What can ancient Rome teach us about American democracy?
The Roman Republic fell for a lot of reasons: The state became too big and chaotic; the influence of money and private interests corrupted public institutions; and social and economic inequalities became so large that citizens lost faith in the system altogether and gradually fell into the arms of tyra ... Show More
Apr 17
American democracy's structural flaw
Back in 2015, before President Donald Trump, before January 6, before all the craziness of the last decade, Matt Yglesias made a blunt prediction: American democracy is doomed. Guest host Zack Beauchamp talks with Matt about what that argument got right, what it missed, and why t ... Show More
38m 41s
Dec 2024
The Roman Caesars' Guide to Ruling
<p>The Roman caesars were the rulers of the Roman Empire, beginning in 27 BC with Julius Caesar’s heir Augustus, from whom subsequent caesars took their name, and lasting until around the fall of the Western Empire in 476 AD. The caesars transitioned the Roman Republic to autocra ... Show More
57m 14s
Jul 2025
The Roman Conquest of the Hellenistic World
<p>For most of its history, Rome barely bothered with the Greek east. Then, quite suddenly, Rome exploded onto the scene, laying low the two most powerful Hellenistic warrior-kings of the past century. Within ten years, Rome became the undisputed hegemonic power of the Mediterran ... Show More
43m 35s
Mar 2024
Class struggle in the Roman republic | World Congress '23
In the first complete Marxist history of the Roman Republic, Alan Woods’ recently launched book provides a gripping and accessible analysis of the titanic struggles that shaped the Roman world, and continue to resonate today.Spanning more than a thousand years of development, the ... Show More
1h 9m