The Crown Jewels: Romanov Diamonds and Bolshevik Plunder

Nestor Makhno and the Black Army: Anarchists vs Bolsheviks

In 1918 Ukraine, the collapse of tsarist and imperial authority gave rise to a unique peasant army under Nestor Makhno. This episode explores the Black Army's guerrilla tactics, their brief alliance with the Bolsheviks against Denikin's White forces, and the brutal suppression that followed. We trace Makhno's path from political prisoner to commander of a 40,000-strong insurgent force, his experiments in libertarian communism in the Huliaipole region, and the Red Army's betrayal at the Battle of Peregonovka. Through the lens of the Makhnovshchina, we see the Russian Civil War's forgotten third side: a peasant anarchist movement that fought both Reds and Whites, only to be crushed by Trotsky's Red Army after the defeat of their common enemies. #NestorMakhno #BlackArmy #Makhnovshchina #UkrainianAnarchists #Huliaipole #RussianCivilWar #Denikin #Trotsky #RedArmy #WhiteArmy #BattleOfPeregonovka #Anarchism #PeasantUprising #Ukraine1918 #EasternEurope #History #FexingoHistory #Podcast Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The Bolsheviks' Battle for the Ukraine: 1918 Grain and Terror

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the Bolshevik campaign to seize control of Ukraine in early 1918. Facing the Central Rada in Kyiv, the Red Guards under Mikhail Muravyov advance, capturing the city amid chaos. We discuss the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, the German occupation that followed, and the brutal policies of grain requisitioning that sparked peasant resistance. The hosts examine the role of the Cheka's first major field operation, the execution of hostages in Taganrog, and the rise of partisan leader Nestor Makhno. Focusing on figures like Vladimir Antonov-Ovseenko and Yevgenia Bosch, this episode reveals how Ukraine became a crucible for Bolshevik terror and the drive for food that would define the Civil War. #Bolsheviks #Ukraine #RussianRevolution #CivilWar #BrestLitovsk #MikhailMuravyov #CentralRada #Kyiv #GrainRequisition #Cheka #NestorMakhno #AntonovOvseenko #YevgeniaBosch #Taganrog #RedGuards #History #FexingoHistory #EasternEurope Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The Train That Drove the Revolution: Lenin's Sealed Car

In April 1917, Vladimir Lenin returned from Swiss exile to Petrograd in a sealed train, crossing Germany with the Kaiser's blessing. This episode traces the journey that changed world history: the diplomatic negotiations with the German General Staff, the sealed carriage that became a legend, the stop in Stockholm where Swedish socialists met the travelers, and Lenin's arrival at Finland Station. We explore the deal that Germany struck to destabilize Russia, the myth versus reality of the 'plombiertes Zug,' and how a single train journey launched the Bolshevik Revolution. #Lenin #SealedTrain #April1917 #FinlandStation #RussianRevolution #GermanEmpire #PlombiertesZug #Stockholm #Bolsheviks #SwissExile #KaiserWilhelm #Parvus #Radek #Zinoviev #History #FexingoHistory #EasternEurope #20thCentury Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The Red Terror: Bolshevik Violence and the Fate of the Romanovs

In this episode, Lucas and Luna examine the Red Terror, the Bolshevik campaign of political repression and violence that swept Russia from 1918. They discuss the Cheka's unchecked power, the execution of hostages, the role of Felix Dzerzhinsky, and how the terror directly impacted the Romanov family's final days in Ekaterinburg. The conversation also touches on the ideological justifications for state-sanctioned violence, the difference between Red and White terror, and the long-term legacy of these events on Soviet society. Specific figures include Yakov Sverdlov, Grigory Petrovsky, and Mikhail Latsis. The episode ends with a brief reflection on how terror reshaped Russian political culture. #RedTerror #Bolsheviks #Cheka #FelixDzerzhinsky #YakovSverdlov #Romanovs #Ekaterinburg #IpatievHouse #PoliticalRepression #RussianRevolution #CivilWar #Hostages #GrigoryPetrovsky #MikhailLatsis #DecreeOnRedTerror #History #FexingoHistory #EasternEurope Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Stalin's First Purge: The Tsaritsyn Affair of 1918

In 1918, as the Russian Civil War raged, Joseph Stalin was sent to Tsaritsyn (modern Volgograd) to secure grain supplies for Moscow. But what began as a logistical mission turned into a bloody power struggle. Stalin, along with Kliment Voroshilov, purged the city's military specialists — many of them former tsarist officers — accusing them of treason. He ignored orders from Leon Trotsky and the central Sovnarkom, set up his own parallel command, and executed dozens without trial. This episode explores the Tsaritsyn affair: how Stalin's paranoia and thirst for control foreshadowed the Great Purges of the 1930s. We discuss the roles of key figures like Andrei Snesarev, the tsarist general Stalin had shot, and the Don Cossack uprising led by Pyotr Krasnov. We also examine the strategic importance of Tsaritsyn as a railway hub and the 'Tsaritsyn Front' that became a proving ground for Stalin's ruthless methods. This is the story of how Stalin learned to purge — and how the seeds of the gulag were sown in a dusty Volga city. #Stalin #Tsaritsyn #RussianCivilWar #RedArmy #Voroshilov #Trotsky #Purge #Cossacks #Krasnov #Snesarev #Volga #1918 #SovietHistory #Revolution #MilitaryHistory #Bolsheviks #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]