Welcome to Russian History Retold episode 210, The Enablers Part 1.

Now, if you're one of my Patreon listeners, you go, wait a minute, haven't I heard this one before?

And yes, you have. I published this last September, but I wanted to share it with a group broader audience

and just to show them exactly what kind of content you would get on Patreon.

All you have to do is go to patreon.com, slash Russian rulers, and you'll find almost 40 episodes already recorded for you to listen to,

but things like the Romano of Sisters, this series, The Enablers.

I'm going to publish a few more of these. It's a three-part series. I really hope you enjoy it.

So remember, if you really want to hear more Russian history, go to patreon.com slash Russian rulers, and you'll find a vast library.

Of different types of topics about my love Russian history.

Enjoy and see you next time.

Welcome to Russian rulers history Patreon edition.

The Enablers Part 1.

Today, we begin a new series about the people who served under Joseph Stalin, allowing him to gain a stranglehold on the Soviet Union.

Part 1 will focus on three men.

The Acheslav Molotov, Lazar Kaganovich, and Sergei Ozhikhanidze.

One person who will not be part of this series, who was one of the Enablers you might call him, is Marshall Zhukov, who will get his own episode down the road.

My sources for this series include Stalin, The Court of the Red Tsar, my Simon C. Bergman of Fior.

On Stalin's team, the years of living dangerously in Soviet politics by Sheila Fitzpatrick, a failed empire, the Soviet Union in the Cold War, from Stalin to Gorbachev, by Veya the Slav Zupak, in a history of Russia, by Riazanovsky and Steinberg.

Vyacheslav Mahalovich Skriaban, known to the world as Molotov, was born in Kukata near Perm on March 9, 1880, as the son of a butter churner.

Before we move on to detail his life, despite numerous claims to the contrary, Vyacheslav Skriaban is not related to the famous Russian composer Alexander Skriaban.

Now, some of alleged that he was Alexander's second cousin, but that simply is not true.

Molotov's early years were nondescript. He was considered a shy young man having been educated in a secondary school in Kazan.

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