#248 – Norman Naimark: Genocide, Stalin, Hitler, Mao, and Absolute Power

Lex Fridman Podcast

Norman Naimark is a historian at Stanford, specializing in the history of genocide. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:
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EPISODE LINKS:
Norman’s Website: https://history.stanford.edu/people/norman-naimark
Stalin’s Genocides (book): https://amzn.to/3oO0Hzb
Stalin and the Fate of Europe (book): https://amzn.to/3pLbWrk
Books & resources mentioned:
The Origins of Totalitarianism (book): https://amzn.to/3oNDSvA
Man’s Search for Meaning (book): https://amzn.to/3pMzs7d
Radio Majdanek (Research Paper): https://bit.ly/3GxPEAb

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OUTLINE:
Here’s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.
(00:00) – Introduction
(07:08) – Stalin and absolute power
(21:05) – Dictators and genocide
(45:31) – What is genocide
(55:38) – Human nature and suffering
(1:25:23) – Mao’s Great Leap Forward
(1:32:37) – North Korea
(1:36:30) – Our role in fighting against atrocities
(1:45:26) – China
(1:49:35) – Hopes for the future and technology
(2:04:28) – Advice for young people
(2:07:15) – Love and tragedy