What were Mao’s motivations for launching The Cultural Revolution? Who were the Red Guards, and why did Mao indoctrinate teenagers? How did Mao die, and who came next?

Anita and William are joined once again by Rana Mitter, author of A Bitter Revolution: China’s Struggle with the Modern World, and Modern China: A Very Short Introduction, to discuss the final years of Mao’s rule.

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Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at empirepoduk.com 

For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com.

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @empirepoduk

Blue Sky: @empirepoduk

X: @empirepoduk

Editor: Bruno Di Castri

Researcher: Imogen Marriott

Assistant Producer: Alfie Norris

Producer: Anouska Lewis

Executive Producer: Dom Johnson

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Why did Mao declare war on sparrows as part of The Great Leap Forward? What caused China to attack India in 1962? How did Mao use a swimming pool to embarrass Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev?

Anita and William are joined once again by Rana Mitter, author of A Bitter Revolution: China’s Struggle with the Modern World, and Modern China: A Very Short Introduction, to discuss The Great Leap Forward and its consequences.

Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at empirepoduk.com 

For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com.

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @empirepoduk

Blue Sky: @empirepoduk

X: @empirepoduk

Editor: Bruno Di Castri

Researcher: Imogen Marriott

Assistant Producer: Alfie Norris

Producer: Anouska Lewis

Executive Producer: Dom Johnson

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William and Anita are joined by renowned British-Iranian journalist, Christiane Amanpour, to discuss the war in Iran, and how it has echoes of the events she has covered since leaving Tehran in 1979. 

How did the Iran-Iraq War of 1980 shape the military tactics of today’s Islamic Regime? What is the endgame for the US-Israeli strikes? Is the war strengthening Iranian nationalism?

Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at empirepoduk.com 

For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com.

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @empirepoduk

Blue Sky: @empirepoduk

X: @empirepoduk

Assistant Producer: Alfie Norris

Editor: James Clayden

Producer: Anouska Lewis

Executive Producer: Dom Johnson

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What is the long history behind the current Israeli strikes on Lebanon? Why did Israel sell weapons to Iran in the 1980s? How was the Lebanon’s map drawn by European powers after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire? 

Lebanese historian and author of Black Wave, Kim Ghattas, joins William to discuss the historical view of the current attacks on Lebanon.

**To listen to the rest of the Mao series today, join the Empire Club at empirepoduk.com**

Listen to Kim’s previous Empire episode on Hezbollah by finding Episode 123 on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. 

Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at empirepoduk.com 

For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com.

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @empirepoduk

Blue Sky: @empirepoduk

X: @empirepoduk

Assistant Producer: Alfie Norris

Editor: Bruno Di Castri

Producer: Anouska Lewis

Executive Producer: Dom Johnson

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How did Ayatollah Khamenei ensure his son, Mojtaba, would take over after his death? How is this war a product of deep historical trends? What internal crises have been plaguing Iran’s government in recent years? Is there hope for Iran after this war?

**To listen to the rest of the Mao series today, join the Empire Club at empirepoduk.com**

In light of the war in Iran, we disrupt our current series to bring you the vital historical view of a region we have often covered on Empire. William is joined by Ali Ansari, author of Iran (Polity Histories), to discuss the decades of history that have led to this war in 2026.

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Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at empirepoduk.com 

For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com.

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @empirepoduk

Blue Sky: @empirepoduk

X: @empirepoduk

Assistant Producer: Alfie Norris

Producer: Anouska Lewis

Executive Producer: Dom Johnson

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Mao has declared that China is a communist republic. How did life change for ordinary people living in this new nation? To what extent was Mao’s China modelled on the USSR, and how did Mao and Stalin feel about each other? And how did Mao destroy the pillars of traditional culture and  violently purge “class enemies”?

William and Anita are joined once again by Rana Mitter, author of A Bitter Revolution: China’s Struggle with the Modern World, and Modern China: A Very Short Introduction, to discuss The Great Leap Forward and its consequences.

Try Attio for free at attio.com/empire

Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at empirepoduk.com 

For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com.

