Western Civ

Episodet

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  Charlemagne's Dream 06.10.2026 54min

  Today I sit down with medieval historian, James Palmer, and discuss his latest book: Charlemagne's Dream: The Rise and Fall of the Carolingian Empire. Today, the Carolingians are best known as the dynasty of Charlemagne. In a few remarkable decades spanning the late eighth and early ninth centuries, Charlemagne united much of modern-day Europe through conquest and diplomacy, establishing the continent’s first empire since the fall of Rome.In Charlemagne’s Dream, historian James T. Palmer looks beyond Charlemagne alone to tell the full story of the rise and fall of the massively consequential Carolingian dynasty―the men and women who laid the foundations for his achievements, and the colorful heirs who squandered his legacy. Carolingian rulers established the royal court as a place of learning, attracting scholars and philosophers and driving a cultural and intellectual renaissance. They fought and traded with power centers as far-flung as Córdoba, Constantinople, and Baghdad. In allying with the pope, they forever changed the relationship between church and state in the West. And they dispatched the first missionaries to northern Europe, expanding Christendom’s reach farther than ever before.Charlemagne’s Dream details the powerfully human stories of the Carolingians, showing how their pursuit of ever-greater power built one of the world’s great empires.You can buy the book HERE.
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  Flirting With Evil 06.10.2026 48min

  Today I sit down with renowned historian of the Catholic Church, Ambrogio Caiani to discuss his most recent work: Flirting with Evil: The Catholic Church in the Age of Total War and Globalization. The history of the Catholic Church in the twentieth century is one of spies, scandals and badpolitical choices. It's a shadowy, ornate world of cover-ups and hidden motives. In this book,Ambrogio Caiani lifts back the heavy velvet curtains of the chancel and peers behind thelocked mahogany doors of the Vatican to reveal the shocking truths that make up a centuryof Catholic corruption.For many, Catholicism's flirtation with evil has become impossible to ignore: a pope courtingNazi officials and, horribly, turning a blind eye to the Holocaust; the Vatican becomingembroiled in a series of dodgy financial dealings; the child abuse continuously perpetratedby members of the clergy. Time and time again, Catholic figures have made terrible choicesin private and preached in public about goodness and morality.This is the first history that focuses exclusively on Catholicism throughout the twentiethcentury, sketching not only scandalous stories of corruption but also lively portrayals ofCatholicism's key characters – from a beret-clad communist revolutionary priest to the bizarremorning routine of the pope who followed a daily cold bath with dry unbuttered toast.Caiani, a critical Catholic himself, takes a frank and sceptical look at the trajectory of globalCatholicism and wrestles with vital questions about the future of the church. Taking in thewider socio-political contexts of a world at war and the accumulating momentum of socialprogress, this brilliant history traces the evolution of the Catholic church alongside thedevelopment of our modern society right up to the election of Pope Leo XIV in 2025.Buy The Book HERE. 
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  Episode 559: The Battle of Britain 02.10.2026 47min

  In the summer of 1940, with continental Europe under Nazi occupation, Great Britain stood alone against the seemingly unstoppable German war machine. This episode chronicles the Battle of Britain, a high-stakes aerial campaign where the heavily outnumbered pilots of the Royal Air Force clashed with the Luftwaffe in the skies over the English Channel. We dive into the tactical decisions, the revolutionary use of radar technology, and the sheer human endurance that prevented a full-scale German invasion. Join us as we explore how a few thousand young aviators—immortalized as "The Few"—defied the odds in a turning point that fundamentally shifted the trajectory of World War II.Western Civ Podcast 2.0 Free Trial
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  Episode 558: NOT Like Last Time 25.09.2026 43min

  The Phony Way ends abruptly in May 1940. It does not take long for the world to learn that this world war was NOT going to be like the previous one. Western Civ 2.0 
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  Episode 557: The First, Second World War 18.09.2026 31min

  The Second World War does not begin everywhere on September 1, 1939. In fact, in Asia, it's already been raging for two years. Today, we explore that story and see how the machine toward Pearl Harbor is already in motion.Western Civ 2.0
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  Episode 556: The Twenty Years' Armistice 11.09.2026 50min

  There is an argument that there are not two world wars. Just one with a twenty-year pause. Today I explore that idea as we break down the beginning of World War Two in Europe and evaluate what is the same compared to the Great War and what has REALLY changed. Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial
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  Blood Dawn: World War II and the Making of Modern Asia 08.09.2026 56min

