Uncommon Knowledge: Part 2: Stephen Kotkin discusses Stalin’s consolidation of power 

This is the prestige of RU-vid,- to be able to hear the great historians/ authors speak about their area of expertise uninterrupted!

This was absolutely thrilling. Stephen Kotkin has a gift for presenting knowledge in a very captivating manner.

Excellent discussion. Mr. Kotkin is an engaging speaker. Almost as if Joe Pesci were a historian. :-)

I could listen to Stephen Kotkin talk for hours. What an incredible interview, and I look forward to the future installments.

I am still stunned. I hope for Volume 3. And I love how Kotkin describes history as a landscape.

Stephen Kotkin is the go-to guy for Stalin. I do feel satisfied that my initial preconceptions were not countered - the communists were indeed plain old communists after all.

The masterfully eloquent level of pure knowledge that Stephen Kotkin displays in this interview and furthermore in the book, is utterly mind-blowing and invigorates a level of appreciative inspiration for those instilled with the depth to observe it; pure excellence.

find someone who will look at you the way peter robinson looks at stephen kotkin

Dr. Kotkin is a superb scholar and Peter Robinson may be the best interviewer out there. I keep coming back to this conversation because the arguments and evidence presented here are essential for an accurate understanding of 20th century history, but not only that. They also help us to understand the nature of some of the dangers we face today.

"Stalin is one of the most extraordinary figures in world history. He began as a small clerk, and he has never stopped being a clerk. Stalin owes nothing to rhetoric. He governs from his office, thanks to a bureaucracy that obeys his every nod and gesture.". -A. Hitler

One of the best descriptions of how both structural context and individual actors are at play i the evolving history of man. 28:21-29:35

Dr. Kotkin is the man!

Really great that you did this. I read "Stalin" a few weeks ago. It is the best biography on Stalin ever written. One of the best biographies overall.

Absolutely brilliant historian and great speaker.

Funny how? Just kidding, incredible and engaging interview. That period of history is fascinating.

Let's remember what Keke Geladze, Stalin's mother asked him: "Joseph - who exactly are you now?" "Do you remember the tsar? Well, I'm like a tsar", replied Stalin. "You'd have done better to have become a priest" was her response to her son Stalin, Reference: Radzinsky, E. (1997), Stalin: The First In-depth Biography Based on Explosive New Documents from Russia's Secret Archives.

Kotkin is a superb story-teller. That is what history is.

I found myself literally applauding near the conclusion of this interview.

Kotkin’s discussion is so much better than his lectures.

Excellent work and commentary. Volumes 1 & 2 are great, waiting for #3!

Stephen Kotkin is a true American Patriot --- He believes in the rights of the individual, and their right to freedom . BRavo Professor Kotkin!!!

I really enjoy listening to Stephen Kotkin, he seems to know his subject very well, and conveys that knowledge and understanding with great clarity that's very compelling and easy to listen to. Of course Stalin is a very fascinating character which in itself is going to make this an interesting conversation, but Kotkin is a powerful story teller. I am persuaded to buy his book.

Beautiful interview. I loved this one and the two following ones that came out earlier this year. So insightful and engaging. I’m definitely going to buy his books now

Stephen Kotkin has an answer for everything. In a really good way. He barely hesitates in any reply.

Mr Kotkin you are a seeker of truth I watched both part one and part two it was fascinating. The other thing I noted was how little ego you displayed throughout the discussions, this you accomplished with logic and reason well done sir Thank you

I concur. It’s an excellent interview and worth watching again.

You can see and hear the enthusiasm for his subject. And, it rubs off enthrallingly to make Mr Kotkin's summation of his story of Josef Stalin so accessibly understood in the two-part recordings. Riveting. Of course, Mr Robinson's own quaint insightful questioning with accompanying oftentimes glorious cruciform gesticulating delivery has one eager to hear more and more from the historian with a grin on his face throughout.

One of the coolest conversations I've ever heard. Bravo!!!

Peter Robinson is the best interviewer,bar none. He is able to extract the most out of his excelent guests

Now my theory: Napoleon, Hitler and Stalin came from outside (from the south) of the countries they ended up ruling. The outsider's view gave them an advantage. They could see details the insiders could not.

great conversation...thank you for sharing...

Excellent. Excellent. Excellent. Mr Kotkin knows how to explain a complex historical subject to us lay people. Thank you so much. And thank you Peter as well.

Unforgetable.

All of these are absolutely amazing and remarkable!

Very much appreciate these converstations. Thank you!

Great Interview

Thanks mr Pesci

A wonderful discussion. Is it only me or does Stephen Kotkin remind anyone else of Joe Pesci?

Great conversation.

