Episode Summary:

In this episode of Explaining History, Nick explores one of the darkest chapters of the American Civil Rights movement: the Freedom Summer of 1964 and the murders of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner.

Drawing on Jonathan Darman's Landslide: LBJ and Ronald Reagan at the Dawn of a New America, we delve into the terrifying reality of Mississippi in the mid-60s. Why did over a thousand idealistic students head south to register Black voters? And how did the local white establishment—from the police to the Klan—respond with a campaign of terror designed to maintain the racial hierarchy?

We examine the chilling details of the abduction and execution of the three civil rights workers, the complicity of local law enforcement, and the political calculations of President Lyndon B. Johnson as he navigated the passage of the Civil Rights Act. From the "psychological wage" of whiteness to the long shadow of Jim Crow violence, this episode uncovers the brutal resistance to democracy in the Deep South.

Plus: Don't miss our upcoming Russian Revolution Masterclass on Sunday, January 25th. Book your spot now to master exam technique and essay structure!

Key Topics:

• Freedom Summer: The campaign to register Black voters in Mississippi.
• The Murders: The abduction and killing of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner by the Klan and police.
• LBJ's Dilemma: How the president balanced civil rights legislation with the fear of a "second Reconstruction."
• The White Backlash: Understanding the violent defense of racial hierarchy in the South.

Books Mentioned:

• Landslide: LBJ and Ronald Reagan at the Dawn of a New America by Jonathan Darman
• Set the Night on Fire by Mike Davis and Jon Wiener
• Black Reconstruction in America by W.E.B. Du Bois

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Episode Summary:

In the second part of our deep dive into the origins of the Soviet famine, Nick continues his exploration of 1928-1929, the critical years that sealed the fate of the Russian peasantry.

Drawing again on Robert Conquest’s The Harvest of Sorrow, we examine how Stalin’s "emergency measures"—intended to be temporary—became a permanent war on the countryside. Why did the Bolsheviks believe that the "middle peasant" was a capitalist hoarder? How did the regime’s reliance on bad data lead to a spiral of confiscation and violence that destroyed the incentives to produce food?

We uncover the tragic logic of a state that viewed market mechanisms as a threat and chose instead to loot its own people, setting the stage for the catastrophic famine of the early 1930s.

Plus: A reminder for history students! Tickets are selling fast for our Russian Revolution Masterclass on Sunday, January 25th. Book your spot now to master exam technique and essay structure.

Key Topics:

• The Emergency Measures of 1928: How temporary requisitioning became permanent policy.
• The Destruction of the Market: Why peasants stopped producing grain once the state began seizing it.
• Stalin's "Breathtaking Frankness": Admitting that the "tribute" levied on peasants was necessary for industrialization.
• The Myth of Hoarding: How the regime chased a phantom surplus that didn't exist.

Books Mentioned:

• The Harvest of Sorrow by Robert Conquest
• Bloodlands by Timothy Snyder

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Episode Summary:

In this episode of Explaining History, Nick turns his attention to the economic chaos brewing in Washington. With Donald Trump threatening a criminal inquiry into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, we explore the dangerous politicization of America’s central bank.

Why is the independence of the Fed so crucial to the global financial system? What happens when a president tries to bully interest rates down to win an election? Nick argues that Trump’s erratic behavior, combined with the weaponization of the dollar, is accelerating the process of "de-dollarization"—an existential threat to American power far greater than any tariff war.

From the exorbitant privilege of the dollar to the looming debt crisis, we unpack the mechanics of imperial decline. Is Trump about to crash the only thing keeping the US military machine afloat?

Plus: A reminder for history students—tickets are now available for our Russian Revolution Masterclass on January 26th!

Key Topics:

• The War on the Fed: Trump’s attempt to seize control of monetary policy.
• De-Dollarization: Why global investors are losing faith in the greenback.
• Imperial Overstretch: How the dollar funds America's global military footprint.
• Stalinist Paranoia: Comparing Trump’s use of the FBI to historical purges.

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In this episode of Explaining History, Nick returns to the turbulent twilight of the Ottoman Empire. Following the euphoria of the 1908 Young Turk Revolution, disillusionment quickly set in. We explore the 1909 Counter-Revolution, where religious conservatives and mutinous soldiers attempted to roll back constitutional rule and restore the Sultan's absolute power.

But the restoration of the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) did not bring stability. Instead, it exposed deep ethnic fault lines. Drawing on Eugene Rogan's The Fall of the Ottomans, we examine how the "Armenian Question" metastasized from a demand for civil rights into a pretext for mass murder.

From the massacres in Adana to the cynical interventions of European powers, we trace the road to the first genocide of the 20th century. How did the fear of partition radicalize the Ottoman state? And what role did the Great Powers play in turning ethnic tension into catastrophe?

