By the end of the Spanish-US war, the Philippines was on the menu. Two battles played out simultaneously on the archipelago: and old and a new empire fought for power over a colony, whilst Filipinos fought for independence. The Philippines honoured the US in their new constitution and flag. But they were betrayed, and a young revolutionary, Emilio Aguinaldo, ... Show More
Jan 2025
Adrian de Leon, "Bundok: A Hinterland History of Filipino America" (UNC Press, 2023)
In a book that pulls together both sides of the Pacific, Bundok: A Hinterland History of Filipino America (UNC Press, 2023) asks the question: what if we look at Filipino history not from the cities or the imperial metropoles, but from the mountains and the countryside? Or put an ... Show More
1h 12m
Dec 2024
Castro's Cuban revolution attempt
In 1953, Fidel Castro attacked military barracks in the east of Cuba in a bid to revolutionise the country. He failed, but it marked the beginning of his career as a guerrilla fighter. Michael Voss spoke to one of his comrades, Agustin Diaz Cartaya, in 2010.Eye-witness accounts b ... Show More
10m 4s
Aug 2024
The 'Mock' Battle of Manila
The ‘mock’ battle of Manila took place on 13th August, 1898, when the Spanish Army attempted to save face by staging a low-impact fight with the Americans, handing over the territory of the Philippines without seeming weak.
The pseudo engagement aimed for a bloodless resolution, ... Show More
11m 45s
Feb 2025
543. Death in the Amazon: Aguirre, the Wrath of God
“Anyone who even thinks of abandoning this mission will be cut up into a thousand pieces…I am the wrath of God!”
At the height of the age of exploration, during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, one story in particular gripped the imagination of European colonialists: El Do ... Show More
1h 7m