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PODCAST

Explaining History

How do we make sense of the modern world? We find the answers in the history of the 20th Century.For over a decade, The Explaining History Podcast has been the guide for curious minds. Host Nick Shepley and expert guests break down the world wars, the Cold War, and the rise and fall of ideologies into concise, 25-minute episodes.This isn"t a dry lecture. It"s a critical, narrative-driven conversation that connects the past to your present.Perfect for students, history buffs, and anyone who wants to

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All Episodes

22:08

Italian dockworkers and Gaza

Explaining History ·

2025/09/29

As an international aid flotilla approaches the shores of Gaza, sailing directly towards an Israeli naval blockade, strikers in Italy have forced the government there to send warships to escort them (much against the official policy of the far right Meloni government). This shows us the power of solidarity and strike action. Go Deeper:Visit our website atwww.explaininghistory.orgfor articles and detailed explorations of the topics discussed.▸ Join the Conversation:Our community of history

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31:52

Economica: The Hidden History of Women, Wealth, and...

Explaining History ·

2025/09/25

Whoreallybuilt the global economy? Traditional history books tell a story dominated by men—inventors, industrialists, and financiers. But what if this narrative is missing half the picture?In this eye-opening episode, host Nick is joined by Dr. Victoria Bateman of Gresham College to discuss her hugely ambitious new book,Economica: A Global History of Women, Wealth and Power. Dr. Bateman challenges the very foundations of economic history, arguing that our understanding of wealth creation is

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32:31

Uzbekistan and Central Asia in transition

Explaining History ·

2025/09/25

Unveiling Uzbekistan: A Nation at the Crossroads of History and FutureJoin host Nick as he welcomes back acclaimed journalist and author Joanna Lillis to the Explaining History podcast. Seven years after her last appearance to discuss her book on Kazakhstan, "Dark Shadows," Joanna returns to shed light on the enigmatic nation of Uzbekistan, the subject of her new book, "Silk Mirage."This episode delves into the complexities of a country that was, for 25 years, one of the world's most brutal

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26:05

The Holocaust and the General Government in occupied...

Explaining History ·

2025/09/22

In this episode,The Explaining History Podcastexplores the dark and complex evolution of genocide during the Second World War. Drawing on the foundational research of Nikolaus Wachsmann in his seminal work, "KL: A History of the Nazi Concentration Camps," and the broader "functionalist" school of historical thought, this episode traces the path to the Holocaust.The discussion will move away from a simplistic view of a pre-meditated plan for mass extermination and instead delve into the

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25:57

The creation of the Central African Federation

Explaining History ·

2025/09/11

In this episode, we explore the creation of the Central African Federation (1953–1963), Britain’s attempt to bind together Southern Rhodesia, Northern Rhodesia, and Nyasaland into one semi-autonomous bloc. The federation was sold as a bold experiment in multiracial partnership and economic modernization, but in reality it served white settler interests while tightening imperial control.Drawing on Martin Thomas’s Fight or Flight, we examine why London pursued this policy at a time when decolonization

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26:47

Iran's White Revolution 1963-77

Explaining History ·

2025/09/09

During the Second World War Mohammad Reza Pahlavi took to the throne of Iran, placed into power by the British and the Soviets to depose his Nazi backing father. The Shah was able to break from the constitutional limitations upon him in 1953 after the British and Americans overthrew Iran's Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh. A decade later, the Shah began to radically transform Iran socially and economically, but in doing so built up powerful revolutionary tensions. For more on Iran, you can read my

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32:25

An American retreat from Asia

Explaining History ·

2025/09/08

A seismic shift in US global strategy appears to be confirmed. In this explosive episode, we dissect the leaked draft of the Pentagon's latest National Defense Strategy, which signals a historic reversal of decades of American foreign policy.We delve into the news that the US is formally de-prioritizing the "deterrence of China" in favor of a new focus on the homeland and the Western Hemisphere. What makes this shift so remarkable is its author: Elbridge Colby, the renowned strategist and author of

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25:08

Gorbachev's diplomacy 1985-88

Explaining History ·

2025/09/05

In this episode of Explaining History, we explore Mikhail Gorbachev’s bold diplomatic strategy during the mid-1980s. Between 1985 and 1988, Gorbachev sought to end the crippling arms race with the United States and ease the immense economic burden of Cold War militarisation on the Soviet Union.We examine the key moments of his diplomacy: the Geneva and Reykjavik summits, his pursuit of arms reduction agreements with President Reagan, and the wider goal of redirecting Soviet resources away from

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26:21

Occupied Vietnam 1940-45

Explaining History ·

2025/09/04

In 1940, when France fell to the Nazi invasion its colonies became Vichy satellites and in Asia, Vietnam rapidly fell under Japanese control. The French colonial elites saw their power gradually stripped away from them but it was the Vietnamese people that suffered terribly from Japanese rule with over a million dying in a famine created by the occupiers. The American OSS shipped arms to the Vietminh, the national liberation movement, but by 1945 they were far more concerned about the returning

