Episodes
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In 1921, Reza Khan rose to power with the help of the British government. He led a modernization of Persia, insisting the international community refer to his country as Iran. His son, Mohammad Reza Shah, inherited the throne in 1941.
The Shah expanded his authority using a violent secret police force called SAVAK. They terrorized the Iranian people and preyed on Iranians abroad. They helped enforced the Shah's rule, even as his White Revolution displaced rural communities and alienated Shia clergy. Decades-long economic exploitation and authoritarian repression ignited a series of phases leading to the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Substack: Secret Police Podcast
YouTube: Secret Police Podcast
Instagram: @secretpolicepodcast
X/Twitter: @hush_popo
Sources:
1979 Iranian Revolution, Explained | Last Persian Shah. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXlHxrBJoik&ab_channel=Timeline-WorldHistoryDocumentaries
Geography Now! Iran. Geography Now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xQM4Zy5zIk&ab_channel=GeographyNow
Top pistachio producing countries
https://nazari-pistachio.com/articles/top-pistachio-producers/#:~:text=The%20US%2C%20Iran%2C%20and%20Turkey,respectively%20in%20the%20market%20share.
Top Saffron Producer Countries. https://agromedbotanic.com/saffron-producer-countries/
A Super Quick History of Iran. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sTf1FIxnJs&ab_channel=MrHistory
The Background of Human Rights. https://www.youthforhumanrights.org/course/lesson/background-of-human-rights/the-background-of-human-rights.html
Zoroastrianism Explained. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hl9QgeHdKYk&ab_channel=Cogito
Shia-Sunni split:
Shia and Sunni: Understanding different Muslim interpretations
https://the.ismaili/global/news/features/shia-and-sunni-understanding-different-muslim-interpretations
Muslim Schism: How Islam Split into the Sunni and Shia Branches. Kings & Generals. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-85dXjgMiSU&ab_channel=KingsandGenerals
Muslim Populations
https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2009/10/07/mapping-the-global-muslim-population/
THE FUTURE OF WORLD RELIGIONS: POPULATION GROWTH PROJECTIONS, 2010-2050 Appendix C: Defining the Religious Groups (DM me if you want the PDF).
Fath-Ali Shah’s descendants. Joseph M. Upton, The History of Modern Iran: An Interpretation. Contributors: – Author. Publisher: Harvard University Press. Place of publication: Cambridge, 1960, p.4
The history of the oil and gas industry from 347 AD to today. Umar Ali. https://www.offshore-technology.com/comment/history-oil-gas/?cf-view
Evolution of a Drilling Rig. https://energyhq.com/2017/02/evolution-of-a-drilling-rig/
Australian Dictionary of Biography. William Knox D'Arcy (1849–1917) by David Carment. https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/darcy-william-knox-5882
Great British Pound inflation calculator. Bank of England. https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/monetary-policy/inflation/inflation-calculator
1941 Invasion of Iran - Regime Change WWII-Style. Mark Felton Productions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-McQMJvaZbk
The Persian Coup 1921 And The British Thirst For Oil. The Great War. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RX3V9wgOTOA&t=82s
The French Mandate. https://www.britannica.com/place/Syria/The-French-mandate
The Shah by Abbas Milani. January 2011.
History of Iran. Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi. Iran Chamber Society. https://www.iranchamber.com/history/mohammad_rezashah/mohammad_rezashah.php
Anderson, Jack; Les Whitten (11 July 1975). "CIA: Shah of Iran a dangerous ally". St. Petersburg Times. Washington. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
Operation Ajax: CIA Oil Coup in Iran - COLD WAR. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbEKMMtfujc&ab_channel=TheColdWar
Oil Profit distribution. All the Shah's Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror by Stephen Kinzer. 2003.
Operation Ajax | TAKEN HOSTAGE | AMERICAN EXPERIENCE | PBS. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xceDBZeolIM&ab_channel=AmericanExperience%7CPBS
Manticore Mythology. Paleothea by Alilia Athena. https://paleothea.com/mythical-creatures/manticore-mythology/
Tortured Confessions by Ervand Abrahamian. 1999.
The Great War for Civilisation: The Conquest of the Middle East by Robert Fisk. 2005.
Shah of Shahs by Ryszard Kapuściński. 1982.
Censorship. https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/censorship-sansur-in-persia
White Revolution. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/White-Revolution
The Unthinkable Revolution by Charles Kurzman. 2004.
The Mystery Letter That Triggered The Iranian Revolution. Radio Farda. https://en.radiofarda.com/a/iran-taheri-on-iranian-revolution-mystery-letter-shah/29754850.html
A message to the friends of the Iranian people across the Middle East. Reza Pahlavi. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z64L7DUi9jo&ab_channel=RezaPahlavi
2500-year celebration of the Persian Empire. Persepolis, Iran. October 1971. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VSaqhXuV7Q&ab_channel=CultureTube
The New American Bible. Saint Joseph Edition. The Book of Ezra Chapter 1 verses 1-4. July 1970.
Islamic Revolution International Center. http://iricenter.org/
Note: The Recap section was written with the assistance of ChatGPT-4.
Music:
Scorching Action by Jonathan Margrove
Blood Kiss by Hainbach - Topics
Kalahari Wind by Humans Win
Cinematic Ambient Orchestral Drama Trailer by MEDIA MUSIC GROUP
Dramatic Investigation by Jon Presstone
Eye Of The Storm (Feat. Cicely Parnas) - Instrumental Version
Gnosienne by Eric Satie performed by Neil Cross and Raighes Factory
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We’ve heard about a lot of evil on Secret Police, but the actions of the Kempeitai and the wider Imperial Japanese Army are particularly poignant for their brutality and the extent to which violence prevails if you believe your enemy is inhuman.
Who were the Kempeitai?
How did the Kempeitai develop out of Japan’s long military history?
What were the Kempeitai’s connections to both German and Russian secret police?
What was the level of the Kempeitai’s involvement in various atrocities in China?Thank you all for your patience and your continued support!
Sources:
Kempeitai: Japan's Dreaded Military Police by Raymond Lamont-Brown (1998).
What Are The Major Natural Resources Of Japan? By Sophy Owour. https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-are-the-major-natural-resources-of-japan.html
The Dawn Empire | Animated History of Japan. Suibhne. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Zwi3XXLci8&list=PLyw95kShWfm_JqDRyLAxEAob74zWH-BI2&index=4&ab_channel=Suibhne
Origin of the Samurai | History of Japan 5. Linfamy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6xgz4p2d60&ab_channel=Linfamy
How Europeans Tried to End Japanese Isolation - Colonialism DOCUMENTARY. Kings and Generals. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFJRc6jYOaI&ab_channel=KingsandGenerals
Feature History - First Sino-Japanese War. Feature History. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdWY8aWxNL4&t=615s&ab_channel=FeatureHistory
Japanese Invasion of Manchuria | 3 Minute History. Jabzy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_sdkbYWiww&ab_channel=Jabzy
WW2 - Second Sino-Japanese War, 1937-1941. Eastory. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTkRBg2Dwz0&ab_channel=Eastory
THE NANJING MASSACRE - DOCUMENTARY OF THE RAPE OF NANKING. History of China. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CAYFxXBohA&t=2s&ab_channel=HistoryofChina
The Most Disturbing Human Experiment Ever. Wendigoon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRwCNiWuUpQ&ab_channel=Wendigoon
Meiji and Taishō Japan: An Introductory Essay. University of Colorado Boulder. https://www.colorado.edu/ptea-curriculum/becoming-modern/meiji-and-taisho-japan-introductory-essay#:~:text=By%20the%201920s%2C%20things%20had,member%20of%20the%20international%20community.
H-057-2: I-400 and Operation Cherry Blossoms at Night: Japanese Plan for Biological Warfare – September 1945. Naval History and Heritage Command. https://www.history.navy.mil/about-us/leadership/director/directors-corner/h-grams/h-gram-057/h-057-2.html
Daniel Barenblat, A plague upon humanity, 2004.
Sheldon Harris, Factories of Death, 2002.
Japan’s Infamous Unit 731 by Hal Gol. 2004.
