Podcast Episodes

Hitler and Hjalmar Schacht

In 1933 Hitler appointed Hjalmar Schacht as the president of the Reichsbank. Hitler had little understanding about economics and relied on the financial engineering of his new chief banker. However, …

Published on 7 years, 9 months ago

Barbarossa Pt 4: Stalin's ultimatum June-July 1941

As Germany armies surges across western Russia in the summer of 1941, Stalin seemed to lose his nerve and suffer a breakdown. This podcast explores how Stalin recovered and held on to power which see…

Published on 7 years, 10 months ago

The Butler Education Act 1944

In the last years of the Second World War, a new education act designed to create a school system for post war Britain was established. It was instrumental in creating the post war British class syst…

Published on 7 years, 10 months ago

Book Review: Babuska's Journey: The Dark Road to Stalin's Wartime Camps by Marcel Krueger

A review of Babushka's Journey and a discussion of the field of Gulag memoir literature (listen to the end for details on how to get your free copy).

Explaining History helps you understand the 20th …

Published on 7 years, 10 months ago

Nixon, Reagan and the crisis years of the 1970s

How did the decline of Richard Nixon and the humiliations heaped upon America in the 1970s lead to the rise in popularity of a once marginal Republican figure, Ronald Reagan? This podcast explores th…

Published on 7 years, 10 months ago

Stalinist secrecy and paranoia 1928-38

The internal logic of Stalinism was based around perceived threats, class enemies, overseas conspiracies and an all pervading secrecy.

Explaining History helps you understand the 20th Century through…

Published on 7 years, 10 months ago

War Correspondents and Operation Barbarossa 1941

Hitler's invasion of the USSR was the largest land invasion in history, but it was the most under reported theatre of fighting in the entire war. This podcast explores why so little was known about t…

Published on 7 years, 10 months ago

Roosevelt, Churchill and Lend Lease

Following Roosevelt's election victory in November 1940, the news that Britain faced certain bankruptcy in dollar terms presented the president with the first major challenge of his new term. The len…

Published on 7 years, 10 months ago

Truman and the Taft Hartley Act 1947

This is the second podcast on labour relations and the Truman Presidency. In 1947, Congress took up the baton of anti union legislation, just as the president was having second thoughts. The Taft Har…

Published on 7 years, 11 months ago

Barbarossa Part Three: The USSR and the Invasion

This is the third part of a series on Operation Barbarossa, the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union. This podcast focuses on the views and beliefs of attackers, defenders and the citizens caught in the…

Published on 7 years, 11 months ago