logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2018
34m 49s

November 13: The black soldier’s lament

Katy Lee and Dominic Kraemer
About this episode
A hundred years on from the end of World War I, we wanted to look at an aspect of the conflict we don't often talk about: the role of millions of troops of colour who fought for European powers. The excellent Christian Koller, professor of modern history at Zurich University, is here to help us explore what life was like for African and Asian soldiers who we ... Show More
Up next
Jun 18
Ten years on, can we talk about 'the B word'?
Long-time listeners will know that in the early days of The Europeans, we had a semi-official ban on talking about a certain topic: Brexit, or as we liked to call it, ‘the B word’. A whole decade after the UK’s seismic referendum vote to leave the EU, have Katy and Dominic made t ... Show More
58m 38s
Jun 11
Every @#$%ing quirk of the English language
After a triggering event we’re calling Legislativegate, producer Wojciech has a bone to pick with the English language and all of its irregularities. This week, Katy arranges a therapy session for Wojciech with Rob Watts, the Berlin-based host of the wildly popular YouTube channe ... Show More
1h 11m
May 28
The world's funniest superstate?
The European Union is many things: an economic powerhouse, an improbably successful peace project, or a bureaucratic hellscape, depending on who you ask. Most people would probably agree on one thing that it isn’t: funny. So when Susanna Kierkegaard set out to write Sweden’s firs ... Show More
31m 11s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2023
USA: We Have Ways - The Black Military Experience
The existence of African-American soldiers has all but been erased from the popular narrative of the Second World War. James Holland and John McManus speak to the esteemed writer and academic Matthew Delmont to help explain how the experience of nearly a million black men on the ... Show More
44m 10s
Apr 2024
USA: War Is Hell - A Soldier’s Story
In a follow up to our superb episode in which John McManus opened up the archives to a glut of post-war surveys of US soldiers, the boys really dig into the harrowing experience of fighting in the Italian campaign. Not only do we look at the nightmarish conditions in Europe, but ... Show More
53m 4s
Dec 2014
The Great War Diaries
How ordinary people – soldiers, mothers, nurses, even children – experienced World War One and the little-known human side of the world's first truly global conflict. With stories of love, loss, hope and fervour. 
50m 2s
Oct 2021
Black history: Britain and race
<p>As part of our British black history coverage we look back at the racism faced by London's first black policeman from his own colleagues. We also hear about the death in police custody of black ex-soldier Christopher Alder. Plus, the intriguing story of a Somali sailor based i ... Show More
49m 41s
May 2023
Honoring The History & Legacy of Black Veterans| Beyond the Scenes
In honor of Memorial Day, we observe the contributions of Black service members like The Harlem Hellfighters and the Tuskegee Airmen. In this episode, host Roy Wood Jr. chats with the cofounder of the Black Veterans Project, Richard Brookshire and the author of Half American: The ... Show More
56m 31s
Nov 2025
Ghosts of War Part 6
Sometimes the past doesn’t want to stay buried. and the echoes of war can reach across time to claim the living. These are stories of restless soldiers, haunted houses, and the people who unknowingly step into their shadows. On this Veterans Day, we remember the fallen who gave u ... Show More
30m 8s
Dec 2021
What Does Black Ambition Sound Like?
James Reese Europe was already famous when he enlisted to fight in World War I. But the band he took to the frontlines — as part of the famous 369th Infantry Regiment, also known as the Harlem Hellfighters — thurst him, and Black American music, onto the global stage. Moran sits ... Show More
50m 55s
Nov 2023
The Intelligence: eyewitness to slaughter in Sudan
Our correspondent speaks with the Africa head of the Red Cross who has borne witness to the war, famine and genocide that continue—unrelenting and largely ignored—in Sudan. As Ukraine’s men are sent off to war, the country’s women are upending its labour market; we meet some newl ... Show More
25m 19s