Fascinating. Another person mentioned that the professor reminds him of Joe Pesci. I was noticing that his voice and manner of speech reminded me of someone, but only after watching both videos did I realize it was the famous actor! At the beginning of the first video I was skeptical, thinking "History is not a science, and concludes whatever the historian wishes it to conclude..." but listening further, I found S. Kotkin persuasive, at least in so far as the evaluation of certain issues clearly benefit from the (relatively) recent availability of information from the Soviet archives. Much of what he brings forward seems cogent. I also appreciate his simple common sense (which, apparently, many academicians still lack) in apprehending the monstrousness of Stalin's activities, which, if there were such a thing as hell, would ensure the General Secretary a spot in the lowest & most unpleasant part ... This I think is something which any intelligent person should acknowledge, and beyond that find instructive in understanding that Marx oversimplified the dialectic of history, very importantly failing to see that an all powerful state contains potentials far darker than alternative systems of politico-economic social organization. For me the jury is still very much "out" on free market capitalism, but at least it only results in a considerable amount of injustice and misery as opposed to mass murder and total repression. The clear lesson of history, if there is one, is that we humans are profoundly vulnerable to making terrible mistakes & lack a real capacity to distinguish right from wrong... and should therefore avoid, to the extent possible, ideology of any extreme kind, and especially try to recognize that the manner of determining what ends are fine and beneficial to society is that there are ways to reach them that are consistent with broadly moral principles.

Thanks for posting, this is a great video.

I just love the Hoover institute

Great finish.

I must say this is an impressive series and I will certai ky hunbt the books. And, I am amazed that this brilliant historian is still at Princeton.

My son has six months left of home schooling and I just now find the Hoover institution videos?

Truly wonderful!

I love Uncommon Knowledge, and these two episodes with Stephen Kotkin are great. He's so knowledgeable and well spoken. However, how is it that while I listen to him, I can't stop thinking about Joe Pesci?

The biggest mistake is putting Stalin in a class of his own: He was human. The worst possible thing is to imagine that we -- individually, every one of us -- is not capable of genocide. Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation Starship Enterprise said it best when he said, "The seed of violence is within each of us."

Really interesting interview

Fascinating discussion.

Wonderful illuminating presentation by Mr. Kotkin, who in some ways remind me of Joe Pesci.

Excellent interview

YES, bring on volumes 2 & 3! At last a man with VALUES who isn’t afraid to say so!

A very worthwhile conversation; thanks very much to both of you, gents! Best wishes, P.A.

Is there a part 3 ? This is interesting 🍿

as an old stoner, but an armchair historian, I am always impressed by this guy, having grown up in Baltimore, I respect dudes from jersy (would vote for C Booker before any woman I have seen run, except that black lady from Chicago, who lost her nerve, or Rosa Park, or Opra) never listened to anyone as easy to understand, this guy should teach people to teach

Terrific interview! I just bought Kotkin’s volumes one and two of Stalin. Is volume three available?

Brilliant! These guys do all the hard work and I get the facts :-)

Excellent

wish I could take one of Stephen's classes. That was interesting,

Very thorough and seems to agree with a former propaganda minister of the USSR to a degree - but not entirely. In a bit of a different twist from Krotkin's view, Vrobiev insisted that Christianity=Marxism. One gives rise to the other and vice-versa. Even Kotkin has the same persuasive, trustworthy personality and facial expressions that Stalin once had. Yet, there are many other takes on Stalin. Stalin was quiet at meetings but was a very good listener.

Thank u!!!

Events of history always redound to the choices of individuals. And those choices always are informed by specific ideas and ideologies.

Brilliant. I haven't read his books yet. Does he mention Ivar Smilga at all?

man Im lovin this

This Stephen Kotkin reminds me a lot of an older Michael Malice. The mannerisms, the way of speaking, the depth, etc.

Kotkin opens up a whole new level of understanding of stalin, beyond anything most of us knew before.

I also am shocked that a tenured Princeton professor acknowledges communism as evil. As Isaiah I am shocked that perhaps not everyone has bowed the knee to Baal. I grew up in Castro's Cuba and as an American citizen I weep at the direction of the country that blessed my life by allowing me to come here as a child.

I love how the host at the end tries to take a swipe at different understandings of history and the Professor Kotkin has to explain to him (almost as he as to explain to a smug undergraduate) the different frameworks under which history can be studied. The left and the right (which the host seems to represent as he took several right-wing cheap shots in part 1 of this interview) both look at the world in this binary good/evil or right/wrong perspectives when the truth is so much more nuanced. Professor Kotkin, I think, brilliantly synthesizes differing understandings of history and shows how they are complementary and not mutually exclusive. This is something I try to teach my own students. I'd like them to be able to think when they get to Professor Kotkin's classroom rather than parrot the politically acceptable buzzwords and cliches that their team, whether right or left, currently finds convenient.