The Unspeakable Things That Happened In Unit 731. A Day in History. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BpKixUKbU8&ab_channel=ADayInHistory
General Ishii Shiro: His Legacy is That of Genius and Madman General Ishii Shiro: His Legacy is That of Genius and Madman Gregory Dean Byrd East Tennessee State University. May 2005.
The Path to Pearl Harbor.The National WWII Museum of New Orleans.
Unit 731 by Avani Sihra. Atomic Heritage Foundation.
Remembering Pearl Harbor, A Pearl Harbor Fact Sheet. US Census. https://www.census.gov/history/pdf/pearl-harbor-fact-sheet-1.pdf
Japanese announcement of the attack at Pearl Harbor, 1941. THE GILDER LEHRMAN INSTITUTE OF AMERICAN HISTORY. https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/spotlight-primary-source/japanese-announcement-attack-pearl-harbor-1941#:~:text=In%20January%201941%2C%20Admiral%20Isoroku,tensions%20with%20the%20United%20States.
Encyclopedia Britanica:
Iva Toguri D'Aquino. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Iva-Toguri-DAquino
Hideki Tojo. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tojo-Hideki
Counting the dead at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. https://thebulletin.org/2020/08/counting-the-dead-at-hiroshima-and-nagasaki/
Tojo The Last Banzai by Courtney Browne. 1998.
About the B-25 History Project. https://b-25history.org/history/carrier.htm#:~:text=Most%20everyone%20knows%20that%20on,of%20the%20CV%2D8%20U.S.%20S.
Hideki Tojo -The Face of Japanese Militarism in WWII. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecRuPE-PzVE&ab_channel=Biographics
Second Sino-Japanese War
https://www.britannica.com/event/Second-Sino-Japanese-War
Bushido’s Eight Virtues. https://www.themartialway.com.au/bushidos-eight-virtues/
More on Bushido
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Bushido
What Japanese history lessons leave out By Mariko Oi. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21226068
Music:
Scorching Action by Jonathan Margrove
Blood Kiss by Hainbach - Topics
Kalahari Wind by Humans Win
Cinematic Ambient Orchestral Drama Trailer by MEDIA MUSIC GROUP
Dramatic Investigation by Jon Presstone
Exploring The Possibility by Jon Presstone
Eye Of The Storm (Feat. Cicely Parnas) - Instrumental Version
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Episodes manquant?
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V for Vendetta is a graphic novel written by Alan Moore and illustrated by David Llyod.
The story shows a bleak future where the United Kingdom is run by a totalitarian government run by a political party called Norsefire. A masked vigilante known simply as "V" is bent on sparking a revolution, driven by a vendetta against those in the government that subjected him and his country to repression and terror. V orchestrates a series of symbolic attacks, picking off government officials in an effort to inspire resistance. Evey Hammond gets caught up in V’s schemes when she’s rescued from Norsefire's secret police, The Fingermen.Thank you for listening!
YouTube - please subscribe! :D
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsC0ajH6e2ko0wYGEhklbog
Socials
https://www.instagram.com/secretpolicepodcast/
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/SecretPolicePodcast
Sources:
V for Vendetta graphic novel by Alan Moore - Thank you to yodaskid on YouTube for reading the entire novel with images.
V for Vendetta (film)
V for Vendetta wiki
Vforvendetta.fandom.com
Alan Moore talks - 01 - V For Vendetta. Livestreaming. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX7ehbE1vc0&ab_channel=Livestreaming
Selected bits from V for Vendetta (2006)
Music:
Scorching Action by Jon Presstone
Tension in the Dark by Jon Presstone
Gnosienne by Eric Satie performed by Neil Cross and Raighes Factory
Introitus by Michele Nobler
1 Minute Suspense Cinematic Dark Ambient Riser Build Trailer by MEDIA MUSIC GROUP
"Hun Dun" - Hard Trap Beat by C.j. Harris
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The Tonton Macoute was a secret police force established by Haitian physician and dictator, Francois Duvalier, better known as Papa Doc. The Macoute brutalized the Haitian people and hijacked the country’s Vodou traditions to invoke fear of a mythical bogeyman. We’re going to go through the history of Haiti: how it was found by Europeans, the slave trade, the types of crops cultivated in Haiti, slave rebellion, and of course the secret police.
We’re going to find out how Papa Doc got into power. Who led the Tonton Macoute through its years of activity? Why did Papa Doc find it necessary to establish such a brutal institution? And how close was this regime to the US government?
Empires Podcast the Ottomans hosted by Frank:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/empires-podcast-the-ottomans/id1439365965
Sources:
Perspectives in History Podcast. Haitian Revolution (series).
Real Dictators. Papa Doc (series). Noiser Podcasts. August 2020.
Christopher Columbus: Bad Explorer, Great Conman. Biographics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pe9_FAANig8&t=143s&ab_channel=Biographics
A Tale of Two Islands. Hoser. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U67cf6VDhXM&ab_channel=hoser
State Areas
https://wisevoter.com/state-rankings/states-by-area/#:~:text=Alaska%2C%20the%20largest%20state%2C%20covers,state%2C%20boasts%20163%2C695%20square%20miles.
Vodou: Haiti's African-Derived Religion. ReligionForBreakfast. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VofAQYxcHHY&ab_channel=ReligionForBreakfast
Vodou, Serving the Spirits. Harvard University. The Pluralism Project. 2020. /https://hwpi.harvard.edu/files/pluralism/files/vodou-serving_the_spirits_0.pdf
The Origins of the Zombie, from Haiti to the U.S. | Monstrum. Storied. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIGmsxBMnjA&ab_channel=Storied
Stannard, David E. (October 14, 1993). "American holocaust : the conquest of the New World". New York: Oxford University Press – via Internet Archive.
Thornton, Russel (1987). American Indian holocaust and survival : a population history since 1492. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. p. 16. ISBN 978-0-8061-2074-4.
Churchill, Ward, A Little Matter of Genocide: Holocaust and Denial in the Americas, 1492 to the Present, City Lights, 1997, 381 pages, p. 86, ISBN 978-0-87286-323-1
Sheri P. Rosenberg, "Genocide Is a Process, Not an Event," Genocide Studies and Prevention 7, 1 (April 2012): 16–23. © 2012 Genocide Studies and Prevention. doi: 10.3138/gsp.7.1.16
David Moshman (2007) Us and Them: Identity and Genocide, Identity: An International Journal of Theory and Research, 7:2, p. 125, DOI: 10.1080/15283480701326034,
Alexander Laban Hinton, "Critical Genocide Studies," Genocide Studies and Prevention 7, 1 (April 2012): 4–15. © 2012 Genocide Studies and Prevention. doi: 10.3138/gsp.7.1.4, p. 11
Keegan, William F., "Destruction of the Taino" in Archaeology. January/February 1992, pp. 51–56.
Grenke, Arthur. God, greed, and genocide: The Holocaust through the centuries. NewAcademia Publishing, LLC, 2005. pp. 141–143, 200.
Rosenbaum, Alan S. Is the Holocaust unique?: perspectives on comparative genocide. Routledge, 2018. p. 302.
Donald Bloxham, A. Dirk Moses, The Oxford Handbook of Genocide Studies, OXFORD UNIVERSITY press, 2010, p. 310.
Norman M Naimark, Genocide a world history , OXFORD UNIVERSITY press, 2017, p. 39.
Jones, Adam. 2006. Genocide: a comprehensive introduction. London: Routledge. pp. 108–111.
Dr. Mu-Kien Adriana Sang (1999). Dr. Mu-Kien Adriana Sang (ed.). Historia Dominicana: Ayer y Hoy (in Spanish). SUSAETA Ediciones Dominicanas. pp. 78–79, 81.
The Dictator’s Handbook. Bruce Bueno De Mesquita & Alaster Smith. 2011.
The Haitian Revolution. A Documentary History. David Geggus.