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @empirepoduk

Blue Sky: @empirepoduk

X: @empirepoduk

Editor: Bruno Di Castri

Researcher: Imogen Marriott

Assistant Producer: Alfie Norris

Producer: Anouska Lewis

Executive Producer: Dom Johnson

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How did World War II break out in Asia in 1937? Why did Mao Zedong and his fellow communists live in caves after the Long March? How did the notorious Nanjing Massacre occur?

** Binge all six episodes of the series on Chairman Mao by joining the Empire Club today at ⁠empirepoduk.com⁠. **

Anita and William are joined once again by Rana Mitter, author of China’s War with Japan 1937-1945, The Struggle for Survival (or Forgotten Ally, China’s World War II), and Modern China: A Very Short Introduction.

Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at empirepoduk.com 

For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com.

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @empirepoduk

Blue Sky: @empirepoduk

X: @empirepoduk

Editor: Adam Thornton

Researcher: Imogen Marriott

Assistant Producer: Alfie Norris

Producer: Anouska Lewis

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Why did the communists and nationalists join forces with the USSR during the Chinese Civil War? When did the nationalists purge communists in what is known as the “White Terror”? Why did 80,000 communists walk across the country in the “Long March”, and how is this retreat reframed in Chinese political memory today?

** Binge all six episodes of the series on Chairman Mao by joining the Empire Club today at ⁠empirepoduk.com⁠. **

William and Anita are joined once again by Rana Mitter, author of A Bitter Revolution: China’s Struggle with the Modern World, and Modern China: A Very Short Introduction, to discuss the Chinese Civil War and the Long March. 

Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at empirepoduk.com 

For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com.

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @empirepoduk

Blue Sky: @empirepoduk

X: @empirepoduk

Editor: James Clayden

Researcher: Imogen Marriott

Assistant Producer: Alfie Norris

Producer: Anouska Lewis

Executive Producer: Dom Johnson

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A revolutionary hero or a brutal despot? Mao Zedong has one of the most recognisable portraits on Earth. How did he rise to become the founder of the People’s Republic of China? 

** Binge all six episodes of the series on Chairman Mao by joining the Empire Club today at empirepoduk.com. **

A child born in a rural village, Mao hated the Confucian traditions he grew up with. He read profusely and rebelled against his father. But how did his early life shape him into the dictator he would become?

William and Anita are joined by the brilliant Rana Mitter, author of A Bitter Revolution: China’s Struggle with the Modern World, Modern China: A Very Short Introduction and China’s War with Japan 1937-1945, The Struggle for Survival (or Forgotten Ally, China’s World War II) to discuss the origin story of Mao Zedong. 

Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at empirepoduk.com 

For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com.

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @empirepoduk

Blue Sky: @empirepoduk

X: @empirepoduk

Editor: James Clayden

Researcher: Imogen Marriott

Assistant Producer: Alfie Norris

Producer: Anouska Lewis

Executive Producer: Dom Johnson

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How did the Phoenicians create the alphabet we still use today? Was the Bronze Age collapse comparable to the fall of Rome? What does DNA evidence tell us about the origins of the Philistines and Israelites?

William is joined by Professor Eric Cline, author of 1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed and After 1177 B.C.: The Survival Of Civilizations, to explore the era of recovery that followed the Bronze Age collapse and the new world which emerged from its ashes. 

Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at empirepoduk.com 

For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com.

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @empirepoduk

Blue Sky: @empirepoduk

X: @empirepoduk

Editor: Adam Thornton

Producer: Anouska Lewis

Executive Producer: Dom Johnson

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Which ancient civilisation was the best at surviving the Apocalypse, and which was the worst? Who were the Hittites, and what did they actually call themselves? Does the Bronze Age collapse serve as a warning to the modern world? 

William and Anita are joined by Professor Eric Cline, author of 1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed and After 1177 B.C.: The Survival Of Civilizations, to discuss how the end of the ancient "globalised" system serves as a chilling warning for our own interconnected world.

Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at empirepoduk.com 

For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com.

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @empirepoduk

Blue Sky: @empirepoduk

X: @empirepoduk

Editor: Charlie Rodwell

Producer: Anouska Lewis

Executive Producer: Dom Johnson

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