Antony Beevor, renowned military historian, discusses the Russian Revolution, highlighting Lenin's radical proposals, Tsarist Russia's downfall, power dynamics within the royal family, Rasputin's influence, turmoil of the revolution, Lenin's deceptive promises, Bolshevik strategic moves, and the comparison of Stalin and Hitler with a modern threat like Putin.

Sir Antony Beevor, a world-renowned expert on WWII and author of the acclaimed book 'Stalingrad,' dives deep into the harrowing Battle of Stalingrad. He discusses the brutal realities of urban warfare and its impact on civilians. Beevor also explores Hitler's ambitious military objectives and the strategic importance of Stalingrad for both sides. Listeners gain insight into the personal stories of soldiers and civilians caught in the chaos, emphasizing the battle's significance as a turning point in the war and its devastating human cost.

In a riveting discussion, best-selling historian Sir Antony Beevor unpacks the complexities of the Battle of the Bulge, known as Hitler's last gamble in 1944. He delves into the tactical miscalculations and overconfidence that shaped this pivotal conflict. The conversation highlights the brutal deception tactics used by Otto Skorzeny’s commandos and the chaotic events like the Malmedy massacre. Beevor also emphasizes the significance of Bastogne in turning the tide for Allied forces, revealing the profound impacts this battle had on World War II.

The podcast delves into Putin's war as a continuation of the Russian civil war and lessons learned from Stalin. It explores the impact of the war in Ukraine on historians. Antony Beevor discusses historical significance and Putin's obsession with restoring honor, as well as the evolving views on Britain's role in WWII and colonialism. The conversation also touches on reevaluating history through a global lens and the importance of unbiased historical analysis.

In this archive listen from 2013, we explore the global political impact of a leader whose legacy and influence is still being questioned today: Angela Merkel. As with any leader, a legacy isn't set in stone and as the dust settles on Merkel’s chancellorship, which spanned from 2005 to 2021, questions are being asked about decisions she made during her time in power. Most pertinent today, with the arrival of war in Ukraine, is Germany's accommodating trade relationship with Russia. But there were dissenting voices on Merkel’s leadership back in 2013. Amid the fallout of the financial crisis, Germany found itself as the key central player holding the fates of less buoyant European economies such as Greece and Portugal in its hands. Many in those countries felt that Merkel's hardline approach to fiscal measures, essentially holding the purse strings for much of Europe, was crippling their own nations. So we debated the motion: Angela Merkel is Destroying Europe. Hosting the the debate was former BBC World News broadcaster Nik Gowing, joined by journalists Mehdi Hasan and Christine Ockrent. Plus, historian Antony Beevor and Greek politician Euclid Tsakalotos.—We’d love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be. Send us an email or voice note with your thoughts to podcasts@intelligencesquared.com or Tweet us @intelligence2. And if you’d like to support our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations, as well as ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content, early access and much more, become a supporter of Intelligence Squared..Just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices