About this episode
The episode discusses Anastas Mikoyan's role in the Soviet Union and his influence on post-Stalin policies.
How Stalin personally ran the Soviet Union has rightly received much attention. Less discussed is the small group of men that served as his top lieutenants. They carried out his orders, and after his death, were instrumental in establishing the post-Stalin order. This week, the Eurasian Knot features a discussion with Pietro Shakarian about his new book Anastas Mikoyan: An Armenian Reformer in Khrushchev's Kremlin . We mostly know Mikoyan as a statesman and political survivor who successfully navigated Stalin’s Kremlin. But who was Anastas Mikoyan beyond that? What did he believe? What was his role as Stalin’s henchman? How did he push for de-Stalinization after the leader’s death in 1953, particularly on Soviet nationality policy. Shakarian tells us that in the end, Mikoyan was more than a survivor. He was a critical player in shaping the post-Stalinist Soviet Union. Guest: Pietro A. Shakarian is a historian of Russia and the Soviet Union and a lecturer at the American University of Armenia in Yerevan. He’s the author of Anastas Mikoyan: An Armenian Reformer in Khrushchev's Kremlin published by Indiana University Press. Hosted on Acast. See…
People in this episode
Host: The Eurasian Knot
Guest: Pietro A. Shakarian
Topics covered
- Soviet history
- Stalinism
- de-Stalinization
- political reform
- Armenian history
- Kremlin politics
Keywords
- Anastas Mikoyan
- Pietro Shakarian
- Soviet Union
- de-Stalinization
- Khrushchev
- political reform
- Armenian history
- Stalin
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: American University of Armenia, Indiana University Press
Places: Soviet Union, Armenia
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