  Today I sit down with historian Hans van de Ven and discuss his latest book: Blood Dawn: World War II and the Making of Modern Asia.Drawing on deep archival research across continents, historian Hans van de Ven tells the dramatic story of how Asia’s people mobilized to defeat both Japanese aggression and European imperialism, forging modern Asia in the process.By the early twentieth century, from India to China, Western imperial powers dominated Asia. Then, in the 1930s, Japan began to tear down this old order in pursuit of its own imperial ambitions―first by invading China, and then by launching its assault against British, Dutch, and American outposts across Asia and the Pacific in December 1941.As Japanese forces seized vast swaths of territory and pressed toward India, the brutal fighting cost millions of lives across the continent. Simultaneously, the war’s chaos and suffering supercharged anti-colonial movements from British India to Dutch Indonesia. Ultimately, it was the charismatic leaders of these movements―Mao, Nehru, Sukarno―who built the new Asia of independent nation-states that emerged in the war’s bloody wake.Blood Dawn is a powerful new perspective, revealing how Asia’s Second World War was absolutely central in creating the postwar order.You can buy the book HERE.
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  Episode 555: Muddling Through 04.09.2026 45min

  For the last two weeks, we have been focused on Europe and Asia, but now we come back to the United States. While Hitler has assumed power in Germany and while Japan expands into Manchuria, most Americans are still just trying to deal with the Great Depression. In this episode, we follow FDR as he navigates America through its worst economic crisis and toward a second world war. Western Civ 2.0 
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  Western Civ 2.0: The "Antonines" 02.09.2026 2h 36min

  This is a preview of what you can expect if you subscribe to the Patreon feed. Every once and a while I like to provide one of these. In this episode, I cover the long reign of Antoninus Pius, one of the "good" emperors who ruled the Roman Empire at its height. There are really two ways to read Antoninus: the careful manager or the fool who ignored problems that would come home to roost under Marcus Aurelius. As usual, I think the truth is somewhere in between. If you would like a free trial of Western Civ 2.0, you can sign up HERE and support the show. 
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  Episode 554: To The East 28.08.2026 47min

  I've wanted to move to Asia for a long time. And we're finally getting there. Today we discuss the development of Japan and China in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Western Civ 2.0
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  Episode 553: The Gathering Storm 21.08.2026 43min

  The Depression did not only impact the United States. It hit Europe as well because the world economy had become too interconnected for this to be a one-country issue anymore. And Europe responded to the crisis much differently than America. America turned to FDR. Germany turned to Hitler. And I am guessing you know the rest...Western Civ 2.0 
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  Episode 552: The First Hundred Days 19.08.2026 25min

  Before FDR the idea of a "First Hundred Days" was not a thing. But Roosevelt was so incredibly active during that period that ever since American Presidents have been judged by his standard. Today I cover Roosevelt's First Hundred Days, what legislation he passed, what worked, and what didn't. Western Civ 2.0
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  Episode 551: The Descent 14.08.2026 25min

  At first, the Wall Street Crash of 1929 is seen as a Wall Street issue. But it does not take long before the Great Depression grips the nation. Plus, in the high plains, the earth itself begins to come apart.Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial
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  Episode 550: The Crash 12.08.2026 23min

  The Great Wall Street Crash did not cause the Great Depression. But it sure didn't help either...Western Civ 2.0 
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  Is Plea Bargaining Just? 07.08.2026 49min

  In a fun little twist, today I sit down with Attorney Edward Cohn and we argue (and sometimes agree) about the justness of plea bargaining, the state of the Fifth and Fourth Amendments, and the overall state of our justice system. Attorney Cohn is a 23-year litigation attorney, currently practicing as a criminal defense attorney and legal commentator. He’s one of fewer than 10% of attorneys nationwide to have earned an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell and has achieved full jury acquittals on charges ranging from domestic violence to felony fleeing law enforcement. His background is as rigorous as it is practical: Edward holds an LL.M. from Boston University, a certificate in negotiation from Harvard Kennedy School, and is licensed to practice in Arizona, Michigan, and Massachusetts.
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  Episode 549: The Roaring Twenties 07.08.2026 44min

  Jazz. Radio. Talkies. Cars. All of it. The Roaring Twenties are when the world starts to look modern. Oh, and did I mention fascism, corruption, and the KKK? Well, there's that too. Western Civ 2.0
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  Illusions of Trust 05.08.2026 54min

  This one is new.I'm trying my hand at fiction interviews and, I have to say, I enjoyed it.Here I am sitting down with Jeffrey Stephens and we are talking about his newest book: Illusions of Trust. It's a lovely legal thriller with twists and turns and simply wonderful character development. I hope you enjoy the interview.You can buy the book HERE.
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  Episode 548: Wilson's Failure 05.08.2026 27min

  Woodrow Wilson came home from Paris thinking the hard part was behind him. Little did he realize Republican opposition and his own intransigence would doom his League of Nations and nearly cost him his life. Western Civ 2.0
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  Episode 547: Armageddon 31.07.2026 1h 51min

  Today we step back and catch up with events we passed in the Great War as the Russian Revolution unfolded. We follow the war to its brutal conclusion. Then we pick up the Russian Civil War and take that to its equally brutal end with a sprinkling of influenza for good measure.Western Civ 2.0 
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  Episode 546: Red October 24.07.2026 50min

  The Bolsheviks did not need to take over Russia. It was never a foregone conclusion. But after October 1917, it became increasingly inevitable.Western Civ 2.0