The Sickle and the Hammer: A Socialist History of the Soviet Union - Podcast Rankings and reviews

I’m impressed by this show by so many reasons, I don’t know where to begin. The research, translations, writing, hosting, and editing are all top notch, and Daniel is somehow doing it all himself as a side project with no ads. It strikes a great tonal balance, managing to be thorough, accessible, and fun at the same time. I love that the show begins with a crash course on the Marxist-Leninist theory that is crucial to understand in order to grasp the concepts that propelled the revolutionary struggle and later Soviet state.
Do yourself a favor and listen to this show, you’ll be glad you did. Did I mention that it’s ad-free?

This series is building up to be a comprehensive, but also no-frills history of the Soviet Union. It is easy to follow, understand, and is by far the clearest presentation of this history that I’ve come across so far. I’ve been listening through all the episodes at work and even after hours of listening, I’ve yet to find myself being overwhelmed or fatigued. Now I’m dying for more episodes to come out

Really enjoying this series. Always looking to make my understanding of this history more thorough, for relation to modern conditions, and the host delivers it perfectly. Not sure what it is but if it were someone else I would probably become bored very quickly - this is all to say, concise, informative, and excellent narration.

The show does an excellent job of introducing concepts, historical figures, and significant events in ways that convey the most pertinent info while keeping the material digestible and breezy. The show carefully builds on the foundations it builds with a subtle artful storytelling that keeps you engaged and excited to learn more. Really a masterclass in educational podcasts. Only 6 eps in and already dreading when I’ll caught up.