Feature History - Haitian Revolution (Parts 1 & 2). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9KbN5EFajk&ab_channel=FeatureHistory
A Super Quick History of Haiti. Mr History. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-XZLYGlLBA&ab_channel=MrHistory
Yaws Disease. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/25011-yaws
FOREIGN RELATIONS OF THE UNITED STATES, 1958–1960, AMERICAN REPUBLICS, VOLUME V. https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1958-60v05/d309
Juang, R. M., & Morrissette, N. (2008). Africa and the Americas : culture, politics, and history : a multidisciplinary encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO.
Secretary of Legation Davis to the Secretary of State. Department of State, Washington, January 12, 1916. https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1916/d352#:~:text=Since%201886%E2%80%94when%20General%20Salomon,and%20six%20driven%20from%20office.
Florida Department of State. Division of Corporations. https://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/corporationsearch/SearchResultDetail?inquirytype=EntityName&directionType=ForwardList&searchNameOrder=HEMOCARIBBEAN%203681800&aggregateId=domp-368180-f7bebe83-4e09-4b58-8d66-efad7640d000&searchTerm=HEMMER%20&listNameOrder=HEMOCARE%20L410570
Transatlantic Slave Trade Data
https://www.un.org/en/observances/decade-people-african-descent/slave-trade#:~:text=For%20over%20400%20years%2C%20more,darkest%20chapters%20in%20human%20history.
Alan Whicker meets Papa Doc 1969. Chatham43. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMAbmaNHSoM&ab_channel=chatham43
Sugar cane and milling
Mastering Sugar Cane Cultivation: Easy Steps to Grow and Harvest Sugarcane in Your Home Garden! California Gardening. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpnWyB-KLXg&ab_channel=CaliforniaGardening
How Sugar is Made. Factora. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-MJORaNkSQ&t=214s&ab_channel=Factora
How to Make Best Sugar from Sugar Cane? 龙梅梅Longmeimei. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iqG6VDoRPQ&t=528s&ab_channel=%E9%BE%99%E6%A2%85%E6%A2%85Longmeimei
Music:
Scorching Action by Jonathan Margrove
Blood Kiss by Hainbach - Topics
Sneaky Snitch by Kevin MacLeod
The Vastness by Amber Waldron
Kalahari Wind by Humans Win
Cinematic Ambient Orchestral Drama Trailer by MEDIA MUSIC GROUP
Tension In The Dark by Jon Presstone
Dramatic Investigation by Jon Presstone
Exploring The Possibility by Jon Presstone
Gnossienne No. 1 by Erik Satie
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A conversation with Latvian journalist, and host of the Eastern Border podcast, Kristaps Andrejsons. We recap the Russian secret police series while Kristaps provides his unique perspective on my show, Soviet times, and the future of Russian security services. Please check out Kristaps' show: https://theeasternborder.lv
Aquarius by Viktor Suvorov: https://www.amazon.com/Aquarium-career-defection-Soviet-military/dp/0241115450 Secret Police IG: https://www.instagram.com/secretpolicepodcast/
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsC0ajH6e2ko0wYGEhklbog
Thanks for listening!
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Almost 2 years ago, I was inspired by The Dictator's Handbook to start a podcast on secret police. It was a grueling task, much of it self-inflicted because I'm a sucker for detail, but this episode will be light.
This episode starts with a brief summary of each episode part I - XI: the leaders, the secret police, and the history.
Next, I'll share my thoughts and what I've learned on this journey.
We'll end with some behind the scenes and I'll show you what's next for Secret Police podcast.
Follow my socials:
IG: https://www.instagram.com/secretpolicepodcast/
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SecretPolicePodcast
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsC0ajH6e2ko0wYGEhklbog*Subscribe!*
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Just when you thought that Soviet security forces were a thing of the past, the double headed eagle rises from the ashes. The Federal Security Services or FSB are the Russian Federation’s modern day Chekists. Vladimir Putin and the security services have carefully crafted the image they want you to see, and Western journalists are very good at exaggerating the impact and the mystique of Putin. Both these elements have been at play since he took power. They say the first death in war is the truth, and information about Putin can be difficult to decipher what is fact from fiction. In this episode, we focus on the history and methods of Russia's modern security forces. They may not be beating Communist ideology into people but they were/are combatting terrorist groups, foreign adversaries, domestic opposition, and more. The FSB, unlike their predecessors, have the power of social media to almost literally visit you at home, something that would have required a real live agent in the past.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/secretpolicepodcast/
Become an Agent of the Secret Police!
https://www.patreon.com/SecretPolicePodcast
Sources:
Russian Federation Explained. VanDeGraph. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVoHAyEwhBc&ab_channel=VanDeGraph
Political System and Politics in Russia Documentary. IntroBooks Education.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWVigNrPVpw&list=PLVtoTh3hF-hyEPsA75YIss7EPCL0_vq9C&index=2&ab_channel=IntroBooksEducation
The Day Russian Democracy Died. NFKRZ. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9af3KH-k8yc&list=PLVtoTh3hF-hyEPsA75YIss7EPCL0_vq9C&index=1&t=171s&ab_channel=NFKRZ
In Russia's Far East, a Jewish Revival byDavid Holley.
Yeltsin: A Revolutionary Life by Leon Aron. 2000.
Yeltsin: A Life by Timothy Colton. 2008
THE TRAGIC STORY OF HOW BORIS YELTSIN LOST TWO FINGERS. MATT REIGLE. Grunge. https://www.grunge.com/806982/the-tragic-story-of-how-boris-yeltsin-lost-two-fingers/
How did one join the Communist Party?*
https://www.quora.com/In-Soviet-Russia-how-did-one-officially-join-the-Communist-Party
*Take Quora with a grain of salt. I also looked at Wikipedia (not a source) but their bit on membership doesn’t have a citation.
‘Never go to bed sober’ - meet the great Russian leaders who abused alcohol by ALEXEY TIMOFEYCHEV. MARCH 13 2018. https://www.rbth.com/history/327805-leaders-who-abused-alcohol
Privatization. Investopedia. Privatization: What It Is, How It Works, Examples. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/privatization.asp#:~:text=Privatization%20describes%20the%20process%20by,goods%20quicker%20and%20more%20efficiently.
Hungarian Privatization. https://www.britannica.com/place/Hungary/Economic-and-social-change
What is a trade sale? https://www.freeagent.com/us/glossary/trade-sale/
Russian Privatization in Perspective with Paulo Zannoni. Yale University. October 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xox1alqQRQ&list=PLVtoTh3hF-hyEPsA75YIss7EPCL0_vq9C&index=5&t=634s&ab_channel=YaleUniversity
About Paulo Zannoni. https://theorg.com/org/prada-spa/org-chart/paolo-zannoni
What is a voucher? https://www.investopedia.com/terms/v/voucher.asp
Economic Indicators:
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
https://fred.stlouisfed.org
Trading Economics
https://tradingeconomics.com/
RUSSIA STARTS ISSUING PRIVATIZATION COUPONS. Margaret Shapiro. October 2, 1992. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1992/10/02/russia-starts-issuing-privatization-coupons/c515c8a2-66ae-408d-bafe-7dd869b8a844/
Putin’s Story | The Puppet Show Banned In Russia (Kukly NTV 2000). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmdEiL6Avv0&ab_channel=WaleedHiggins
Curtis, G. E. & Library Of Congress. Federal Research Division. (1998) Russia: A Country Study. Washington, DC: Federal Research Division, Library of Congress: For sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O. [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/97007563/.
Organized Crime and the Russian State. Challenges to US-Russian Cooperation. J. Micheal Waller.
Michael Waller. https://centerforsecuritypolicy.org/author/imp_jmichael_waller/
A chain of wars, a chain of crimes, a chain of impunity: Russian wars in Chechnya, Syria and Ukraine. О. Golubev, V. Malykhin, A. Cherkasov. Memorial Human Rights Defence Centre. 2023.
The battle(s) of Grozny1. Ib Faurby, Royal Danish Defence College in co-operation with Märta-Lisa Magnusson, University of Southern Denmark. Baltic Defense Review 2/1999.