I never knew that Joe Pesci was such a brilliant historian on the Soviet Union.

Wish Hoover would do an online store with Hoover Tower, Sowell, Friedman, Uncommon Knowledge Shirts and bumper sticker/posters. We could really use some branding on our side and Hoover is a perfect fit, Imagine college kids wearing Friedman or Sowell shirts rather then Che, Hoover Tower rather then a Hammer and Sickle, Uncommon Knowledge rather then the daily show! I know it might not be something Hoover thinks is appropriate for a Think Tank but it would be a big start in creating the pop branding leftists have done.

Wow. Home run.

The greatest men are the Truth tellers.

" a crazy, lunatic ideology". -- Stephen Kotkin

I think Stalin might know more about Stalin than anybody whoever lived.

Kotkin is excellent. I especially like his take that Stalin was a committed communist - this is an essential understanding him. I'm not sure about the interviewer's insistence that claiming Stalin was evil is a controversial. I think this is a mainstream view.

"No man...no more problems." -Stalin

Would be great to get him together with Jung Chang to talk about Stalin’s death and Mao’s role or lack there of in it.

Tarantino really takes this dialogue to the next level

This confirms what I've long believed: in Stalin we're dealing with a mass murderer who had a first-rate mind. Throughout his career, people underestimated Stalin, and they paid for it dearly.

Political history is not in vogue... because the truth hurts and we can’t have that now... can we. Sad..... Wonderful interview

"at dictatorship he had an aptitude" lol

Anyone else notice how all the "intellectuals" out here gushing about "excellence" have so much difficulty spelling the word correctly?

Nice exchange. Two points: 1) Stalin's mustache hid the contemptuous micro expressions of his lips that were shown in earlier pictures. He thought he was smarter than everyone else. And he looked down on others and didn't particularly care for people as a whole. It was all an act. The childhood photo of Stalin - before he had the 'stache - shows you everything you need to know about him as a human amongst humans. 2) Kotkin never comes around and says why Lenin and Stalin's ideas were wrong - and obviously wrong. They believed in Marxism and that people would be motivated to act based on their social class. Perhaps if they had read Freud a little more closely and correctly they would have understood human nature in a more nuanced, profound way. Marx pitched his analysis at the wrong level. And these guys - Lenin, Stalin, Trotsky - believed those simplistic ideas and executed the wrong ideas. And way too many people. If only that other Vlad had caught a clue...

"I know that after my death a pile of rubbish will be heaped on my grave, but the wind of History will sweep it away without mercy." I.V. Stalin

Political intelligence would be a better term than political history and it should be an academic discipline made up of all the necessary disciplines that provide us with this human faculty, including political history of course.

Why struggle to separate individual “agency” from circumstances? It’s a false separation. For each of us the individual and the circumstances are impossible to divide. There is no discernable boundary line between the so-called individuals and the circumstances it appears to operate within and upon. Can any honest person find such a boundaryline for them-“selves?” Look for such a thing and you will not find it.

Interesting observation from 5:23 on the so-called Lenin Testament. The article by Krupskaya, Lenin and Trotsky, in the link below at p 516 seems to reinforce Stephen's analysis: www.marxists.org/history/usa/culture/pubs/wm/1925/v4n11-sep-1925.pdf

Why did you reupload this?

I've always wondered why Lenin appointed Stalin to General Secretary when he knew Stalin's true nature, knew his true motives. Surely Lenin would have considered the grave consequences of appointing Stalin to such an influential & tactical position. It's highly unlikely Stalin's rise to power could have taken place without him becoming General Secretary.

Is Kotkin a Joe Pecie a dead look and sound alike?? Makes him credible from the start!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh and great video by the way!!!

Question to Stephen Kotkin: who was the very first person that Stalin killed and when?

Stalin has never charmed me, ever.

Stalin put his enemies on a barge and then sank the barge...

This was as excellent interview , although I wished that the Moderator/ host guy would shut up and allow the expert to actually speak. Professor Kotkin has certainly established himself as an expert.

17:40 - 17:45: This is excellent advice and should be applied to any organization or phenomenon. Due to current events, I'm struck by how this is precisely what is *not* being done with regard to the IS and the proliferation of terrorist attacks in the West and around the world. If we take seriously and study the ideologies, politics and source documents of given movements, we can better comprehend, diagnose and anticipate their exponents' actions, and, most likely, save a lot of trouble in the long run. Point being, we cannot properly engage or counteract what we do not understand.

This man loves his job

13:42

Are you sure Stephen Kotkin is not Joe Pesci in disguise?

best moment 18:47