The Russian Famine of 1921–22

The Red Terror: Bolshevik Repression After the Revolution

In this episode, Lucas and Luna delve into the Red Terror of 1918, the Bolsheviks' campaign of political repression during the Russian Civil War. They explore the origins, key figures like Felix Dzerzhinsky and Yakov Sverdlov, and the use of terror as a state instrument. The conversation covers the Cheka's mass executions, the hostage system, and the impact on the population, including the murder of the Romanovs. Specific events like the executions in Petrograd and Moscow are discussed, along with the legal framework of the decree 'On Red Terror'. The episode also touches on the historiography and how later Soviet leaders, including Stalin, built on these methods. #RedTerror #Bolsheviks #RussianCivilWar #Cheka #FelixDzerzhinsky #YakovSverdlov #Petrograd #Moscow #Romanovs #PoliticalRepression #1918 #SovietHistory #RussianHistory #Terror #Lenin #History #FexingoHistory #EasternEurope Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The Russian Revolution: The Last Tsar's Abdication and the February Revolution

In March 1917, Tsar Nicholas II abdicated the throne, ending three centuries of Romanov rule. This episode explores the February Revolution in Petrograd: the International Women's Day protests, the mutiny of the Volynsky Regiment, the formation of the Petrograd Soviet, and the Provisional Government under Prince Lvov. We discuss the Tsar's train journey from Mogilev to Pskov, the role of General Ruzsky and Mikhail Rodzianko, the abdication manifesto, and the Grand Duke Michael's refusal to accept the crown. The episode also touches on the dual power structure—the Provisional Government and the Soviet—that set the stage for the October Revolution. A pivotal moment in Russian history, covered in-depth with primary sources and human detail. #FebruaryRevolution #NicholasII #Abdication #Petrograd #Romanov #ProvisionalGovernment #PetrogradSoviet #MikhailRodzianko #GeneralRuzsky #PrinceLvov #GrandDukeMichael #InternationalWomensDay #RussianHistory #1917 #FexingoHistory #History #EasternEurope #Revolution Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The Saratov Famine and the Bolsheviks' Food Dictatorship

In 1921, as the Russian Civil War wound down, a catastrophic drought struck the Volga region, triggering one of the deadliest famines in modern history. This episode focuses on the Saratov famine, where crop failure combined with ruthless Bolshevik grain requisitioning — the prodrazverstka — to create a humanitarian disaster. Lucas and Luna explore the role of the Narkomprod (People's Commissariat for Food), the brutal work of the prodotryady (food detachments), and the ideological blinders that kept Soviet officials from accepting foreign aid until it was almost too late. They also examine the American Relief Administration's massive operation under Herbert Hoover, which fed millions but was viewed with deep suspicion by Lenin's government. Along the way, they discuss the famine's long-term scars on the Volga German communities, the rise of farmer resistance movements like the Antonovshchina, and how the catastrophe ultimately pushed Lenin toward the New Economic Policy. A story of ideological rigidity meeting natural disaster, and the human cost of revolutionary ambition. #SaratovFamine #RussianFamine #VolgaFamine #Prodrazverstka #Narkomprod #AmericanReliefAdministration #HerbertHoover #Lenin #Bolsheviks #NewEconomicPolicy #Antonovshchina #VolgaGermans #FoodDictatorship #1921Famine #RussianCivilWar #FexingoHistory #History #EasternEurope Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The Last Tsar's Court: Rasputin and the Fall of the Romanovs

In 1916, as World War I bled Russia dry, Tsar Nicholas II retreated to military headquarters at Mogilev, leaving the government in the hands of his wife Alexandra and the mysterious Siberian mystic Grigory Rasputin. This episode explores how Rasputin's influence at court—his ability to stop the Tsarevich's hemophilia bleeding, his manipulation of ministerial appointments, and his scandalous behavior—eroded the monarchy's remaining legitimacy. We follow Rasputin's rise from a peasant in Pokrovskoye to the inner sanctum of the Romanovs, through the conspiracy that ended with his murder in the Yusupov Palace on December 17, 1916. Along the way, we examine the mystical Orthodox sect known as the Khlysty, the role of the Tsarina's German heritage, and the dark prophecy Rasputin left behind. This is the story of how one man's influence became a symbol of everything wrong with imperial Russia—and why the revolution that followed was almost inevitable. #Rasputin #Romanovs #RussianRevolution #TsarNicholasII #TsarinaAlexandra #Hemophilia #Khlysty #Yusupov #Pokrovskoye #StPetersburg #1916 #Mogilev #Stavka #Protopopov #Purishkevich #Siberia #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The Battle of Mukden: Russia's Last Chance in Manchuria

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the Battle of Mukden (February–March 1905), the largest battle fought before World War I and the decisive land engagement of the Russo-Japanese War. They discuss the strategic blunders of General Aleksey Kuropatkin, the role of the Trans-Siberian Railway, the impact of the battle on domestic unrest in Russia, and how the defeat at Mukden paved the way for the 1905 Revolution. The episode also touches on the Japanese commander, Marshal Oyama Iwao, and the significance of the battle in shaping modern warfare. #RussoJapaneseWar #BattleOfMukden #AlekseyKuropatkin #OyamaIwao #TransSiberianRailway #Manchuria #1905Revolution #NicholasII #ImperialRussia #ImperialJapan #Mukden #PortArthur #SiegeOfPortArthur #MilitaryHistory #EasternEurope #RussianHistory #JapaneseHistory #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]