Feature History - Chechen Wars (1/2). Feature History. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wX-xs9VJ-BI&ab_channel=FeatureHistory
The First Chechen War - Documentary. Caesarius. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUH0TZRT3WA&lc=UgwQnSEvaaUf5n7bIFN4AaABAg&ab_channel=Caesarius
The First Chechen War - Jocko Willink. Global Frontier. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpWshgCP6wo&t=9s&ab_channel=GlobalFrontier
Vladimir Putin and Russian Statecraft by Allen Lynch. 2011. Potomac Books. pp. 10–11.
Putin’s Parents. https://www.mtv.com.lb/news/articles/472895/putin_recalls_parents_wwii_ordeal_
*Much of this is written by Vladimir Vladimirovich himself so please take it with a grain of salt
Vladimir Putin - KGB to President... for Life? - Biography. Biographics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZcE45Ap4es&ab_channel=Biographics
Putin's Way (full documentary) | FRONTLINE. Frontline PBS. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIgqhU4lkgo&ab_channel=FRONTLINEPBS%7COfficial
History of Vladimir Putin. John Coogan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yo_peHjcKQ&t=47s&ab_channel=JohnCoogan
Did Vladimir Putin Support Anti-Western Terrorists as a Young KGB Officer? CATHERINE BELTON. June 20. 2020. https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/06/20/vladimir-putin-dresden-kgb-330203
Mineral and Raw Materials Resources and the Development Strategy for the Russian Economy by Vladimir Putin. https://www.theatlantic.com/daily-dish/archive/2008/08/putins-thesis-raw-text/212739/
The Russian Federal Security Service under President Putin by Eberhard Schneider.
SVR/FSB application process. https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2014/10/02/how-to-become-a-russian-spy-a40036
Russian DKRO
https://www.wsj.com/articles/fsb-evan-gershkovich-russia-security-force-dkro-e9cf9a49
A ‘Risky Westward Turn’? Putin’s 9-11 Script and Ordinary Russians. John O’loughlin, Gearid O Tuathail, and Vladimir Kolossov. Europe-Asia Studies. 2004.
Flame-throwers used at Beslan siege by Andrew Osborn. The Independent, 24 October 2004.
Feature History - Russo-Georgian War. Feature History. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4LV6VnV9UI&ab_channel=FeatureHistory
Putin's palace. History of world's largest bribe. Алексей Навальный.
Timeline: Alexander Litvinenko death case. BBC. January 15, 2015.
Vladimir Putin's hard-core daily routine includes hours of swimming, late nights, and no alcohol. July 2018. Aine Cain.
US State Department Report on Human Rights Abuses. https://www.state.gov/reports/2018-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/ukraine/ukraine-crimea/#:~:text=ROLE%20OF%20THE%20POLICE%20AND%20SECURITY%20APPARATUS&text=The%20FSB%20also%20conducted%20security,combatted%20organized%20crime%20and%20corruption.
A new study says Russian trolls didn’t sway the 2016 election. Was the threat overhyped? Andrew Prokop. January 20, 2023.
Improvements and Protest in the Perestroika Years by William Moskoff. The National Council for Soviet and East European Research. September 18, 1992.
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In this 10th edition of Russian secret police, we’ll dive into the KGB’s downfall, the unraveling of the Soviet Union, and the atypical leadership of Mikhail Gorbachev.
We’ll see how Gorbachev rose from life as a farm boy to the Kremlin’s Communist throne. We’ll discover how the KGB reacted to losing power and the final gasps of this security state in the face of Chernobyl, Glasnost, and Perestroika.
Who was Mikhail Gorbachev?
How did the KGB try to survive?
How did the Soviet Union dissolve?
Twitter: @hush_popo
IG: @secretpolicepodcast
Sources:
Taubman, William (2017). Gorbachev: His Life and Times. New York City: Simon and Schuster.
Alexander Gorbachev - PhosAgro
https://www.alexander-gorbachev.info/about-me-1
Robert V. Daniels, The End of Communist Revolution. 1993.
Comparing Economic Systems in the Twenty-First Century, 2003, by Gregory and Stuart. ISBN 0-618-26181-8. "Material Balance Planning", (P.127)
Carr, Edward Hallett; Davies, Robert William (1971). Foundations of a Planned Economy, 1926-1929. Macmillan. p. 199.
Mikhail Gorbachev, Perestroika (New York: Harper Collins, 1987), quoted in Mark Kishlansky, ed., Sources of the West: Readings in Western Civilization, 4th ed., vol. 2 (New York: Longman, 2001), p. 322.
Semenov, B.A. "Nuclear power in the Soviet Union." IAEA. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
RBMK Reactors - Design Overview | The Nuclear Reactor that was used in Chernobyl. Antares. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDPh1JA72nk&ab_channel=Antares
MIT Nuclear Reactor Laboratory. https://nrl.mit.edu/about
Inside MIT's Nuclear Reactor. MITK12Videos. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QcN3KDexcU&ab_channel=MITK12Videos
Nuclear 101: How Nuclear Bombs Work Part 1 of 2. Belfer Center. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVhQOhxb1Mc&ab_channel=BelferCenter
World Nuclear Association. Nuclear Power Reactors. May 2023. https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/nuclear-power-reactors/nuclear-power-reactors.aspx
Xenon Can Be a Problem. Illinois EnergyProf. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZQwL-2WTgA&ab_channel=IllinoisEnergyProf
CHERNOBYL AZ-5 why it exploded. Mike Bell. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOzJQJ1yAaM&t=598s&ab_channel=MikeBell
What is radiation?. Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission - CNSC. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zw0pHT47AAU&ab_channel=CanadianNuclearSafetyCommission-CNSC
The Only Radiation Units You Need to Know. SciShow. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpQzhZ0RRDM&ab_channel=SciShow
Radiation Exposure in Healthcare. https://www.health.harvard.edu/cancer/radiation-risk-from-medical-imaging
United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. High Radiation Doses. https://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/radiation/health-effects/high-rad-doses.html
Was Chernobyl a cunning KGB conspiracy? Rein F. Deer. https://www.politico.eu/article/was-chernobyl-a-cunning-kgb-conspiracy/
Knight, Amy. “The KGB, Perestroika, and the Collapse of the Soviet Union.” Journal of Cold War Studies, vol. 5, no. 1, 2003, pp. 67–93. *Contact me if you want a copy of the PDF*
The Breakup of the Soviet Union Explained. History Scope. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2GmtBCVHzY&ab_channel=HistoryScope
The Last Ditch Attempt to Save the USSR - August Coup of 1991 (Short Animated Documentary). History Matters. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXfvo34Ubpc&ab_channel=HistoryMatters
"Mikhail Gorbachev was hospitalized in the Central Clinical Hospital". Forbes.ru (in Russian). 11 June 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
How Instagram Ruined Chernobyl…Again. Kyle Hill. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=326wzbsmjGk&ab_channel=KyleHill
Original Pripyat Evacuation Recording - IT'S HISTORY. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yW6ryRYPRCE&ab_channel=IT%27SHISTORYMusic/Sounds:
Scorching Action by Jon Presstone
Cinematic Ambient Orchestral Drama Trailer by MEDIA MUSIC GROUP
Dramatic Investigation by Jon Presstone
Gnossienne No. 1 by Erik Satie
Kalahari Wind by Humans Win
Exploring the Possibility by Jon Presstone
Emerging Science by Jon Presstone
Sneaky Snitch by Kevin MacLeod
Giant wyrm by Kevin MacLeod
Select clip(s) from South Park
Beethoven - Pathetique Sonata 3rd movement
Clips from The Simpsons S3 E5 - Homer Defined
Clip from South Park S20 Ep 1 - Member Berries
mycompasstv
***NO I AM NOT SPONSORED BY PIZZA HUT OR YUM BRAND : | ***
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The downing of Korean Air Flight 007 demonstrates the level of stupidity and paranoia the Cold War reached. More astounding is this was the second passenger jet the Soviet Union shot down.
The first instance was in 1978 when Korean Air flight 902 was on route from Paris to Seoul with a stop over in Anchorage. This flight took the plane over the North Pole and due to the navigation technology they had at the time and how compasses function when flying over the top of the Earth, the pilots ended up off course. Instead of flying towards Seoul, they ended up flying toward Murmansk in the Soviet Union.
