Explaining History

Episode Summary:
In this episode of Explaining History, Nick continues his exploration of the twilight of the Ottoman Empire. We shift our focus to North Africa, where a newly unified Italy sought to satisfy its imperial ambitions by seizing Libya—the Ottomans' last foothold on the continent.
Drawing on Eugene Rogan's The Fall of the Ottomans, we examine the invasion of 1911 and the fierce guerrilla resistance led by the Young Turk officer Enver Pasha. From his alliance with the mystical Senussi Brotherhood to his use of Islam as a mobilizing force against European colonialism, Enver's campaign in the desert foreshadowed the tactics of the First World War.
Nick also discusses the broader geopolitical fallout: how Italy's aggression exposed Ottoman weakness, triggering the Balkan Wars and setting the stage for the catastrophic collapse of 1914. Was the seizure of Libya the first domino in the chain reaction that led to the Great War?
Plus: A final call for history students! Our Russian Revolution Masterclass is this Sunday, January 25th. Don't miss out on this deep dive into exam technique and historical argument.
Key Topics:
The Italian Invasion: Why a "liberal" Italy launched a brutal colonial war.
Enver Pasha: The secular Young Turk who became a desert warrior.
The Senussi Brotherhood: The Islamic order that fought alongside the Ottomans.
The Balkan Card: How the war in Libya triggered the collapse of Ottoman power in Europe.
Books Mentioned:
The Fall of the Ottomans by Eugene Rogan

Explaining History helps you understand the 20th Century through critical conversations and expert interviews. We connect the past to the present. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and share.
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Episode Summary:
In this episode of Explaining History, Nick turns to the global dimensions of the Russian Revolution. Drawing on Robert Service's Spies and Commissars: Bolshevik Russia and the West, we explore how the events of 1917 reverberated far beyond Petrograd.
We delve into the chaotic collapse of the Romanov dynasty and the fragile "dual power" that followed. Why did the liberal Provisional Government fail to consolidate power? And how did the Bolsheviks—a small group of exiles caught completely by surprise—navigate their way back to Russia?
From the euphoric reaction of emigre circles in London (where Maxim Litvinov tried to shave with toothpaste in his excitement) to the geopolitical chess game played by Britain, France, and the US, we examine the revolution not just as a Russian event, but as a pivotal moment in the First World War. Nick also discusses the historiographical battles over the period—was it a coup, a popular uprising, or a tragedy?—and why historians like Service and Orlando Figes have faced the ire of the modern left.
Plus: A final reminder for students! Our Russian Revolution Masterclass is this Sunday, January 25th. Book your spot now to master exam technique and essay structure.
Key Topics:
The February Revolution: How strikes in Petrograd toppled the Tsar while Lenin was stuck in Switzerland.
Dual Power: The uneasy alliance between the Provisional Government and the Petrograd Soviet.
The Exile's Return: How revolutionaries navigated a war-torn Europe to get home.
Global Reactions: Why Western powers initially welcomed the fall of the Tsar, and how 1917 reshaped the war.
Books Mentioned:
Spies and Commissars by Robert Service
A People's Tragedy by Orlando Figes
Stalin's Nemesis by Bertrand Patenaude

Explaining History helps you understand the 20th Century through critical conversations and expert interviews. We connect the past to the present. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and share.
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Episode Summary:
In this episode of Explaining History, Nick turns his attention to the escalating diplomatic crisis over Greenland and what it reveals about the frailty of the post-Brexit United Kingdom.
As Donald Trump eyes the annexation of Danish sovereign territory, Europe is drawing a line in the sand. But where is Britain? Nick argues that the UK's muted response exposes the utter failure of its "Global Britain" strategy. Having severed ties with the EU, London finds itself trapped in a subservient relationship with an American president who views allies not as partners, but as vassals.
We explore the potential for a new geopolitical alignment: a "Continental Bloc" stretching from Brussels to Beijing via Moscow, united by shared hostility to American unilateralism. Could Europe really pivot away from the US? And what does the weaponization of the dollar mean for the future of Western power?
Plus: A final reminder for students! Tickets for our Russian Revolution Masterclass on Sunday, January 25th are selling fast. Book now to secure your place.
Key Topics:
The Greenland Ultimatum: Trump's imperial vanity project and the European pushback.
British Impotence: Why Keir Starmer cannot afford to challenge Washington.
The Continental Pivot: Could the EU ally with China and Russia to survive Trump?
De-Dollarization: The existential threat to American hegemony.

Explaining History helps you understand the 20th Century through critical conversations and expert interviews. We connect the past to the present. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and share.
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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

Explaining History helps you understand the 20th Century through critical conversations and expert interviews. We connect the past to the present. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and share.
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▸ Join the Community & Continue the Conversation
Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/ExplainingHistoryPodcast
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Website: explaininghistory.org

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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

Explaining History helps you understand the 20th Century through critical conversations and expert interviews. We connect the past to the present. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and share.
▸ Support the Show & Get Exclusive Content
Become a Patron: patreon.com/explaininghistory
▸ Join the Community & Continue the Conversation
Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/ExplainingHistoryPodcast
Substack: theexplaininghistorypodcast.substack.com
▸ Read Articles & Go Deeper
Website: explaininghistory.org

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