Preparing for War: Industrialization and the Fascist Threat — Lessons of Soviet History, Part 3

<p>The Soviet Union survived its tumultuous first post-revolutionary years of civil war and imperialist invasion, but found itself isolated in a hostile, capitalist-dominated world. The Soviet government embarked on an all-out campaign of industrialization and collectivization that achieved a pace of economic development unparalleled in human history. But at the same time, the menace of fascism was rising, and the leadership of the Communist Party struggled through a string of shifts and policy reversals in international politics. In the end, 27 million Soviet citizens gave their lives in World War Two to defeat the Nazi war machine. &nbsp;</p> <p>To discuss this period from the 1920s to the onset of World War II, Brian is joined by Carlos Martinez, author of “The End of the Beginning: Lessons of the Soviet Collapse,” co-founder of the No Cold War Campaign, and editor of the political analysis site Invent-The-Future.org.&nbsp;</p> <p>This is part 3 of the series “The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union -- Lessons for Socialists.”&nbsp;</p> <p>Watch the NEW video edition of “The Real Story” on BreakThrough News!</p> <p>Please make an urgently-needed contribution to The Socialist Program by joining our Patreon community at <a href="//patreon.com/thesocialistprogram">patreon.com/thesocialistprogram</a>. We rely on the generous support of our listeners to keep bringing you consistent, high-quality shows. All Patreon donors of $5 a month or more are invited to join the monthly Q&amp;A seminar with Brian.</p>