The jet was discovered on radar, the Soviets sent a Sukhoi Su-15 fighter to intercept the airliner. The airliner did not respond to warnings, and the fighter pilot, Alexander Bosov, seeing the plane was clearly marked as a Korean Airlines jet, tried to convince his superiors on the ground the craft he was looking at was a passenger plane. They ordered him to shoot it down. Bosov launched two R-60 short-range air-to-air missiles. One missed, the other hit the left wing and punctured the fuselage. One Korean passenger was killed and others were injured. KAL 902 was forced to land in a frozen lake in Korelia close to the Finnish border. In the aftermath, there were 2 deaths and 107 survivors of the incident, but the Soviets refused to cooperate with the international investigation as to why exactly the plane flew so far off course. Those 107 survivors on Flight 902 were lucky, unlike those on Flight 007. Victims of a titanic conflict between East and West.
We’re going to talk about events mostly during Brezhnev’s leadership of the USSR, a period that’s often dubbed the Era of Stagnation: lackluster economic growth and a feeling of no purpose. I heard a Russian youtuber describe this period as an existence within the movie GroundHog Day -- nothing changes. But the Soviet Union maintained their military might in terms of funding, technology, and firepower. In the game of superpowers, you couldn’t let your guard down. And the KGB was right there on the espionage front.
Twitter: @hush_popo
IG: @secretpolicepodcast
Sources:
The Russian Secret Police by Ronald Hingley
Brezhnev: The Making of a Statesman by Susanne Schattenberg
Cold War Conversations podcast - Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev - aspiring actor and poetry fan (209)
The Hated and the Dead podcast - EP38: Leonid Brezhnev
History of Modern Russia: From Tsarism to the Twenty-first Century (3 ed.) by Robert Service (2009).
The Life and Times of Soviet Socialism by Alex Dowlah and John Elliott.1997
The Soviet-Vietnamese Intelligence Relationship during the Vietnam War: Cooperation and Conflict By Merle L. Pribbenow II, December 2014
Vietnam Admits K.G.B. Interrogated American. Barbara Crossette. 1992. New York Times.
Drug Games. The International Olympic Committee and the Politics of Doping, 1960–2008 by Thomas M. Hunt. 2011
Feature History - Soviet-Afghan War. Feature History. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDQLHFBp4aM&ab_channel=FeatureHistory
KGB Spy Gadgets: The Ultimate Secret Cameras & Espionage Tools. Spyscape. Date unknown.
The KGB (Russian Secret Police): Its composition, aims and methods by Lt Cdr H.G. Graser. South African Journal of Military Studies. 1984.
Cold War Mystery – The Umbrella Assassin. Element 18. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsVRYhLLPCM&ab_channel=Element18
Gennadiy Nikolayevich Osipovich. This Day in Aviation. Bryan R. Swopes. 2018. https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/tag/gennadiy-nikolayevich-osipovich/
Music:
Scorching Action by Jon Presstone
Cinematic Ambient Orchestral Drama Trailer by MEDIA MUSIC GROUP
Dramatic Investigation by Jon Presstone
Gnossienne No. 1 by Erik Satie
Kalahari Wind by Humans Win
Terrifying Journey (Extra Dire) by The Turquoise Moon
Scary Ambient Tension & Suspense Ghost With Pounding Impacts Trailer by MEDIA MUSIC GROUP
Sneaky Snitch by Kevin MacLeod
Select clip(s) from South Park
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Happy almost birthday, Secret Police! Host of the History Impossible podcast, Alex von Sternberg has a ton of experienced in the podcast space and one of the top established shows. He's covered many different topics, most recently the Black Death, as well as Muslim Nazis and a sort of obscure, yet arguably powerful group, called the Professional Managerial Class (PMCs).
On this episode, Jack and Alex discuss COVID, PMCs, erosion of trust in institutions, and much more. We let the conversation flesh itself out. Alex clearly has a passion for history and podcasting. That will become apparent when you hear what he has done in the name of content creation.
*** SOCIALS ***
Twitter:
@hush_popo
@ARaderVon
Instagram:
@secretpolicepodcast
@historyimpossible
Support us on Patreon! -
Do you know somebody who was alive during the Cuban Missile Crisis? Do they remember how it felt thinking that the world may end in a literal flash? At least one could duck and cover their way into a false sense of safety. In this 8th episode of our Russia series, we are going to wrap up the early years of the KGB and explore some of the cold war tension in Berlin; uprising in Hungary, KGB activities in the US Civil Rights Movement, and the first visit of a Russian leader to the US. Khrushchev toured across the United States, met real Americans, and we missed a golden opportunity for photos of Khrushchev in Mickey Mouse ears.
What were Khrushchev’s limits when it came to liberalizing the Soviet Union?
How did the US and USSR back away from the brink of nuclear war?
Why was Khruschev not allowed at Disneyland?
** American Lung Association Donation! **
action.lung.org/goto/annie
** Support the show! **
patreon.com/secretpolicepodcast
or via paypal at secretpolicepodcast.com
Please provide a rating and subscribe!
Sources:
The Russian Secret Police by Ronald Hingley
Nikita Khrushchev – The Man Behind the Missile Crisis. Biographics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjGLD8bx7Qo&ab_channel=Biographics
Nikita Khrushchev. Spartacus Educational. https://spartacus-educational.com/RUSkhrushchev.htm
Taubman, William (2003), Khrushchev: The Man and His Era, W.W. Norton & Co., ISBN 978-0-393-32484-6
Khrushchev, Nikita (2004), Khrushchev, Sergei (ed.), Memoirs of Nikita Khrushchev, Volume 1: Commissar, The Pennsylvania State University Press, ISBN 978-0-271-02332-8
Khrushchev, Nikita (2006), Khrushchev, Sergei (ed.), Memoirs of Nikita Khrushchev, Volume 2: Reformer, The Pennsylvania State University Press, ISBN 978-0-271-02861-3
Khrushchev, Nikita (2007), Khrushchev, Sergei (ed.), Memoirs of Nikita Khrushchev, Volume 3: Statesman, The Pennsylvania State University Press, ISBN 978-0-271-02935-1
The Structure of KGB - Cold War DOCUMENTARY. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeZZYRaGUXQ&t=471s&ab_channel=TheColdWar
1963 Fletcher Markle Interviews Walt Disney. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nMrLcmBCuI&ab_channel=onstageDisney
How KGB spies were trained | Jack Barsky and Lex Fridman. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4oRBsGW_Tc&ab_channel=LexClips
Why People Betray Their Countries, According to an Israeli Expert. https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2020-09-20/ty-article-magazine/.premium/why-whistleblowers-betray-their-countries-according-to-an-israeli-expert/0000017f-dc31-df62-a9ff-dcf752540000
Secrets Of War, The Cold War 05 Inside The KGB. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypuuxrxcVek&ab_channel=AnotherTv
KGB Assassinations. Spyscape. https://spyscape.com/article/the-13th-directorate-the-kgbs-top-secret-1960s-assassination-unit
Communist Control Techniques. An Analysis of the Methods Used by Communist State Police in the Arrest, Interrogation, and Indoctrination of Persons Regarded as “Enemies of the State.” National Security Archive. April 1956.
Museum of the Occupation of Latvia. https://okupacijasmuzejs.lv/en
The World Was Going Our Way: The KGB and the Battle for the Third World - Newly Revealed Secrets from the Mitrokhin Archive. Christopher Andrew. 2005.
Information about the Cooperation between the KGB of the USSR and the MfS of the DPRK. Wilson Center. August 1984.
REALPOLITIK: The KGB in Africa. Mark Hackard. 2015.
Soviet Intelligence in Latin America During the Cold War. Nikolai Leonov. 1998.
The Sword and the Shield. Christopher Andrew and Vasili Mitrokhin. 2000.
The History of Russian Involvement in America's Race Wars. Julia Ioffe. October 2017.
