Season 1

This program investigates the circumstances of the October Revolution, exploding the popular myths reinforced by Sergei Eisenstein’s film October and exploring the what-ifs that could have led to democracy in Russia instead of dictatorship.

This program focuses on the sequence of events surrounding the twist of fate that left Lenin speechless and presented Stalin with the opportunity to ruthlessly maneuver his way into supreme power.

In this program, Boris Starkov, of St. Petersburg Academy of Economics, and Yuri Amiantov, chief archivist of the Communist Party, scrutinize the facts surrounding the momentous 1934 murder and shed light on the horrific era of purges that followed, in which thousands of so-called conspirators and enemies of the people were brutally executed.

This program documents the story of the Communist revolution in China, providing an excellent overview of the years before, during, and after the Party’s rise to power. In addition, veterans of the Long March recount the story of the legendary trek from which only 8,000 of the original 86,000 members survived: a yearlong march that took them across 18 mountain ranges and 24 rivers—including the perilous Dadu.

This program presents the details of the movement that led to the deaths of half a million people before finally consuming itself. Jack Gray, author of Rebellions and Revolutions, and Zhang Yongning, son of a Party official, offer their insights into the Communist politics of the day.

In this program, Edward George, of the University of Bristol; General Gary Prado, the officer in charge of Che’s capture; and nurse Susan Osinaga, who cleaned Che’s dead body, discuss Che’s appeal as a Communist martyr, probe the contradictions in his character, and speculate on whether, if allowed to live, he might have slipped into obscurity as his early success in Cuba receded farther and farther into the past.