Today, we're excited to announce that Turpentine will be releasing Rudyard Lynch's WhatifAltHist as a podcast feed! Click the link below to subscribe. The highlighted episode we're airing today was touched on in our most recent History 102 episode on China's Modern History. Rudyard lays out his the patterns that predict China's coming socio-economic crisis.

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Recommended Podcast: Company Breakdowns

Each episode of Company Breakdowns dives into S-1s and series B-and-beyond companies, interviewing founders and investors to break down the companies. First episode is on Rubrik - which just IPO'd. Coming up this season: Databricks, Reddit + more,

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This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at erik@turpentine.co.

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FOLLOW ON X:

@whatifalthist (Rudyard)

@eriktorenberg (Erik)

@dwr (Dan)

@moz_podcast (Moment of Zen)

@TurpentineMedia

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BOOKS CITED:

• Asian Waters by Humphrey Hawksley
• Asia's Cauldron by Robert Kaplan
• Disunited Nations by Peter Zeihan
• Why Nations Fail by James Robinson and Daron Acemoglu
• The Origins of Political Order by Francis Fukuyama
• The Next 100 Years by George Friedman
• World Order by Henry Kissinger
• The Best of Times and the Worst of Times by Michael Burleigh
• Seeing Like a State by James C Scott
• Destined for War by Graham Allison
• Crashed by Adam Tooze
• China's Asian Dream by Tom Miller
• China by John Keay
• Mao by Jung Chang
• The Soul of China by Amaury de Riencourt
• Oriental Ways of Thinking by Nakamura

TIMESTAMPS

(00:00) Intro

(00:43) Exploring China's Impending Social and Economic Crisis

(02:11) The Western Fascination with Authoritarian Regimes

(03:00) Understanding China's Internal Struggles and Media Misrepresentation

(05:15) The Demographic Challenges Facing China

(09:50) Economic Pressures and Real Estate Bubble in China

(14:51) The Shift Towards Maoism and Increased Oppression

(20:54) The Potential for Revolution and Civil Unrest

(30:18) Predicting the Collapse of Modern China

(31:42) Conclusion