Why did the USSR hand over West Berlin? (Short Animated Documentary). History Matters. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YPbue5bfgk&ab_channel=HistoryMatters
1963 Fletcher Markle Interviews Walt Disney. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nMrLcmBCuI&list=PLVtoTh3hF-hykIPanJdicW55k2WWqn9Ov&index=2&t=774s&ab_channel=onstageDisney
Khrushchev Does America (full length documentary). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpxsNqAYXB8&list=PLVtoTh3hF-hykIPanJdicW55k2WWqn9Ov&index=3&ab_channel=docukino
Arkansas National Guard Prevent School Desegregation - 1957 | Today in History | 4 Sept 16. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFVGKykCGyw&t=67s&ab_channel=BritishMovietone
Duck and Cover 1951 Bert the Turtle. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKqXu-5jw60&t=493s&ab_channel=NuclearVault
Music:
Scorching Action by Jon Presstone
Cinematic Ambient Orchestral Drama Trailer by MEDIA MUSIC GROUP
Cinematic Action Drums And Percussion With Dark Ambient Atmospheric Tension Trailer by MEDIA MUSIC GROUP
Dramatic Investigation by Jon Presstone
Darkness Marching (Trailer Music) Jon Presstone
Stayin’ Alive by the Bee Gees
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In this 7th episode of our Russia series, we will take a deep dive into the KGB itself. We’ll examine its structure, leadership, and most of all, its methods with particular interest in the KGB’s infiltration of governments across the globe. Who were some of the KGB’s most prominent agents? How did one become a KGB agent? All that and more on Secret Police!
*** Socials ***
Twitter @hush_popo
Instagram @secretpolicepodcast
*** Support the show! ***
patreon.com/secretpolicepodcast
or
secretpolicepodcast.com for one-time donations via paypal
Sources:
The Russian Secret Police by Ronald Hingley
Nikita Khrushchev – The Man Behind the Missile Crisis. Biographics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjGLD8bx7Qo&ab_channel=Biographics
Nikita Khrushchev. Spartacus Educational. https://spartacus-educational.com/RUSkhrushchev.htm
Taubman, William (2003), Khrushchev: The Man and His Era, W.W. Norton & Co., ISBN 978-0-393-32484-6
Khrushchev, Nikita (2004), Khrushchev, Sergei (ed.), Memoirs of Nikita Khrushchev, Volume 1: Commissar, The Pennsylvania State University Press, ISBN 978-0-271-02332-8
Khrushchev, Nikita (2006), Khrushchev, Sergei (ed.), Memoirs of Nikita Khrushchev, Volume 2: Reformer, The Pennsylvania State University Press, ISBN 978-0-271-02861-3
Khrushchev, Nikita (2007), Khrushchev, Sergei (ed.), Memoirs of Nikita Khrushchev, Volume 3: Statesman, The Pennsylvania State University Press, ISBN 978-0-271-02935-1
The Structure of KGB - Cold War DOCUMENTARY. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeZZYRaGUXQ&t=471s&ab_channel=TheColdWar
1963 Fletcher Markle Interviews Walt Disney. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nMrLcmBCuI&ab_channel=onstageDisney
How KGB spies were trained | Jack Barsky and Lex Fridman. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4oRBsGW_Tc&ab_channel=LexClips
Why People Betray Their Countries, According to an Israeli Expert. https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2020-09-20/ty-article-magazine/.premium/why-whistleblowers-betray-their-countries-according-to-an-israeli-expert/0000017f-dc31-df62-a9ff-dcf752540000
Secrets Of War, The Cold War 05 Inside The KGB. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypuuxrxcVek&ab_channel=AnotherTv
KGB Assassinations. Spyscape. https://spyscape.com/article/the-13th-directorate-the-kgbs-top-secret-1960s-assassination-unit
Communist Control Techniques. An Analysis of the Methods Used by Communist State Police in the Arrest, Interrogation, and Indoctrination of Persons Regarded as “Enemies of the State.” National Security Archive. April 1956.
Museum of the Occupation of Latvia. https://okupacijasmuzejs.lv/en
The World Was Going Our Way: The KGB and the Battle for the Third World - Newly Revealed Secrets from the Mitrokhin Archive. Christopher Andrew. 2005.
Information about the Cooperation between the KGB of the USSR and the MfS of the DPRK. Wilson Center. August 1984.
REALPOLITIK: The KGB in Africa. Mark Hackard. 2015.
Soviet Intelligence in Latin America During the Cold War. Nikolai Leonov. 1998.
The Sword and the Shield. Christopher Andrew and Vasili Mitrokhin. 2000.
The History of Russian Involvement in America's Race Wars. Julia Ioffe. October 2017.
Music:
Scorching Action by Jon Presstone
Cinematic Ambient Orchestral Drama Trailer by MEDIA MUSIC GROUP
Cinematic Action Drums And Percussion With Dark Ambient Atmospheric Tension Trailer by MEDIA MUSIC GROUP
Dramatic Investigation by Jon Presstone
Darkness Marching (Trailer Music) Jon Presstone
Dramatic Gossip - Reality Documentary Tension Background by MEDIA MUSIC GROUP
Disclaimer! The section on the Cambridge Five was written using the assistance of ChatGPT and was vetted for dates and facts.
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Many if not most people have heard of the KGB. Their spy craft is legendary and their presence was menacing. To Americans, they were the illusive boogeymen in the shadows of Cold War events. They're probably the most recognizable Russian spy agency and I’d bet money they’re the most infamous spy agency in history, ever.
In Part 6, we are covering Nikita Khrushchev's steady rise to power and ultimate succession of Joseph Stalin, but Khrushchev took a very different path and actively reversed Stalin's repressive policies to some degree.Over the next few weeks, we will cover, in smaller episodes, the history and methods of the Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti, the KGB.
Thank you for listening!
*** support ***
patreon.com/secretpolicepodcast
or
secretpolicepodcast.com
*** socials ***
Twitter @hush_popo
IG @secretpolicepodcast
Sources:
The Russian Secret Police by Ronald Hingley
Nikita Khrushchev – The Man Behind the Missile Crisis. Biographics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjGLD8bx7Qo&ab_channel=Biographics
Nikita Khrushchev. Spartacus Educational. https://spartacus-educational.com/RUSkhrushchev.htm
Taubman, William (2003), Khrushchev: The Man and His Era, W.W. Norton & Co., ISBN 978-0-393-32484-6
Khrushchev, Nikita (2004), Khrushchev, Sergei (ed.), Memoirs of Nikita Khrushchev, Volume 1: Commissar, The Pennsylvania State University Press, ISBN 978-0-271-02332-8
Khrushchev, Nikita (2006), Khrushchev, Sergei (ed.), Memoirs of Nikita Khrushchev, Volume 2: Reformer, The Pennsylvania State University Press, ISBN 978-0-271-02861-3
Khrushchev, Nikita (2007), Khrushchev, Sergei (ed.), Memoirs of Nikita Khrushchev, Volume 3: Statesman, The Pennsylvania State University Press, ISBN 978-0-271-02935-1
The Structure of KGB - Cold War DOCUMENTARY. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeZZYRaGUXQ&t=471s&ab_channel=TheColdWar
1963 Fletcher Markle Interviews Walt Disney. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nMrLcmBCuI&ab_channel=onstageDisney
How KGB spies were trained | Jack Barsky and Lex Fridman. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4oRBsGW_Tc&ab_channel=LexClips
Why People Betray Their Countries, According to an Israeli Expert. https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2020-09-20/ty-article-magazine/.premium/why-whistleblowers-betray-their-countries-according-to-an-israeli-expert/0000017f-dc31-df62-a9ff-dcf752540000
Secrets Of War, The Cold War 05 Inside The KGB. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypuuxrxcVek&ab_channel=AnotherTv
KGB Assassinations. Spyscape. https://spyscape.com/article/the-13th-directorate-the-kgbs-top-secret-1960s-assassination-unit
Communist Control Techniques. An Analysis of the Methods Used by Communist State Police in the Arrest, Interrogation, and Indoctrination of Persons Regarded as “Enemies of the State.” National Security Archive. April 1956.
Museum of the Occupation of Latvia. https://okupacijasmuzejs.lv/en
The World Was Going Our Way: The KGB and the Battle for the Third World - Newly Revealed Secrets from the Mitrokhin Archive. Christopher Andrew. 2005.
