Tag: Russian history
-
Into Siberia by Gregory Wallance
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Into Siberia: Yes, it’s as cold as you think. Quick synopsis: The story of George Kennan’s journey through Siberia to evaluate the exile system of Russia. Fact for Non-History People: The Bell of Uglich was exiled after it was used to summon a revolt. Yes, a literal bell. Fact for History…
-
New episode is up! Russia expert and author Mark Galeotti joins the podcast!
Let’s talk Russia! Russia expert (among other things) and author Mark Galeotti joins us to talk his book, Putin’s Wars, why the Ukraine War is going the way it is, and how much vodka is too much vodka. You’re going to love it. Come listen! Buy Putin’s WarsCheck out Mark’s blog
-
Putin’s Wars by Mark Galeotti
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Putin’s Wars: So, this is why Ukraine is whooping his a–. Quick synopsis: A look at the Russian military from the end of the Cold War to now. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Other than a short stint in a basic training program, Putin was never in the Russian military.…
-
The Lighthouse of Stalingrad by Iain MacGregor
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Lighthouse of Stalingrad: Hard reading about the Russians as good guys right now. Quick synopsis: The story of the Battle of Stalingrad in World War II. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: The U.S. suffered 419,000 killed in action in World War II. The Soviets suffered 27,000,000. Fun Fact for…
-
The Sinner and the Saint by Kevin Birmingham
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Sinner and the Saint: Hard to feel bad about your own life when you read about Dostoevsky. Quick synopsis: A biography of Fyodor Dostoevsky as he writes Crime and Punishment with inspiration from a notorious French criminal. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: On page 225, Kevin Birmingham pulls out…
-
Catherine the Great by Robert Massie
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Catherine the Great: She’s not even Russian! Quick synopsis: An in-depth biography of Catherine the Great of Russia. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: There is a rumor Catherine died while having sex with a horse. No, she didn’t, you sicko. Fun Fact for History Nerds: Catherine is one of the…
-
Dead Mountain by Donnie Eichar
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Dead Mountain: This is why I never go camping. OR In Soviet Russia, mountain kill you! Quick synopsis: The story of the mysterious death of 9 hikers in the Ural Mountains of Russia in 1959. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: The nine hikers’ bodies were found in various forms of…
-
Catherine the Great (HBO)
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Catherine the Great: Bold move by the screenwriters making Catherine the Great suck. Quick synopsis: Part of Catherine the Great’s life but not really. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: You can watch the first episode. All of it is exposition in a very distracting and terrible way. Fun Fact for…
-
Wolves at the Door
And now for something completely different. Yes, I wrote a poem. Skip this article if that bothers you. I was inspired by Stalingrad written by Antony Beevor. Towards the end, you start to feel the helplessness of the German soldiers as they know the inevitable red crush is coming. I turned that feeling into an…