logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2024
51m 59s

Communism in America

History Hit
About this episode

The history of the United States' relationship with communism is one littered with fear and persecution. So where did the American Communist Party come from? How powerful has it been in the last century? And where is it now?


In this episode of American History Hit, Don is joined by Dr. Vernon Pederson, Professor at the American University of Sharjah and President of the Historians of American Communism.


Produced and edited by Sophie Gee. Senior Producer was Charlotte Long.


Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for $1 per month for 3 months with code AMERICANHISTORY sign up at https://historyhit.com/subscription/ 


You can take part in our listener survey here.

Up next
Today
How To Survive the Revolutionary War
'If I turn from beholding mutilated bodies, mangled limbs, and bleeding, incurable wounds, a spectacle no less revolting is presented, of miserable objects languishing under afflicting diseases of every description.'Dr James Thatcher wrote these words after the Battle of Saratoga ... Show More
30m 4s
Aug 21
American Traitors: Axis Sally
Is contributing to enemy propaganda treason? In this second episode on American Traitors, we are meeting 'Axis Sally', real name Mildred Gillars.Professor Michael Flamm joins us to explore the life of this American citizen who broadcast American music, scripted dramas and hateful ... Show More
44m 36s
Aug 18
What If Lincoln Hadn't Been Shot?
It's the biggest 'What if?' in American history: What if Lincoln hadn't been shot? The assassination could so easily have failed and things went so wrong in the aftermath (looking at you Andrew Johnson). Could Reconstruction have looked different with Abraham Lincoln at the helm? ... Show More
56m 26s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2021
38. Communism
It was one of the great political ideologies of the 20th century, vying with capitalism for supremacy.Now communism has retreated from the political mainstream having failed to create the utopia of a classless society.Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland discuss the origins of commu ... Show More
53m 33s
Jul 2023
Russia & USA: The 100-Year Cold War
The Cold War was defined by the antagonism between two world superpowers: the United States and the Soviet Union. They relied on proxy wars, espionage, disinformation, assassinations and sabotage to undermine one another as part of a greater ideological battle between Western dem ... Show More
25m 50s
May 2023
The Soviet Union, Part 1 of 2
From its initial creation in 1922, the Soviet Union was perhaps the most ambitious political experiment in human history. But how did this superpower come about? And in its first decades, how did its founding principles of equality transform to fit a nation that became synonymous ... Show More
56m 57s
Mar 2024
History of Sex Work in America
Despite lawmakers best efforts, sex work has been around for since record began...and will certainly go back even further. We often explore the history of sex work in Europe, but what history does this huge industry have in America? How did the colonisation of America and the sla ... Show More
56m 48s
May 2023
Living Behind the Iron Curtain
This week David talks to Katja Hoyer and Lea Ypi about life under communism. East Germany was the most successful of the communist states of Eastern Europe, measured by economic prosperity and sporting success. Did the GDR ever really offer a model of how Soviet-style communism c ... Show More
57m 31s
Dec 2023
Du Bois Joins The Communist Party (1961)
** It’s the Radiotopia fundraiser! Support the show using this link and you’ll get a 20% discount to our new merch store! https://on.prx.org/46XCf1R ** It’s December 5th. In 196, W.E.B. Du Bois announces that he’s joining the Communist Party — at the age of 93. Jody, Niki and Kel ... Show More
14m 36s
Sep 2022
A Short History of the Bank of England
As the UK's bond market has suffered its biggest fall in decades and the pound has reached its lowest ever price against the US dollar, Dan talks to Dr Nuno Palma, a senior lecturer and associate professor in economics at the University of Manchester about the Bank of England. Dr ... Show More
21m 3s
Jan 2024
The Life and Death of Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Lenin died just over 100 years ago, on the 21st of February, 1924. The Russian revolutionary leader fought in no battles, spent much of his time in libraries and was in his 40s before he held high public office. Yet he managed to take over one of the world's largest empi ... Show More
36m 46s
Aug 2024
Lawrence of Arabia
The famed British officer who fought alongside Arab guerrilla forces in WW1. Best known for his legendary exploits as an intelligence officer in the Middle East, Thomas Edward Lawrence was also an archaeologist, scholar and photographer. His life was one of adventure and espionag ... Show More
59m 29s