logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2024
1h 55m

Oligarchy, Empire, Revolution w/ Hilary ...

Daniel Denvir
About this episode

Featuring Hilary Goodfriend and Jorge Cuéllar on the history of Central America. This is the first episode in a two-part series covering the late-19th and early-20th century rise of export-crop oligarchies and constant US intervention, the US-backed separation of Panama from Colombia to take control of the Canal, the CIA’s 1954 Guatemala coup, the rise of armed revolutionary movements in Nicaragua, Guatemala, and El Salvador, and the US-backed dirty wars that were prosecuted in response—that and so much more.

Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig

Want to learn more? Greg Grandin on The Dig: thedigradio.com/podcast/empires-workshop-with-greg-grandin

We now have a special feed dedicated entirely to our Thawra series. Listen and spread the word: thedigradio.com/Thawra

Buy Mastering the Universe at haymarketbooks.com

Buy Disaster Nationalism at versobooks.com

Up next
Jul 1
How Zohran Won w/ NYC DSA
Featuring NYC DSA co-chairs Gustavo Gordillo and Grace Mausser on how Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic mayoral primary. NYC DSA spent years building an electoral juggernaut that has now made history and offers a model for the left everywhere across the United States. A behind-th ... Show More
1h 54m
Jun 17
Student Debt w/ Ryann Liebenthal, Chenjerai Kumanyika, Mike Pierce
Featuring Ryann Liebenthal, Chenjerai Kumanyika, and Mike Pierce on Ryann’s book Burdened: Student Debt and the Making of an American Crisis. Interview by guest host Astra Taylor. We are working on an episode analyzing Israel's war on Iran amid the ongoing Gaza genocide—it will b ... Show More
2h 28m
Jun 8
From Rebellion to Reaction w/ Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor & Asha Ransby-Sporn
Featuring Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor and Asha Ransby-Sporn on 2020's summer of mass protest and rebellion sparked by the police murder of George Floyd. As Keeanga puts it: "The pressing question is how we went from twenty-six million people on the streets to a fascist in the White H ... Show More
2h 9m
Recommended Episodes
May 2024
Sandinista Revolution, the Battle for the Heart of Nicaragua (Revolución Sandinista, la Batalla por el Corazón de Nicaragua)
While not a country we hear about often these days, Nicaragua has gone through quite a turbulent history that has left it with long-lasting economic, political and social scars. And leaving aside the subject of Daniel Ortega, current dictator of Nicaragua and one of the longest-l ... Show More
29m 42s
Aug 2024
Pinochet Part 1: An Arrest in London
We travel to South America. In September 1973, Augusto Pinochet seizes power in Chile following a coup d’état. The aim is to topple the country’s socialist president. And it succeeds. But how does Pinochet - a seemingly unremarkable army man - come to lead the notorious uprising? ... Show More
50m 48s
Aug 2024
Imperialism’s Non-Stop War Against Venezuela
In the latest Venezuelan election, the U.S. brought out its imperialist toolkit of lies and propaganda to try to overturn the democratically elected government of Nicolas Maduro. But so far it hasn’t worked, with hundreds of thousands mobilizing to defend the government and the m ... Show More
1 h
May 2023
Bonus: Juan Guaidó: De Presidente de Venezuela a Exiliado
En un episodio especial de One Decision en español Brett Bruen, exasesor del presidente Obama, entrevista a Juan Guaidó en su primera visita como exiliado a Washington D.C. El expresidente venezolano reflexiona sobre las lecciones aprendidas, las sanciones y hasta hace una autocr ... Show More
12m 53s
Aug 2024
174. The Cuban Revolution
It’s 1959 and the swaggering Cuban revolutionary, Fidel Castro, has just overthrown the unpopular American backed dictator, Fulgencio Batista. Che Guevara, the Marxist physician whose face would become an internationally recognised symbol of resistance, is at his side. But how di ... Show More
58m 59s
Sep 2024
Venezuela unrest: can Nicolas Maduro hold onto power?
Despite fraud claims and international condemnation, Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro remains defiant, a month after a disputed election. He has ramped up repression, arresting thousands, including journalists and activists. Will Maduro withstand the wave of opposition, or wil ... Show More
15m 48s
Jan 2025
 Can the Colombian leader stand up to the US and make peace at home?
Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro is facing a critical moment. Violence near the Venezuelan border, a state of emergency, and US deportation flights have tested his leadership. Can Petro hold onto power and regain the trust of a divided nation? In this episode: Christina Noriega ... Show More
20 m
Apr 10
Can Ecuador's next president stop the cartels?
Ecuador heads to the polls gripped by spiraling violence and political uncertainty. Once one of South America’s safest nations, it now has the highest homicide rate in the region. The presidential run-off pits Daniel Noboa, the incumbent who’s militarised the streets, against Lui ... Show More
23m 39s
Feb 2025
Chaos in Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is at war. Again. Sixty-five years of mismanagement began with a CIA assassination plot that condemned millions of Congolese to unending conflict.This episode was produced by Avishay Artsy, edited by Jolie Myers, fact-checked by Laura Bullard ... Show More
27m 51s
Jun 19
What led to the attempted assassination of a Colombian politician?
A 15-year-old pulls the trigger on a presidential candidate in Bogota, and Colombia’s ghost of political violence suddenly feels very present. Is the latest episode of political violence a sign that Colombia's peace process has failed, and can it promise fair elections in 2026? I ... Show More
21m 23s