Listen to this episode advert free on Patreon here

Also, you can sign up for the Explaining History Russian Revolution Masterclass here

Key Topics:

• The 1909 Counter-Revolution: The failed attempt to restore Islamic law and absolutism.
• The Armenian Question: How demands for autonomy were viewed as an existential threat.
• The Adana Massacres: The prelude to the genocide of 1915.
• European Intervention: How Western meddling exacerbated sectarian violence.

Books Mentioned:

• The Fall of the Ottomans by Eugene Rogan

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Episode Summary:

In this episode of Explaining History, Nick explores the pervasive yet elusive ideology of neoliberalism. Why do we treat free-market capitalism as a natural law, like gravity, rather than a political choice?

Drawing on George Monbiot and Peter Hutchison’s The Invisible Doctrine, we delve into the origins of the neoliberal project—from the Mont Pelerin Society to the policies of Reagan and Thatcher. Nick argues that capitalism isn't just about market exchange; it is a system designed for the concentration of capital, one that reshapes all social and political relations to serve that end.

From the myth of meritocracy and the "trickle-down" fallacy to the rise of what Yanis Varoufakis calls "techno-feudalism," we examine how this anonymous ideology has led to inequality, environmental degradation, and the erosion of democracy.

Plus: A reminder for history students! Our Russian Revolution Masterclass is coming up on Sunday, January 25th. Listen for details on how to book your spot.

Key Topics:

• The Invisible Doctrine: How neoliberalism hides in plain sight.
• Techno-Feudalism: Rent extraction in the age of Silicon Valley.
• The Myth of the Free Market: Why capitalism requires an active, sometimes authoritarian, state.
• The Great Reversal: How the post-war social democratic consensus was dismantled.

Books Mentioned:

• The Invisible Doctrine: The Secret History of Neoliberalism by George Monbiot and Peter Hutchison
• Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism by Yanis Varoufakis
• Debt: The First 5000 Years by David Graeber

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Episode Summary:

In this urgent episode of Explaining History, Nick addresses the breaking news from Minnesota: the execution of 37-year-old Renée Good by ICE agents.

This is not just a news story; it is a historical inflection point. We explore the parallels between the unchecked violence of ICE and the early days of the Nazi SA (Brownshirts) in 1933. When a paramilitary force operates with impunity and state backing, the rule of law collapses.

Nick argues that we cannot separate the history of the 20th century from the crisis of the present. From the "flexible labor markets" of neoliberalism to the racial violence of the Jim Crow era, the forces that led to this moment have deep roots. Why are political figures like Kristi Noem rushing to defend the indefensible? And is the US now sliding into the kind of state-sanctioned terror usually associated with 1970s Latin American dictatorships?

Key Topics:

• The Execution of Renée Good: Analyzing the chilling reports of an extrajudicial killing.
• Historical Parallels: Comparing the impunity of ICE to the Nazi Brownshirts.
• The Politics of Cruelty: Why figures like Stephen Miller revel in suffering.
• The End of the Liberal Order: How the "beacon of freedom" became a carceral state.

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Episode Summary:

In this episode of Explaining History, Nick explores the complex and often suppressed memory of China's recent past. Drawing on Tania Branigan's Red Memory, we delve into the heart of Beijing—Tiananmen Square—and unpack its layers of history, from the May Fourth Movement of 1919 to the founding of the People's Republic in 1949 and the tragedy of 1989.

Why does the portrait of Mao Zedong still gaze over the square, despite the catastrophes of the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution? How does the Chinese Communist Party use "Red Tourism" and curated museums to construct a narrative of national rejuvenation while burying the trauma of its own making? From the "Century of Humiliation" to Xi Jinping's "Chinese Dream," we examine how memory is not just history, but a tool of state legitimacy.

Plus: A reminder for students! Tickets are selling fast for our live masterclass on the Russian Revolution and Stalinism on January 26th.and you can access advert free episodes here on Patreon

Key Topics:

• Tiananmen Square: A site of revolution, celebration, and massacre.
• The Cult of Mao: Why the Chairman remains the "vigilant eye" over modern China.
• Red Tourism: How the party commodifies its revolutionary past.
• Historical Amnesia: The erasure of the Cultural Revolution and the Great Famine from public discourse.

Books Mentioned:

• Red Memory: Living, Remembering and Forgetting China's Cultural Revolution by Tania Branigan
• The Age of Extremes by Eric Hobsbawm (referenced contextually)

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Episode Summary:

In this episode of Explaining History, Nick explores the escalating crisis that threatens to destroy the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). With Donald Trump eyeing Greenland as a territorial acquisition and European leaders issuing a rare, unified rebuke, the alliance forged in 1949 to contain Soviet power is facing its greatest existential threat.

We delve into the history of NATO—from the Berlin Airlift and the Truman Doctrine to its expansion after the Cold War. How did an alliance built on the principle of "an attack on one is an attack on all" crumble into transactionalism? Nick argues that Trump doesn't see a Pax Americana; he sees a world of rival great powers where alliances are liabilities unless they pay cash.

If the US moves against Danish sovereign territory, can NATO survive? And what does this mean for Vladimir Putin, who may be watching the disintegration of his greatest enemy with glee?

Plus: Big announcements! We are launching on Patreon for ad-free listening, and tickets are now live for our Russian Revolution Masterclass on January 26th.

Key Topics:

• The Greenland Crisis: European leaders draw a line in the sand over Danish sovereignty.
• The Origins of NATO: How the Berlin Blockade and the Marshall Plan built the Western alliance.
• Trump vs. The Alliance: Why the "America First" doctrine views NATO as a bad deal.
• A European Defense Force? What happens to European security if the US pulls out?

Books Mentioned:

• The Cold War: A New History by John Lewis Gaddis (contextual reference)

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Episode Summary:

In this episode of Explaining History, Nick explores one of the most debated questions in modern history: Was the Russian Revolution inevitable?

Moving beyond the simple narrative of "peace, land, and bread," we delve into the competing schools of historiography that have shaped our understanding of 1917. From the Soviet orthodoxy of historical determinism to the Western liberal view of a Bolshevik coup d'état, and finally to the revisionist and post-revisionist syntheses of scholars like Sheila Fitzpatrick and Orlando Figes.

We also examine the structural argument: that revolutions only happen when states cease to function. Was the Tsarist regime doomed by its own incompetence, or could it have survived without the catalyst of World War I? Nick unpacks how the "Great Man" theory fails to explain the collapse of empires and why understanding historiography is the key to unlocking top grades in history exams.

Plus: A major announcement for students! Booking is now open for our live masterclass on the Russian Revolution and Stalinism, taking place on Sunday, January 25th. Listen to the end for details on how to secure your spot.

Key Topics:

• The Soviet View: Historical inevitability and Marxist-Leninist dogma.
• The Liberal View: The revolution as a coup by a fanatical minority.
• The Revisionist View: The role of genuine mass movements and social history.
• State Collapse: Why you can't overthrow a functioning state.

Books Mentioned:

• A People's Tragedy by Orlando Figes
• The Russian Revolution by Sheila Fitzpatrick
• The Anxious Triumph by Donald Sassoon

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Episode Summary:

One day after the shock attack on Caracas, Nick returns with an update on the US intervention in Venezuela. With President Maduro reportedly abducted and Donald Trump promising to "run Venezuela," we delve into the grim logistics of occupying a nation larger than France.

Drawing parallels with the Boer War, Vietnam, and the disastrous invasion of Iraq in 2003, Nick argues that while the US may have the firepower to win a battle, it lacks the numbers, the political will, and the institutional memory to win the peace. Has the Trump administration purged the very experts who would have warned against such a folly? And will this act of imperial hubris mark the moment American hard power finally collapses under its own weight?

Key Topics:

• The Logistical Nightmare: Why occupying Venezuela would require hundreds of thousands of troops.
• Trump’s "Quiet Part Out Loud": The explicit goal of seizing oil resources.
• Asymmetric Warfare: How drones and insurgency could bleed an occupying force dry.
• Institutional Memory Loss: The danger of purging the State Department and Pentagon of dissenting voices.

Plus: A new announcement about Patreon! Listen ad-free for just £5 a month.

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Episode Summary:

In this special emergency episode of Explaining History, Nick reacts to the breaking news of US military action in Venezuela. Reports indicate Apache gunships over Caracas and the abduction of President Nicolás Maduro by American forces.

We explore the profound historical implications of this event. While Maduro may be a "gangster," his removal by a foreign power shatters centuries of diplomatic norms dating back to the Treaty of Westphalia. Nick argues that 2026 marks the definitive end of the "Pax Americana" and the rules-based international order established in 1945.

From the echoes of the Monroe Doctrine to the collapse of American soft power, we discuss how the Trump administration’s "gangster state" tactics are reshaping the world into naked power blocs. Is this a strategic masterstroke to secure oil resources, or a reckless gamble that will accelerate America's isolation?

Key Topics:

• The Attack on Caracas: Assessing the reports of US intervention and the kidnapping of a head of state.
• The End of International Law: Why pre-emptive regime change destroys the post-WWII consensus.
• Trump’s "Gangster State": The shift from soft power to raw, transactional force.
• Geopolitical Fallout: How Russia, China, and the Global South will react to this flagrant breach of sovereignty.

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