Episode · Lex Fridman Podcast · 2024-03-04
Books mentioned on #415 – Serhii Plokhy: History of Ukraine, Russia, Soviet Union, KGB, Nazis & War
Serhii Plokhy is a Ukrainian historian at Harvard University, director of the Ukrainian Research Institute, and an author of many books on history of Eastern Europe, including his latest book The Russo-Ukrainian War: The Return of History.
Lex Fridman discussed Russo-Ukrainian War by Serhii Plokhy, The last empire by Serhii Plokhy, Origins of the Slavic Nations by Serhii Plokhy, The Cossack Myth by Serhii Plokhy, Documentary Sources for the History of the Rus' Metropolitanate by Andrei Pliguzov, On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians by Vladimir Putin, The Frontline by Serhii Plokhy, The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Isaevich Solzhenit︠s︡yn, Atoms and Ashes - a Global History of Nuclear Disasters by Serhii Plokhy, Atoms and Ashes by Serhii Plokhy, and Nuclear Folly by Serhii Plokhy. Serhii Plokhy discussed The Man With the Golden Gun by Ian Fleming.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Russo-Ukrainian War
The Russo-Ukrainian War by Serhii Plokhy is a comprehensive historical analysis that examines the complex geopolitical roots, historical grievances, and unfolding events behind the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Discussed“He wrote a lot of great books on Ukraine and Russia, the Soviet Union, on Slavic peoples in general, across centuries on Chernobyl and nuclear disasters, and on the current war in Ukraine, a book titled The Russo-Ukrainian War, The Return of History.”
Where to get it
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The last empire
Discussed“You call the Soviet Union the last empire. The book is called The Last Empire. So is there something fundamental about the way the world is that means it's not conducive to the formation of empires?”
Where to get it
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Origins of the Slavic Nations
Discussed“You wrote a book, The Origins of The Slavic Nations. So let's go back into history.”
Where to get it
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The Cossack Myth
Discussed“You wrote the book, the Cossack Myth, History and Nationhood in the Age of Empires, it tells the story of an anonymous manuscript called the History of the Rus.”
Where to get it
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Documentary Sources for the History of the Rus' Metropolitanate
Discussed“It tells the story of an anonymous manuscript called the History of the Rus. It started being circulated in the 1820s.”
Where to get it
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The Man With the Golden Gun
Discussed“He does that with the new weapon, a spray pistol that eventually makes it into the Bond novel, The Man With The Golden Gun.”
Where to get it
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On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians
Discussed“Maybe let's talk about in July, 2021, Putin publishing an essay titled On The Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians. Can you describe the ideas expressed in this essay?”
Where to get it
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The Frontline
Discussed“You wrote in your book titled The Frontline, Essays on Ukraine's Past and Present, about the Russian question, I guess articulated by Solzhenitsyn first in 1994.”
Where to get it
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The Gulag Archipelago
The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn is a monumental historical exposé detailing the brutal Soviet forced labor camp system through survivor testimonies, archival research, and the author's own imprisonment.
Discussed“Solzhenitsyn of course is the author of Gulag Archipelago.”
Where to get it
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Atoms and Ashes - a Global History of Nuclear Disasters
Discussed“You wrote in the book, in Atoms and Ashes, a Global History of Nuclear Disaster. So technically nuclear energy is extremely safe.”
Where to get it
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Atoms and Ashes
Discussed“You wrote in the book, in Atoms and Ashes, a Global History of Nuclear Disaster. So technically nuclear energy is extremely safe.”
Where to get it
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Nuclear Folly
Discussed“Yes, you've authored a great book on the Cuban Missile Crisis, where we came alarmingly close to not just another world war but to a nuclear conflict that could obliterate human civilization as we know it.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (5) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“But then there are other books like Lost Kingdom where I bring the story all the way up to today.”
“Admittedly, in that book, I concluded in the 18th century before the rise of nationalism, but subsequent works, like Lost Kingdom, trace the story further into modern times.”
“He did this with a new weapon, a spray pistol that later made it into Ian Fleming's Bond novel, The Man With The Golden Gun.”
“Solzhenitsyn of course is the author of Gulag Archipelago. He's half Ukrainian.”
“One chapter in my book, titled 'The Russo-Ukrainian War,' acknowledges this resurgence.”