Information about the Cooperation between the KGB of the USSR and the MfS of the DPRK. Wilson Center. August 1984.
REALPOLITIK: The KGB in Africa. Mark Hackard. 2015.
Soviet Intelligence in Latin America During the Cold War. Nikolai Leonov. 1998.
The Sword and the Shield. Christopher Andrew and Vasili Mitrokhin. 2000.
The History of Russian Involvement in America's Race Wars. Julia Ioffe. October 2017.
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George Orwell's famous novel, 1984, can be interpreted in multiple ways by people of varying political identities. They can offer the story as a warning as to why the other side, in their view is dangerous. When the book was published, some viewed it as a warning of what England would turn into if a Stalinist regime took power; others interpreted it as a condemnation of Stalin's Soviet Union; and in recent years, the novel is seen as a warning against totalitarianism. I think at the core of the novel, that's what it is: a warning against giving all power to a single ruler.
1984 presents a regime to end all regimes. Big Brother and INGSOC have a stranglehold over the society, language, and privacy that I don't think any real world authoritarian regime has achieved. Secret Police podcast is taking its first look at a fictional secret police institution, the terrifying, but thankfully made-up, Thought Police. We will look at the Telescreens, Thoughtcrime, and the regime of Big Brother.
Follow Secret Police Podcast!
Twitter @hush_popo
or
Instagram @secretpolicepodcast
Sources
1984 by George Orwell
George Orwell: A Life in Pictures. BBC. 2003. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6txpumkY5I
George Orwell: The Uncompromising Visionary. Biographics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfabA0KdniY&ab_channel=Biographics
The Dystopian World of 1984 Explained. AlternateHistoryHub.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQxOKXEff4I&ab_channel=AlternateHistoryHub
Video SparkNotes: Orwell's 1984 Summary. VideoSparkNotes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9JIKngJnCU&t=13s&ab_channel=VideoSparkNotes
1984 Video Summary. GradeSaver. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1kXkGjoluY&ab_channel=GradeSaver
Music
Scorching Action by Jon Presstone
Tension in the Dark by Jon Presstone
Gnosienne by Eric Satie performed by Neil Cross and Raighes Factory
Cinematic Ambient Orchestral Drama Trailer by MEDIA MUSIC GROUP
Giant Wyrm by Kevin MacLeod
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Imagine a state apparatus of terror; they monitor citizens, they kidnap people in the middle of the night, they torture people to extract false confessions. Now imagine that same state apparatus of terror is run by a murderous pedophile. That was the Soviet people's reality with appointment of Lavrenti Beria to the dreaded People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs or the NKVD, the Soviet secret police.
Please leave us a rating, or a review if you're feeling really generous.
Follow Secret Police!
Twitter @hush_popo
Instagram @secretpolicepodcast
Sources
Beria - The NKVD & Death of Stalin Documentary. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0bnt7hYmDY&list=PLVtoTh3hF-hwiZixdKcerUzA777jS27Ml&index=3&t=1927s
Lavrenti Beria Biography
https://spartacus-educational.com/RUSberia.htm
Richard Sorge. https://spartacus-educational.com/GERsorge.htm
On Stalin's Secret Service - Richard Sorge - WW2 Biography Special. World War Two. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fn9NyRfbSOo&ab_channel=WorldWarTwo
Stalin and Trotsky rivalry
https://www.rbth.com/history/333272-how-stalin-and-trotsky-fought
Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar by Simon Sebag Montefiore.
Russia: The Wild East by Martin Sixsmith and the BBC.
Flowers in Russia: What You Need to Know by Matt Shannon. 2021. https://expatriant.com/flowers-in-russia/
The Finnish Language. LangFocus. 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-uWYvlyeBc&list=PLVtoTh3hF-hwiZixdKcerUzA777jS27Ml&index=5&t=316s
Winter War - Soviet Finnish 1939-1940 War - FULL 3d DOCUMENTARY. Kings and Generals. 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Uk5bY22RSE&t=2448s
US Census. Quick Facts. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045221
The investigation of the dead or lost Finnish stages of Stalin's persecution will continue – SKS also finds out what traces of persecution left on the victims' descendants. Pekka Torvinen. https://www.hs.fi/kulttuuri/art-2000007766248.html
China and International Law -- The Boundary Disputes by Byron N. Tzou. 1990.
The end of "Millionka": the liquidation of Chinatown in Vladivostok (1936). Russia and the Pacific (in Russian). Vladivostok: Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnography of the Peoples of the Far East of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (4): 24–31.
A Historical Investigation of the Soviet Union's Handling of the Chinese Issue in the Far East (1937-1938)]. Modern Chinese History Studies (in Simplified Chinese). Beijing: Institute of Modern History, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (2): 41.
Khisamutdinov, Amir Aleksandrovich (2018). "Millionka": a culture that grew up in the backyard.
The Origins of Soviet Ethnic Cleansing by Martin Terry. 1998. Journal of Modern History.
L'Affaire Lyushkov: Anatomy of a Defector by Alvin D Coox. 1968.
Why didn't the Allies declare war on the USSR when they invaded Poland? Knowledgia. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBd60UsL9u0&ab_channel=Knowledgia
The NKVD: from Pen-Pushers to Communist Hit Squads - WW2 Special. World War Two. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HwKl8VUZHA&t=507s&ab_channel=WorldWarTwo
State Committee of Defence Decree. Concerning the security measures in rear areas and communications of the Red Army in East Prussia, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Romania. December 1944. https://weaponsandwarfare.com/2015/12/10/soviet-nkvd-iv/
Sonja Schmid. Producing Power: The Pre-Chernobyl History of the Soviet Nuclear Industry. 2015.
The Atomic Bomb, Russia and Spies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nOrMZCThNg&t=136s&ab_channel=JohnKerruish
Harry S Truman Library
Bombing of Hiroshima Newsreel from the AP
Music
Scorching Action by Jon Presstone
Tension in the Dark by Jon Presstone
Gnosienne by Eric Satie performed by Neil Cross and Raighes Factory
It’s Beginning to Look A lot Like Christmas by Perry Como (a parody)
Mozart K.488 Piano Concerto #23 in A 2nd mov. Adagio
Cinematic Ambient Orchestral Drama Trailer by MEDIA MUSIC GROUP
Electra to the Baltic Sea by Giuseppe Rizzo
Dramatic Investigation by Jon Presstone
Sad Smooth Piano Jazz Background Music by Volodymyr Piddubnyk
Eye Of The Storm (Feat. Cicely Parnas) - Instrumental Version Humans Win
Kalahari Wind by Humans Win
Sneaky Snitch by Kevin MacLeod
Giant Wyrm by Kevin MacLeod
Selected clips from The Death of Stalin (2017)
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The early USSR owes many of its achievements to Stalin's secret police, called the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs, or the NKVD. These guys really took Russian espionage to a new level. Their reach was global in scale; nearly anybody Stalin wanted dead, the NKVD could get it done. They administered the infamous Gulags and repressed their own people. They blurred the lines between internal police and military force by supporting Leftists during the Spanish Civil War and infiltrating the Manhattan Project.
The NKVD was a secret police force dictators dream of: vast, pervasive, feared, deadly, deceptive. They were at Stalin's beck and call.
On this episode, we explore the history and methods of the NKVD under the leadership of Genrikh Yagoda and Nikolai Yezhov. We'll cover the NKVD during WWII under Lavrentri Beria in part 5.
Sources
The Russian Secret Police. Ronald Hingley. 1970.
Stalin: Paradoxes of Power. Stephen Kotkin. 2014.
