Ep. 4: Sean McMeekin on Stalin and World War II

Biography Sean McMeekin is a professor and historian who focuses on early 20th century Europe. In addition to his latest book, Stalin's War: A New History of World War II, McMeekin is the author of The Russian Revolution: A New History, July 1914: Countdown to War, and The Ottoman Endgame: War, Revolution, and the Making of the Modern Middle East, 1908 - 1923, as well as several other books. McMeekin currently serves as the Francis Flournoy Professor of European History at Bard College in New York. Times 02:02 - Introduction 05:35 - The American understanding of Russia and Joseph Stalin in World War II 09:12 - Politics and Stalin's legacy 11:37 - Stalin's foreign policy prior to WWII 17:40 - Stalin secures the Japanese non-aggression pact 24:03 - The Soviets push for a war between Japan and the United States 27:29 - Harry Hopkins and the Lend-Lease Policy 33:58 - Stalin as an ally 37:17 - Demanding unconditional surrender 40:16 - Debate over what compelled the Japanese to surrender 42:03 - Reception of Stalin's War Recorded October 6, 2021

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This podcast seeks to learn what war teaches. There has been a steady decline in the study of military history and its associated theoretical discipline, strategy.This podcast seeks to fill that gap through in-depth interviews on military and diplomatic history. Our guests have included former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the Cold War historian John Lewis Gaddis, and former China Select Committee chairman Mike Gallagher. We discuss the battlefield commanders, diplomats, strategists, policymakers, and statesmen who have had to make wartime decisions in the ancient and modern eras. The subject of an episode may be an historical battle, campaign, or conflict; the conduct of policy in the course of a major international incident; the work of a famous strategist; the nature of a famous weapon; or the legacy of an important military commander or political leader.   Aaron MacLean is a senior fellow at Hudson Institute. He has worked as a foreign policy advisor and legislative director to Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and spent seven years in the U.S. Marine Corps. Visit our Substack for episode transcripts Follow along on Instagram