logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2024
51m 12s

American Elections: 1980

David Runciman
About this episode
Our series on the Ideas Behind American Elections has reached 1980 and the election of Ronald Reagan. David and Gary discuss whether Jimmy Carter was always doomed, what made Reaganomics different and how Reagan succeeded in being an optimist and a scaremonger at the same time. Did this election really inaugurate a new era in American politics – and if so, a ... Show More
Up next
Sep 13
The Lives of the Philosophers: Elizabeth Anscombe
Today’s episode in our series about twentieth-century philosophy and biography explores the life and thought of Elizabeth Anscombe (G. E. M. Anscombe), a remarkable and remarkably uncompromising philosopher. David talks to Nikhil Krishnan about Anscombe’s relationship with Wittge ... Show More
1h 1m
Sep 9
Now & Then with Robert Saunders: Gladstone vs Disraeli Part 2 (Burnham vs Badenoch)
In the second part of David’s conversation with historian Robert Saunders about the impact of the Bulgarian crisis of 1876 on the course of British politics, they discuss how Gladstone used the controversy to plot his way back to power. What made his campaign in the Midlothian co ... Show More
55m 8s
Sep 6
Now & Then with Robert Saunders: Gladstone vs Disraeli – The Bulgarian Horrors
In our occasional series with historian Robert Saunders about significant political anniversaries, we remember the appearance of a pamphlet exactly 150 years ago that changed the course of British politics. On 6th September 1876 William Gladstone published The Bulgarian Horrors: ... Show More
56m 43s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2026
RONALD REAGAN PART THREE - Rubik's Cube: Two Reagan Mysteries
We seek to solve two puzzles: How did Reagan the Truman booster and N ew Deal supporter become Reagan the Goldwater acolyte? And when he entered politics, became GOP nominee and President, what were the economic results of his Presidency? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit m ... Show More
1h 3m
Oct 2022
Don kingmaker: Trump and the midterms
The latest instalment of our series asks how much difference Donald Trump’s imprimatur has made to <a href="https://www.economist.com/mid-terms-2022" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">candidates</a>—and whether that influence will carry over to a general election. A look ... Show More
28m 53s
Oct 2022
Don kingmaker: Trump and the midterms
The latest instalment of our series asks how much difference Donald Trump’s imprimatur has made to <a href="https://www.economist.com/mid-terms-2022" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">candidates</a>—and whether that influence will carry over to a general election. A look ... Show More
28m 53s
Aug 2024
Has there ever been an election campaign like THIS before?
After a breathless couple of weeks in American politics it’s time for the Americast team to take stock. Has there been a more tumultuous time in American politics? And what can history tell us about what’s happening today?This week we’re joined by former BBC correspondent and his ... Show More
28m 59s
Nov 2018
The US Midterms
Helen and Stephen discuss the results of the US midterm elections, rumours of a cooling in the relationship between Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell, and what might have happened in British politics if the 2017 general election had never happened.If you are a New Statesman digita ... Show More
33m 15s
Feb 2024
The Returns: An Election Mini-Series from The Last Archive
Election Year 2024 is upon us. And it promises to be a bit of a mess. But where did all this mess come from? In a 4-episode mini-series drawing from our own archive, Jill Lepore and Ben Naddaff-Hafrey investigate, situate, and contextualize our present moment in the history that ... Show More
1m 42s
Dec 2018
The 2000 Election
Mike tells Sarah how a close election and an even closer Supreme Court decision established the political template we're still living with today. Digressions include quarks, Ouija Boards and (sorry) moral philosophy. The "lemonade theory" turns out to be less fun than it sounds. ... Show More
1h 12m
Nov 2024
The Waiting Room of History... (Unlocked Patreon Teaser)
Breht speaks at length about the upcoming election, changes and trends within the two parties, the Democratic Coalition of neoconservatives and neoliberals, the inevitable culmination of this era of American crises, the GOP identity-crisis after Trump, the accelerationist perspec ... Show More
1h 11m