From a poverty-stricken childhood in Georgia to the absolute ruler of a global superpower, this episode examines the life of Joseph Stalin. Born Ioseb Jughashvili, the man who would later adopt the pseudonym meaning "Man of Steel" began his career not as a statesman, but as a seminary student turned revolutionary bank robber.

We explore how Stalin outmaneuvered rivals like Leon Trotsky to succeed Vladimir Lenin, consolidating power to become the Soviet Union's unchallenged dictator by the 1930s. We discuss his brutal transformation of the USSR through Five-Year Plans and forced collectivization—policies that industrialized the nation but led to the starving of millions, including during the Holodomor in Ukraine.

The episode also covers the "Great Purge," where Stalin executed hundreds of thousands of political opponents to secure his  ...