1 rich Libsyn https://www.libsyn.com 90 600 Samantha Lomb, a PHD in Russian history, joins the show to discuss her book &quot;Stalin’s Constitution: Soviet Participatory Politics and the Discussion of the 1936 Draft Constitution&quot;. &amp;nbsp; Based on her studies of soviet archives Samantha guides us through a discussion of how the average Soviet citizen participated in reforming their new constitution in 1936 (one of the most progressive constitutions ever written!) ; the role of the press in their society, what living on a collective farm was like, the endemic lawlessness and violence of the countryside; the purges of 1936-1937 and addressing whether calling the Soviet Union &quot;totalitarian&quot; holds any validity. And that is just a taste! &amp;nbsp; Samantha's &quot;free to access&quot; book and more information regarding our discussion can be found on the patreon posting of this episode: https://www.patreon.com/posts/70042715 &amp;nbsp; Episode Credits Intro:&amp;nbsp; (&quot;Wistful&quot; produced by Maxi Beatz) Outro: (Internationale Trap Remix by Matt Cousins) Opening Interlude Voiceover: (USSR 1936 Consitution read by Nils Paulsson) Opening Interlude Music:&amp;nbsp; (&quot;Fair&quot; produced by Y-2) Actually Existing Socialism https://www.patreon.com/aesthepodcast <iframe title="Libsyn Player" style="border: none" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/23955912/height/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/yes/direction/forward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/88AA3C/" height="90" width="600" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe> https://assets.libsyn.com/secure/item/23955912