Western Civ

Adam Walsh

A fast-moving history of the western world from the ancient world to the present day. Examine how the emergence of the western world as a global dominant power was not something that should ever have been taken for granted. This podcast traces the development of western civilization starting in the ancient Near East, through Greece and Rome, past the collapse of the Western Roman Empire into the Dark Ages, and then follows European and, ultimately, American history as the western world moved into a dominant world position.

  • 1 hour 49 seconds
    Episode 532: Italy
    Over a period of thirty years, Italy goes from a fragmentation of independent, kind of, states and kingdoms and into a unified, kind of, nation.

    Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial
    17 April 2026, 2:40 pm
  • 39 minutes 25 seconds
    Episode 531: Canons to the Right of Them!
    The Crimean War really does sound the advance warning of the death knell for the Concert of Europe. If only anyone knew that...

    Western Civ 2.0
    10 April 2026, 2:00 pm
  • 39 minutes 3 seconds
    Episode 530: Russia Awakens
    Here I quickly cover Russian history from Peter the Great, through Catherine the Great, and then down to the beginning of the Crimean War. 

    Western Civ 2.0
    3 April 2026, 2:00 pm
  • 38 minutes 37 seconds
    Episode 529: We Hold These Truths
    After Gettysburg and Vicksburg, the Confederacy slowly fades. Despite Lee's efforts, Grant grinds his army down through murderous battles such as the Wilderness and Cold Harbor. Ultimately, the resouces of the Union are simply too much. But even as America ultimately wins its civil war, its greatest president falls to an assassin's bullet. 

    Western Civ 2.0 
    27 March 2026, 2:00 pm
  • 20 minutes 12 seconds
    Episode 528: Gettysburg
    In three days in Pennsylvania in 1863, the American Civil War turns forever. 

    Western Civ 2.0 
    24 March 2026, 2:00 pm
  • 33 minutes 26 seconds
    Episode 527: The War Goes North
    The Battle of Antietam drives President Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. But Robert Lee wins two dramatic victories in this aftermath at the battles of Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. 

    Western Civ 2.0
    20 March 2026, 2:00 pm
  • 23 minutes 45 seconds
    Episode 526: The Seven Days Battles
    Two ironclads face off to change the shape of naval warfare while Robert E. Lee emerges from the Seven Days Battles as the lead Confederate commander.

    Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial
    18 March 2026, 2:00 pm
  • 17 minutes 41 seconds
    Episode 525: Shiloh
    The Battle of Shiloh starts as an apparent Confederate victory, but the loss of General Johnston and the resulting chaos dooms the South. Meanwhile, in New Orleans, the Anaconda Plan takes hold.

    Western Civ. 2.0 Free Trial 
    16 March 2026, 2:00 pm
  • 18 minutes 34 seconds
    Episode 524: Bull Run
    When the American Civil War begins, everyone expects a picnic. The Battle of Bull Run erases those false expectations.

    Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial
    15 March 2026, 2:00 pm
  • 40 minutes 20 seconds
    Episode 523: A House Divided
    From Nat Turner's Rebellion to the Compromise of 1850, Americans did everything they could to avoid the Civil War.... and failed. 

    Western Civ Podcast 2.0 Free Trial
    13 March 2026, 2:00 pm
  • 28 minutes 33 seconds
    Episode 522: The Sun Never Sets
    In the 19th Century, Europeans carved up the globe with devastating consequences.

    Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial
    6 March 2026, 3:00 pm
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