Podcast Episodes
Back to Search
The Soviet Gulag and Stalin's Great Terror
Episode Summary:
In this episode of Explaining History, Nick takes a deep dive into the grim reality of the Soviet camp system. Drawing on Anne Appleb…
4 months, 1 week ago
The Age of Extremes: Eric Hobsbawm and the Problem of Historical Amnesia
Episode Summary:
In the first episode of 2026, Nick embarks on a year-long exploration of Eric Hobsbawm's monumental work, The Age of Extremes: The Sh…
4 months, 1 week ago
Fascism, Austerity, and the Class War in 1920s Italy
Episode Summary:
In this episode of Explaining History, Nick explores the neglected connection between economic austerity and political repression in …
4 months, 1 week ago
Beyond the Campus: Why the American New Left Failed to Ignite a Working-Class Revolution
Episode Summary:
In this episode of Explaining History, Nick continues his exploration of 1960s radicalism, focusing on the disconnect between the stu…
4 months, 1 week ago
Rationing, austerity and nostalgia
In this episode of Explaining History, Nick explores how nostalgia has become a toxic force in British politics. Drawing on Liam Stanley’s Britain Al…
4 months, 1 week ago
Bowie in the 90s and 2000s
Ten years after the death of David Bowie, Nick is joined by author Alexander Larman to discuss his new biography, Lazarus: David Bowie from the Tin M…
4 months, 1 week ago
Trump, India, and the Geopolitical Reset of 2025
Episode Summary:
In the third part of our 2025 Year in Review, Nick shifts the focus to Asia, exploring the dramatic realignment of US-India relations…
4 months, 1 week ago
American Suburbia and the birth of the Consumer’s Republic
Episode Summary:
In this episode of Explaining History, Nick explores the rise of the "Consumer’s Republic" in post-war America. We examine how the dr…
4 months, 1 week ago
Iwo Jima, historical memory and the myth of the Pacific War
In this episode of Explaining History, Nick explores how different nations remember the Second World War, focusing on the stark contrast between Amer…
4 months, 1 week ago
The American New Left, Cold War Liberals and the Vietnam War
In this episode of Explaining History, Nick explores the emergence of the "New Left" in 1960s America—a movement born from the failure of Cold War li…
4 months, 2 weeks ago