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30:21

Tony Benn on Marxism and the Labour Party

Explaining History ·

2025/09/03

Tony Benn was one of the most important political figures in the second half of the 20th Century in Britain. His journey from the centreground of Labour politics to the left and his understanding of the various traditions and ideas within the Labour movement is the topic of today's podcast. In this episode we look at the collection of Benn's postumous speeches and writings - The Most Dangerous Man in Britain - and his essay Marxism and the Labour Party.Newsflash: You can find everything Explaining

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29:25

The British Left's Revival in 2025

Explaining History ·

2025/09/02

Something is happening in Britain, and it's not going to go down well with the established parties, the media, or the far right Reform Party that the country's elite class are placing their hopes in. There are the seeds of a new left emerging around the Green Party and a new and so far unformed movement 'Your Party' pioneered by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana. An independent socialist movement led from outside of the Labour Party (the catch and kill party for British radicalism), is emerging with a

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37:08

Black Britain and Roots

Explaining History ·

2025/09/01

In this episode of Explaining History, we explore how the 1970s became a turning point for Black Britain. Drawing on Eddie Chambers’ Roots and Culture, we examine how a new generation of Black British people embraced the politics of Pan-Africanism and Rastafari, forging cultural and political identities rooted in pride, resistance, and global solidarity.At the heart of this story is the transformative moment of Alex Haley’s Roots. Broadcast on British television and widely read, Roots offered Black

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37:36

Fascist Yoga: The far right and its intersections...

Explaining History ·

2025/08/22

In this episode I speak with writer and cultural critic Stewart Home about his new book Fascist Yoga. Our conversation traces the modern origins of yoga and the surprising, often disturbing ways it has intersected with the history of ideas—from early twentieth-century Aryanist fantasies and far-right esotericism to today’s conspiracy-laden online subcultures.We explore how yoga, once reframed and globalised, became entangled in Western intellectual and political currents: the 1920s European far

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25:31

Zionism and Palestine

Explaining History ·

2025/08/18

In this episode, I draw on My Palestine by Mohammad Tarbush to examine two often-overlooked episodes in the history of Zionism and its global reception.First, we revisit the 1975 United Nations General Assembly vote that declared Zionism a form of racism—an extraordinary moment that sent shockwaves through international diplomacy, reshaped alliances in the Cold War, and left a lasting legacy in debates about race, colonialism, and nationhood.Second, we turn to the influential role of the British

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28:51

Anglo American rivalries in the Middle East

Explaining History ·

2025/07/25

At the heart of Britain's war time alliance was a deep wariness at what the outcome of the war would portend. Churchill was desperate for the USA to enter the war and Roosevelt saw the struggle against fascism as vital to America's security, but the US president like Wilson before him imagined a world without European empires. In this episode we examine James Barr's excellent book Lords of the Desert and explore the origins of wartime Anglo American rivalries in the Middle East.Newsflash: You can

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26:18

Economic Sanctions: Crimes against humanity.

Explaining History ·

2025/07/24

In this episode, we tear away the euphemisms and expose a grim reality: sanctions kill. Drawing on a 2025 study from The Lancet Global Health, we show how economic sanctions imposed by the U.S. and other powers are responsible for up to 777,000 deaths each year, with children and the elderly most at risk.We trace the history of sanctions from the League of Nations to Iraq, Venezuela, Iran, and beyond. We compare sanctions to siege warfare—and ask why a practice this deadly continues to be framed as

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26:08

From Powell Memo to Policy Powerhouse: How Right-Wing...

Explaining History ·

2025/07/21

How did neoliberalism go from fringe idea to ruling ideology in the United States? In this deep-dive episode of Explaining History, we trace the hidden rise of America’s most influential right-wing think tanks—Heritage Foundation, Cato Institute, Manhattan Institute and more—from their birth in the 1970s oil-crisis chaos to their role in dismantling the New Deal order.You’ll discover:• The 1971 Powell Memo that sparked a billionaire-funded “war of ideas”.• How a handful of corporate dynasties (Koch,

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26:49

A Gaza coalition emerging

Explaining History ·

2025/07/14

The extent to which western soft power and legal and moral authority has been shredded by Gaza is lost upon British, American and European populations for the most part, but across the global south a new movement appears to be coalescing around South Africa and Columbia. In Europe, Ireland and Spain have joined with them and sixteen other global south countries to form the Hague Group, dedicated to upholding international law as it relates to Gaza. This, until quite recently, was inconceivable and

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29:41

Moral justifications for modern war

Explaining History ·

2025/07/12

Warfare had to be re-propagandised in the 20th Century, particularly in the western world, as a moral crusade. Mass democracy determined that leaders needed to present war as a manichean struggle between freedom and tyranny. The end of the Tsarist regime and the intervention of a liberal American president in the First World War was an ideal opportunity to re-invent conflict as moral crusade in the defence of freedom. The arguments that British, American and other NATO leaders present in the 21st

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23:51

Maoist struggle sessions and the Cultural Revolution

Explaining History ·

2025/07/10

This episode draws from the excellent book Red Memory by Tania Brannigan, an oral history of the Cultural Revolution. Here we examine the role of thought, how Mao sought to stimulate public thought during the Hundred Flowers Campaign of the late 1950s to seek out enemies and how struggle sessions were a form of thought torture, making ones own self unbearable. *****STOP PRESS*****I only ever talk about history on this podcast but I also have another life, yes, that of aspirant fantasy author and if

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