Oct 15

From plague 'searchers' to strawberry birthmarks: a history of women's bodies

What was 'nidgeting'? How did women know they were pregnant before modern tests? And what did people in the past believe a mother’s imagination could do to her unborn child? In this episode, Lauren Good speaks to historian Erin Maglaque about her book Presence, which explores the ... Show More

34m 33s

Oct 13

The country house at war

It might be assumed that the owners of Britain's country houses weren't hugely affected by the Second World War, and that they continued to live in luxury in their vast estates. However, as Judith S Lewis explains to Lauren Good, that wasn't the case. From the conscription of upp ... Show More

27m 38s

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

Jun 2021

Sean McMeekin, "Stalin's War: A New History of World War II" (Basic Books, 2021)

World War II endures in the popular imagination as a heroic struggle between good and evil, with villainous Hitler driving its events. But Hitler was not in power when the conflict erupted in Asia—and he was certainly dead before it ended. His armies did not fight in multiple the ... Show More

1h 12m

Jul 2021

The Rise of Stalin

How did a young boy from Georgia become a merciless politician who shaped the Soviet Empire in his own brutal image? Historian and bestselling author, Simon Sebag Montifiore, is back on the podcast to talk to Dan about the rise of Joseph Stalin, a man who caused the death and suf ... Show More

29m 54s

Jul 2020

Joseph Stalin Part 2: The Secretary Becomes Dictator

With the First World War underway, Stalin’s journey to dictatorship grinds into gear. After the War, Russia is turned upside down. Stalin thrives in the chaos, masterminding a string of elaborate takedowns of his rivals. Rising to party leader, he visits a ruthless purge on his e ... Show More

54m 21s

Apr 2023

Hitler

On this episode of Talking History, as part of our series on the history of totalitarian dictators, we're looking at the rise and fall of Adolf Hitler and finding out why he lost the Second World War so spectacularly. Featuring: Prof Frank McDonough, specialist on the history of ... Show More

53m 46s

May 2023

87: A Killer Deadlier than Hitler? Joseph Stalin Part 2 | Dark History with Bailey Sarian

Welcome to the Dark History podcast. And welcome to part two of our deep dive into the life of one of the most influential and destructive dictators of all time, Joseph Stalin. Stalin was responsible for the deaths of MILLIONS, and that’s just the beginning. Today, we’ll be cover ... Show More

36 m

Jul 2022

214. The Battle of Stalingrad (Part 1)

Stalingrad: the bloodiest battle of the Second World War. Tom and Dominic are joined by Iain MacGregor to discuss the build up, context and outbreak of the Battle of Stalingrad. A second Stalingrad episode will be released on Thursday to your podcast feed. However, if you are p ... Show More

48m 41s

Jul 2022

215. Stalingrad and the Red Army (Part 2)

Tom and Dominic are again joined by Iain MacGregor to discuss the climax of the Battle of Stalingrad, Pavlov's House, and the Red Army's counter offensive that ultimately defeated the Axis forces. Join The Rest Is History Club for ad-free listening to the full archive, weekly bo ... Show More

48m 17s

Oct 2017

Stephen Kotkin on Stalin's economics

Historian Stephen Kotkin joins Alphaville's Matt Klein to discuss how Joseph Stalin's violent commitment to Marxist-Leninism shaped Soviet society in the 1930s. It's the subject of Kotkin's latest book, Stalin: Waiting for Hitler. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more i ... Show More

1h 18m

Stalin: the real victor of WW2