Professor Caroline Elkins explains how the British empire was sustained by violence for more than 200 years. Speaking with Rob Attar, she reveals how liberal imperialism was able to coexist with regular acts of brutality in Britain’s colonies.
(Ad) Caroline Elkins is the author of Legacy of Violence: A History of the British Empire (Bodley Head, 2022). Buy ... Show More
Oct 12
The pioneering surgeon who stood up to Rasputin
She pioneered lifesaving battlefield surgery, challenged the medical establishment, stood up to Rasputin, and became the world's first female professor of surgery – yet today, few people have heard of Vera Gedroits. In today's episode, acclaimed biographer Miranda Seymour tells E ... Show More
48m 26s
Apr 2025
Season 4, Episode 8: Prof. Lauren Benton, They Called it Peace: Worlds of Imperial Violence
Send us Fan MailJoin Professor Jeffrey Sachs and American historian Lauren Benton for a discussion on the hidden histories of empires and the lasting impact of imperial violence. In her book, They Called It Peace: Worlds of Imperial Violence Benton uncovers how European powers bu ... Show More
46m 17s
Apr 2023
46. The Mau Mau, the court case, and the hidden documents
The Mau Mau emergency began in 1952. Over the next eight years, the British abused thousands of Kenyans; detaining them, torturing them, murdering them. Yet, when Caroline Elkins published her book detailing this in 2005, she was slated for a lack of documentary evidence. Now, on ... Show More
50m 51s
Oct 2025
299. Gaza: The Palestinian Revolt, The Black and Tans, & Bomber Harris (Part 9)
When Palestinian Arabs rose up against the British in 1936, what repressive tactics were used to quell the revolt? Who was the WW2 hero “Bomber” Harris, and why did he bomb Palestinians in the 1930s? How did Christians, Muslims and Jews who had once co-existed in the region turn ... Show More
49m 4s
Aug 2022
4. Between Two Massacres: 1857-1919
Join William and Anita for the latest episode of Empire, which picks up in the aftermath of the 1857 Rebellion and the establishment of the British Raj.
The episode covers the birth of Gandhi, the arrival of Michael O'Dwyer, Indian soldiers in the First World War, and the lead up ... Show More
42m 25s
May 2024
The crimes of British imperialism | Revolution Festival '23
The history of the British Empire is littered with horrendous crimes. From the partitions of India and Ireland, to the suppression of the Mau Mau uprising, to the violent Jallianwala Bagh massacre, to its murderous role in the Easter Rising and Bloody Sunday; it is impossible to ... Show More
45m 9s