The Man of Steel - Professor Jiang

What this episode covers

How did a poor Georgian high school drop-out help lead a fringe and fanatical political party (the Bolsheviks) into absolute power in Russia? How was Stalin able to eliminate his competitors? How did he defeat Hitler in World War II? In this talk to his Beijing high school students, Jiang Xueqin explains that Stalin was the "ubermensch," the man of steel who willed a new reality into being. Lenin could not have maintained the Bolsheviks without financing from Stalin's criminal activities. After the October Revolution and the Russian Civil War, Lenin was intent on stopping Stalin's rise to power. But Stalin outmaneuvered his adversaries, including Leon Trotsky, the heir to Lenin's legacy. After the Great Purge, Stalin created a cult of personality, and bent the entire state apparatus to his will. This proved pivotal in World War II when Stalin transformed the Soviet Union from a poor feudal nation into a global industrial power. References:1. State and Revolution by Vladimir Lenin2. Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler

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How long is this episode of Professor Jiang?

This episode is 1 hour and 12 minutes long.

When was this Professor Jiang episode published?

This episode was published on May 24, 2026.

What is this episode about?

How did a poor Georgian high school drop-out help lead a fringe and fanatical political party (the Bolsheviks) into absolute power in Russia? How was Stalin able to eliminate his competitors? How did he defeat Hitler in World War II? In this talk...

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