logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2023
53m 50s

81. The Graveyard of Empires

Goalhanger
About this episode

After the calamitous retreat from Kabul left thousands of British dead, the East India Company wants revenge. They will call upon the Army of Retribution which will leave Afghanistan, once the Crossroads of Civilisation, a desolate wasteland. But once the last sepoy has descended the Khyber Pass, who will rule Afghanistan - and how will the Russians respond? Listen as William and Anita finish the story of the First Anglo-Afghan War and discuss whether Afghanistan really is the Graveyard of Empires, and whether China will be the next foreign power to burn its fingers in the Afghan furnace.


Twitter: @Empirepoduk


Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com


Goalhangerpodcasts.com


Producer: Callum Hill

Exec Producer: Jack Davenport + Neil Fearn

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Up next
Oct 8
297. Gaza in WW1: A Rematch For Gallipoli (Part 7)
How did British Army General Murray fail to take Gaza in 1917? Who was General Allenby and how did his tactics in the cavalry charge on Gaza City lead to transformation in the region? What are the connections between the Gallipoli campaign and the siege of Gaza? Anita Anand and W ... Show More
43m 43s
Oct 5
296. Ottoman Gaza: Gunpowder Conquests & Rising Nationalism (Part 6)
In 1516, the Ottomans defeated the mighty Mamluk Empire in the Middle East, taking control of Gaza. How did Ottoman forces roll out scorched-earth tactics on Gaza City to punish those who had rebelled against them? How did the citrus and cotton industries develop in Ottoman Pales ... Show More
57m 1s
Oct 1
295. Crusader Gaza: Saladin & Richard The Lionheart (Part 5)
Why did Crusaders travel from Western Europe to Gaza and The Levant in the 11th century? Who was Saladin and how did he conquer the Franks? How did the Mamluks defeat the Mongols in the 1200s and usher in an era of prosperity for Gaza? Anita and William are joined by Jonathan Phi ... Show More
49m 7s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2023
Afghanistan: How the Taliban Won
In August 2021, Afghanistan's capital city Kabul, was captured by the Taliban. With scenes of panic, anarchy, and chaos splashed across every major news outlet - it marked the final moments of the War in Afghanistan. With more than 123,000 individuals evacuated by the US Coalitio ... Show More
37m 38s
Aug 2023
The Rise of the Taliban
Is it possible that the Taliban of today are more fanatical than before? American and Coalition troops recently fought a bitter, 20-year war against them following the seismic events of 9/11. On August the 15th we mark the end of that conflict, two years after the last Western tr ... Show More
25m 28s
Apr 2023
Russians in Afghanistan
In 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan to support the rise of communism in the country, beginning a series of constant conflict that Afghanistan still faces today. It’s also had huge impacts on our geopolitical climate today - to fight Russian communism, the US backed and ... Show More
59m 18s
Aug 2021
88. The First Anglo-Afghan War
“A war begun for no wise purpose.” This description of the First Anglo-Afghan War, fought in the early-mid 19th Century, could stand as an epitaph for most conflicts in the region since. William Dalrymple has written extensively about the history of Afghanistan and he joins Domin ... Show More
1 h
Feb 2022
La Guerre d'Afghanistan
Dans cet épisode de Crousti-History, on vous parle de la guerre d'Afghanistan. Un vrai sac de nœuds cette histoire…Après l’indépendance de l’Afghanistan en 1921, la situation économique est catastrophique. Mais cela n’empêche pas le pays d’intéresser l’URSS et les États-Unis. San ... Show More
2m 46s
Apr 2024
À la découverte de l’histoire de l’Afghanistan - Entretien avec Didier Chaudet
Mes chers camarades, bien le bonjour, et bienvenue dans ce nouvel entretien historique ! De l’Empire perse défait par Alexandre le Grand au retour des Talibans au pouvoir en 2021, l’histoire du territoire qui va devenir l’Afghanistan est très riche, et pourtant méconnue… alors qu ... Show More
1h 54m
Jan 2023
The Taliban Tallys Up Business With China
This week on The New Arab Voice, we’re looking at the Afghan economy under the Taliban. We examine the economic trade between the hardline group and the Chinese, who this month signed a major oil extraction deal to start tapping into Afghanistan’s vast natural reserves. The Talib ... Show More
21m 52s
May 2024
The Opium Wars
2/2. The British Empire aggressively pursued the opium trade well into the 19th century, fueling an addiction epidemic within China. The Qing government was determined to stamp out this destructive trade, leading to the First and Second Opium Wars. But the British Royal Navy was ... Show More
37m 58s