the old policies aren't working...try new policies!

Direct Link: 10.94- The New Policies

Comments

[Spencer]

Mike, thank you for another superb episode!

I'm curious what the change in population of what would become the Soviet Union was between 1914 and 1923 (or pick your favorite year). Between large losses during WWI, the Reds-vs-Whites civil war, emigration, famine, etc., I would guess that population loss was significant. But that is just a guess.

Does anyone have a sense of what this change in population was (using best available sources)?

Thanks!

[Shane Doherty]

Sounds like someone's thinking they represent the general will again. Vladimir.

I'm assuming you'll have a grand summation either at the end of this series or in your hopefully still planned comparison of all the revolutions, but I'd be curious about your thoughts about how the various socialist parties, even before Lenin took over, all seemed to believe that the political form of their country had to take a specific structure and would brook no compromise or accommodation of different views. As an extension it even feels like their materialist view of history felt too married to specific patterns and not taking how gosh darn chaotic humans can be into account. Was that their mistake in the end, too much focus on the means and not enough on the ends? Or have I got it wrong?

[Conrad Z. Risher]

There's been a surprising presentation in recent episodes about the beliefs of Lenin, Trotsky, etc. that doesn't seem to engage with the possibility that the Kronstadt crew were correct that, having gained power, their main interest was in keeping it. Can you explain how we know that the Party apparatus _actually_ believed what they were saying about divisions? Trotsky surely said that it was nonsense to say that the Party was workers' revolution but why do we not hear consideration of whether that was pablum offered to pacify people upset about what a dictatorial, not to say murderous, SOB he was? Skepticism about and _explanation of_ the differences between what people say and what they believe has always been a Duncan trademark I love so the seeming lessening, not to say absence, of it in recent episodes surprised me.

[Richard]

I hear the skepticism. And as to what’s happening now in Russia, just go back to the first podcast and ask cui bono.