Podcast Episodes

Maoist Re-education and China's Youth

In 1968 a new wave of political purges began, following two years of anarchy in the Cultural Revolution. This time, young people were sent to be ideologically transformed through hard labour in the c…

Published on 8 years, 5 months ago

Australia and Asia in the 1960s

How did Australia adapt to the decline of the British Empire and the challenges of the Cold War, while seeking to contain its own oppressive racial policies during the 1960s?

Explaining History helps…

Published on 8 years, 5 months ago

The BBC and the General Strike 1926

The British government had a long standing suspicion of the powers of broadcasting when the BBC was established in 1922. The experience of the General Strike, however, established the BBC as the most…

Published on 8 years, 5 months ago

Roosevelt and Chamberlain 1939-1940

In 1939 Franklin Roosevelt struggled against the popularity of isolationism in the USA and his plans to aid Neville Chamberlain's Britain and Eduard Daladier's France were crippled by half a decade o…

Published on 8 years, 5 months ago

Hunger and Division in Germany 1916-18

In the first two years of the First World War, German society was largely unified in fear of external enemies, particularly Russia. However, by 1916 this unity had broken down and major social and po…

Published on 8 years, 5 months ago

Eastern Europe after Stalin 1953-1989

Following the death of the dictator and the end of Stalinism, different Warsaw Pact members attempted to solve their economic problems by building consumer societies. Each met with varying degrees of…

Published on 8 years, 5 months ago

Book Review: British National Identity

Reviewing books by Linda Colley, Benedict Anderson and David Reynolds on the development of British national identity

Explaining History helps you understand the 20th Century through critical convers…

Published on 8 years, 5 months ago

Prohibition in America 1918-1933

Often seen as a failed experiment in state 'moral' control, prohibition was the product of Christian, industrial and suffragist pressure.

Explaining History helps you understand the 20th Century thro…

Published on 8 years, 5 months ago

Germany, Austria and the July Crisis 1914

Following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie in Sarajevo on June 28th 1914, Austria demanded concessions form Serbia. Germany's support would prove pivotal in transform…

Published on 8 years, 5 months ago

The Allied Bombing of Germany 1940-1945

By 1940, the British had no other way of taking the fight directly to the enemy than aerial bombing. In the four years that followed, bombing became a controversial but essential aspect of the allied…

Published on 8 years, 6 months ago