How did the Soviet Union work? By Viki1999
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6emmgC6rsGA&list=PLVtoTh3hF-hzRxUfRlpUs9sapwTPnIg6C&index=2&t=665s
Joseph Stalin: The Red Terror
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqfcpNrcGb0&t=508s
Genrikh Yagoda
https://spartacus-educational.com/RUSyagoda.htm
Nikolai Yezhov
https://spartacus-educational.com/RUSyezhov.htm
Cannibal Island
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaOwcYLGTMo&list=PLVtoTh3hF-hzRxUfRlpUs9sapwTPnIg6C&index=4&t=108s
The Nazino Gulag
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkauF4MndOw&t=518s&ab_channel=GoyimDefenceLeague
Cannibal Island location
http://wikimapia.org/14057879/Nazino-island
Gulag: History, Camps, Conditions, Economy, Effect, Facts, Quotes (2003). Interview of Anne Applebaum. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGeHPwgLm6Y&list=PLVtoTh3hF-hzRxUfRlpUs9sapwTPnIg6C&index=5
Gregory Zinoviev
https://spartacus-educational.com/RUSzinoviev.htm
Nikolay Bukharin
https://spartacus-educational.com/RUSbukharin.htm
Alexei Rykov
https://spartacus-educational.com/RUSrykov.htm
Mikhail Tomsky
https://spartacus-educational.com/RUStomsky.htm
Sergey Kirov
https://spartacus-educational.com/RUSkirov.htm
Music
Scorching Action by Jon Presstone
Tension in the Dark by Jon Presstone
Gnosienne by Eric Satie performed by Neil Cross and Raighes Factory
Cinematic Ambient Orchestral Drama Trailer by MEDIA MUSIC GROUP
Big Epic Drums by Psystein
March of the Defenders of Moscow by Alexey Surkov and Boris Mokrousov
Scheherazade Op. 35 by Rimsky Korsakov
Special Thanks To:
Sergey Vaynshank
Kristaps Andrejsons at the Eastern Border Podcast
Roberto at the History of Saqartvelo Georgia Podcast
*** Important *** Interview audio was edited for quality and soundbites that fit into the subject matter. I intent to post full interviews as bonus material provided I have permission from the interviewee.
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From 1917 to 1922, the Cheka terrorized the Russian people into dedicating their lives to the Soviet State. Old institutions were destroyed, people were targeted on the basis of their socio-economic status, and farmers were forced into collectives. Those who disobeyed were likely shot, the most unfortunate were subjected to sadistic torture not seen since the time of Ivan the Terrible.
Under the leadership of Vladimir Ilych Lenin, the Bolsheviks seemed at first to bring real, much needed change to Russia. But it didn’t take long for Lenin’s true intentions to become clear: a dictatorship of the proletariat with himself at the helm.
Lenin was a man with many similarities to those he later deemed political enemies. He was unwavering in his faith in Marxism, but tweaked Marx’ original writings into Leninism both in theory and in practice because, when it came to governing, Leninism was only achievable through the Red Terror unleashed by the Cheka.
Sources:
The Russian Secret Police. Ronald Hingley. 1970.
Stalin: Paradoxes of Power. Stephen Kotkin. 2014.
The Russian Civil War. Evan Mawdsley. 2005.
The Life of Lenin. Louis Fischer. 1964.
Vladimir Lenin: The Founder of the Soviet Union. Biographics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSWT8oPb1mM
Holidays in Russia
https://russiatrek.org/about-russian-holidays
Felix Dzerzhinsky
https://alphahistory.com/russianrevolution/felix-dzerzhinsky/
Princess Stories: The Secret of Anastasia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2e7t_jUt8sY&list=PLVtoTh3hF-hwvWhPtFZp9XVByI0uRvvLI&index=2
Thanks to @regina_imperatrix for the Anastasia film
Music:
Scorching Action by Jon Presstone
Tension in the Dark by Jon Presstone
Gnosienne by Eric Satie performed by Neil Cross and Raighes Factory
Mystery Warrior by LIVINGFORCE
Cinematic Ambient Orchestral Drama Trailer by MEDIA MUSIC GROUP
Final Speech by Humans Win (formerly Lance Conrad)
Big Epic Drums by Psystein
Ammil by The Tides
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlHZd94pdhQ
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Imagine for a moment you're an early 20th Century Russian factory worker in Moscow. You do your job everyday to support your family but it's dangerous work. You have moments when you wonder what you're family would do if you were injured or killed on the job. Then you overhear a coworker talking about a movement to petition your Tsar, Nicholas II, for better working hours and pay.
Laborers like you can join a union called the Moscow Mechanical Productions Workers' Mutual Aid Society that will advocate for these better conditions you've been hoping for. Plus this organization sounds like a better option than those radial groups out there throwing bombs at government officials.
But if this union sounds too good to be true, that's because it is. Unbeknownst to you, the union was created by the Tsar's secret police, the Okhrana, to spy on any potentially dangerous radicals.
Source:
The Russian Secret Police. Ronald Hingley. 1970.
Stalin: Paradoxes of Power. Stephen Kotkin. 2014
Fyodor I
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Fyodor-I
Boris Godunov
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Boris-Godunov-tsar-of-Russia
American home square footage
https://www.statista.com/statistics/456925/median-size-of-single-family-home-usa
Lee, Eric (1993-06-01). "The Eremin letter: Documentary proof that Stalin was an Okhrana spy?". Revolutionary Russia. 6 (1): 55–96. doi:10.1080/09546549308575595. ISSN 0954-6545.
Butovo Memorial
https://coldwarsites.net/country/russia/butovo-execution-and-burial-site-moscow/
Rasputin’s Twig ‘n Berries
https://www.cultofweird.com/curiosities/rasputin-penis/
Inflation Calculator
https://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm
Music:
Scorching Action by Jon Presttone
Electra to the Baltic Sea (Full) by Giuseppe Rizzo
Ammil by The Tides
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlHZd94pdhQ
Giant Wyrm by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3807-giant-wyrm
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
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They wore black robes and rode black horses like a monastic order of death itself. From 1565 to 1572, the Oprichniki inflicted medieval terror and torture upon the Russian people in the name of Ivan the Terrible. ***Content Warning*** contains descriptions of torture techniques.
This is the first part of a series on Russian secret police and the first episode ever of this new podcast, Secret Police.
Sources:
Armies of Ivan the Terrible: Russian Troops 1505–1700 (Men-at-Arms) Paperback – Illustrated, January 31, 2006 by David Nicolle, Viacheslav Shpakovsky, Angus McBride (Illustrator)
Dictators and their secret police : coercive institutions and state violence Studies of the East Asian Institute. Sheena Chestnut Greitens
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
Dictators and their Secret Police - Coercive Institutions and State Violence. Sheena Chestnut Greitens.
A Short History of Russia. A compilation from the study of a number of other works, in particular H.A.L. Fisher's "History of Europe", Paul Crowson's "A History of the Russian People", and William L. Langer's "Encyclopaedia of World History”.
Andreyev, Nikolay. "Ivan the Terrible". Encyclopedia Britannica, 21 Aug. 2021, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ivan-the-Terrible. Accessed 31 December 2021.
The Oprichnina as a Carnival of Violence: Ivan the Terrible and Muscovite Popular Culture Maureen Perrie Emeritus Professor of Russian History, Centre for Russian, European and Eurasian Studies, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
Skrynnikov and Graham, Ivan the Terrible. Solovʹev and Rhinelander. History of Russia. 1981.
Nizhny Novgorod. Sergei Maltcev. To My American Friends. 2015.
The Oprichnina of Ivan the Terrible: Part 1, Creation. A Region of Fear Patrolled by Black Robed Soldiers. Robert Wilde. May 30, 2019. https://www.thoughtco.com/the-oprichnina-of-ivan-the-terrible-3860937
Music:
Main Theme: Scorching Action - Jon Prestone
Mysterious fantasy with gloomy choir and harp for dark fairytale setting - Suite Tracks Music
Introitus - Audio Waves - Eliche Remblon
Odious Signs - Humans Win (formerly Lance Conrad)
Final Speech - Humans Win (formerly Lance Conrad)
TV Audio:
History Bites Season 4 Episode 8
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***TRAILER!*** Welcome to a new podcast called Secret Police. This show is dedicated to the lap dogs of dictators. Special operatives that employ surveillance and terror upon their own people. We will explore their histories, their brutal methods, and their eventual downfalls. Listen to Secret Police ad free wherever you get podcasts.
*** Episodes drop soon! ***
