Aug 6

279. Partition: How Dubai Almost Became Part of India (Part 2)

Why have we forgotten that much of the Arabian peninsula was once legally part of India? How were the founding fathers of Yemen influenced by Indian nationalists? Which British spy was a double agent for the CIA and the KGB when he was based in Bahrain? William and Anita are join ... Show More

41m 25s

Jul 30

277. America Drills Through Hell’s Gorge (Part 5)

How did the US orchestrate the Panamanian Revolution to be able to build the Panama Canal? Why did French engineer Bunau-Varilla and the US sign a treaty about Panama without a single Panamanian in the room? How did Americans impose Jim Crow laws in The Canal Zone? William and An ... Show More

42m 21s

Jul 28

276. The Biggest Corruption Scandal in French History (Part 4)

How was George Eiffel of the Eiffel Tower involved in a huge corruption scandal associated with the Panama Canal? How many workers died during the French attempt to build the canal? And who was Bunau-Varilla and how did this smooth-talking moustache-wielding French engineer manag ... Show More

32m 1s

Jul 2024

The Mighty Ashanti: Rival to the British Empire

At the end of the 17th century, a small clan - the Akan - in West Africa began growing into what would later become the powerful Ashanti Empire. The state grew rapidly in both wealth and land until it spanned most of modern day Ghana, the Ivory Coast, and Togo. Luke Pepera join ... Show More

29m 42s

Jul 2024

Has imperial history become too politicised?

Controversies surrounding the history of the British empire have become particularly intense in recent years, with academics, politicians and commentators all offering differing views about how we should understand the nation's imperial past. A new book, The Truth about Empire, d ... Show More

42m 13s

May 2023

Rani of Jhansi, part 2

And we're back to finish up the story of the nearly legendary Rani of Jhansi, aka Rani Lakshmibai. (You can listen to part 1 here) When we last left her, she was a new widow in an uncertain time while the rebellion was spreading through India as the 1857 Indian rebellion grew mor ... Show More

58m 32s

Oct 2024

1. Wars of the Roses: England Divided

This is the first episode in a two-part series on the brutal, three-decade-long civil war that tore England in two. Today, we explore the complex allegiances, rivalries, and personalities that made it all happen before hearing about the first bloody battles between the houses of ... Show More

49m 58s

Jun 30

Frenemies: China & the USA, a History

The People's Republic of China has only existed since 1949, but in just 75 years its relationship with the United States is in a strong position to be the most tumultuous of all.Don is joined by Rana Mitter for this episode of Frenemies. Rana is S. T. Lee Professor of U.S.-Asia R ... Show More

49m 44s

Jul 23

Burma '45: The Master Stroke

How did Slim and the Allies plan to deceive Japanese forces in Burma? What was the true worth of the Chindits under Orde Wingate? When did the Allies attack Mandalay? Join James Holland and Al Murray for Part 4 of this series, as they explore the forgotten victories of commander ... Show More

1h 5m

May 14

565. The Great Northern War: Revenge of the Cossacks (Part 2)

After establishing the city of St Petersburg, what was Peter the Great’s next step in his titanic struggle against Charles XII of Sweden, for mastery of northern and eastern Europe? What drastic, brutal action did he take against Poland, to slow the Swedish advance into his terri ... Show More

1h 9m

Jul 6

580. The Irish Civil War: The Assassination of Sir Henry Wilson (Part 1)

Who was Sir Henry Wilson, and how was he shockingly murdered in 1922? Who ordered it? What was his attitude to the question of Irish Home Rule? Why has death been compared to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, whose death triggered the First World War? How did he garn ... Show More

47m 32s

Apr 2025

Season 4, Episode 8: Prof. Lauren Benton, They Called it Peace: Worlds of Imperial Violence

Send us a textJoin Professor Jeffrey Sachs and American historian Lauren Benton for a discussion on the hidden histories of empires and the lasting impact of imperial violence. In her book, They Called It Peace: Worlds of Imperial Violence Benton uncovers how European powers buil ... Show More

46m 17s

Mar 2025

Real Wives of Dictators | Nadya Alliluyeva, Stalin's Wife

Nadezhda Alliluyeva was born into a revolutionary family, but was it always her fate to marry Joseph Stalin? She was independent, intelligent and highly politicised. Indeed, Stalin was a hero of hers growing up. What was it like to be so heavily involved in the Communist Party an ... Show More

40 m

278. Partition: India’s Break With Burma...