Erik Seligman and Manuel Castaneda

Stories of Communism

History EN ↓ 51 episodes

Welcome to Stories of Communism, a podcast for people of all ages where we explore the realities of life under Communism, as described in the memoirs, stories, and novels created by those suffering under this system over the past century. (Feedback email erik@storiesofcommunism.com).

Author

Erik Seligman and Manuel Castaneda

Episodes

Stories of Communism 26: The Communist Patriarchy 13.04.2020 32:03

We interview successful Bulgarian actress Lilia Slavova, who fled to the west in the 1980s and eventually settled in the U.S. (Send feedback to erik@storiesofcommunism.com)

Stories of Communism 25: An American in the Gulag 29.03.2020 24:12

We discuss the memoir of Thomas Sgovio, who emigrated from the US to the Soviet Union and spent 16 years in Stalin's labor camps. (Send feedback to erik@storiesofcommunism.com)

Stories of Communism 24: Unlicensed Meditation 17.02.2020 36:01

Interview with Jennifer Zeng, who describes her persecution and torture by the Chinese government for practicing Falun Gong. (Send feedback to erik@storiesofcommunism.com)

Stories of Communism 23: The Sarcastic Refusenik 01.02.2020 22:49

We discuss the memoir of famous Jewish dissident Arkady Polishchuk, an activist in the USSR in the 1970s. (Send feedback to erik@storiesofcommunism.com)

Stories of Communism 22: Dreaming of Green Peas 23.12.2019 31:58

An interview with Zilvinas Silenas, who grew up in Communist Lithuania but is now president of the Foundation for Economic Education. (Send feedback to erik@storiesofcommunism.com)

Stories of Communism 21: The Death Of Reason 18.11.2019 27:28

We discuss Nien Cheng's failed attempts to figure out the rules and navigate the Cultural Revolution in Mao's China. (Send feedback to erik@storiesofcommunism.com)

Stories of Communism 20: Outsmarting the Bureaucrats 23.09.2019 22:28

We discuss Vladimir Bukovsky's memoir of his struggles to preserve and expose the Soviet Union's history of oppression and human rights abuses, as preserved in their own archives. (Send feedback to erik@storiesofcommunism.com)

Stories of Communism 19: Stories of Che 29.07.2019 19:11

We learn the truth about Che Guevara from some of his victims, as collected in Humberto Fontova's "Exposing the Real Che Guevara". (Send feedback to erik@storiesofcommunism.com)

Stories of Communism 18: The True Believer 08.07.2019 24:58

We discuss Vladimir Voinovich's hilarious satire of Stalin worship, "Monumental Propaganda". (Send feedback to erik@storiesofcommunism.com)

Stories of Communism 17: A Poet's Awakening 28.05.2019 19:09

How one of North Korea's leading propagandists learned the truth about his leaders. (Send feedback to erik@storiesofcommunism.com)

Stories of Communism 16: 21st Century Chinese Characteristics 28.03.2019 20:23

Discussing a Peace Corps volunteer's experiences in China in the 2000s. (Send feedback to erik@storiesofcommunism.com)

Stories of Communism 15: Protesting in Poland 02.02.2019 31:48

Interview with Wojtek Lisicki, a local leader in the Polish Solidarity movement of the early 1980s. (Send feedback to erik@storiesofcommunism.com)

Stories of Communism 14: Losing Your Humanity 30.12.2018 20:07

Learn how Chhalith Ou survived four terrifying years as a teenager under Khmer Rouge rule in 1970s Cambodia. (Send feedback to erik@storiesofcommunism.com)

Stories of Communism 13: Communists Take a Bath 24.11.2018 18:09

We discuss the amusing stories of Mikhail Zoschchenko, the Seinfeld of 1920s Russia. (Send feedback to erik@storiesofcommunism.com)

Stories of Communism 12: Fighting For Cuban Freedom 14.10.2018 34:36

An interview with Nelson Rodriguez Chartrand, a cuban dissident who was forced into exile in Brazil after teaching ideas of freedom and capitalism to his neighbors. (Send feedback to erik@storiesofcommunism.com)

Stories of Communism 11: More Harsh Realities of Cuba 29.09.2018 41:29

An interview with a couple of Cuban immigrants, who grew up under Communism but now live in the U.S. (Send feedback to erik@storiesofcommunism.com)

Stories of Communism 10: Orwell Betrayed 18.08.2018 18:13

Did you know that George Orwell's classic novels were partially influenced by his real-life experiences under Communist rule in revolutionary Spain? (Send feedback to erik@storiesofcommunism.com)

Stories of Communism 9: Capitalism In Cuba 15.07.2018 31:46

We interview Jesus Arzola Vega, who is making a film about the small but growing capitalist movement in modern Cuba. (Send feedback to erik@storiesofcommunism.com)

Stories of Communism 8: Concealing Your True Self 03.06.2018 14:06

Discussing Stanislaw Lem's hilarious sci-fi allegory "The Eleventh Voyage", about a visit to a planet ruled by Communist-like robots. (Send feedback to erik@storiesofcommunism.com)

Stories of Communism 7: A Child In Cuba 22.04.2018 13:19

Exploring Iris M. Diaz's memoir of living through Cuba's Communist revolution. (Send feedback to erik@storiesofcommunism.com)

Stories of Communism 6: Willful Ignorance 25.03.2018 11:17

The story of author Maxim Gorky's visit to the Gulag, which began as comedy but ended in tragedy. (Send feedback to erik@storiesofcommunism.com)

Stories of Communism 1: Famine in Ukraine 25.02.2018 16:42

How punishing the productive led to mass starvation in Ukraine. (Send feedback to erik@storiesofcommunism.com)

Stories of Communism 2: 20th Century Slavery 25.02.2018 11:50

Exploring the system of mass slavery experienced by Alexsandr Solzhenitsyn in the USSR. (Send feedback to erik@storiesofcommunism.com)

Stories of Communism 3: Splendid Arses 25.02.2018 9:12

Surprising humor found in underground "samizdat" literature. (Send feedback to erik@storiesofcommunism.com)

Stories of Communism 4: Mao's American Friend 25.02.2018 13:24

The strange, amazing life of Sidney Rittenberg, an American who became part of Mao's Communist Revolution. (Send feedback to erik@storiesofcommunism.com)