Conflicted: A History Podcast

If you’re a fan of Conflicted, we think you’ll enjoy this special featured episode of The French History Podcast. In this episode, host Dr. Gary Girod breaks down what really happened at the Battle of Poitiers, one of the largest battles in early Medieval Western Europe. But was it the cataclysm so many people think it was?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the Iraqi army digs into Kuwait, the world considers how to respond to Saddam Hussein’s breach of national sovereignty. President George H.W. Bush vows that the aggression “will not stand” and begins assembling an international coalition to force a withdrawal. Invited into Saudi Arabia, the recently reformed American military prepares for an eventual confrontation with Iraq’s battle-hardened forces. Meanwhile, a hostage crisis unfolds and a domestic debate threatens to fracture Bush’s Coalition. SOURCES:Aburish, Said K. Saddam Hussein: The Politics of Revenge. 2000.Atkinson, Rick. Crusade: The Untold Story of the Gulf War. 1993.Al-Radi, Nuha. Baghdad Diaries. 1998.Baudrillard, Jean. The Gulf War Did Not Take Place. 1991. Bergen, Peter L. The Rise and Fall of Osama bin Laden. 2021.Charles Rivers Editors. The Gulf War. 2018.Coll, Steve. Ghost Wars. 2004.Coll, Steve. Branigin, William. “US scrambled to shape view of ‘Highway of Death’”. 3.11.1991.Corrigan, Jim. Desert Storm Air War. 2017.Coughlin, Con. Saddam: His Rise and Fall. 2005. Dunnigan, James F. Macedonia, Raymond M. Getting It Right. 1995. Engel, Jeffrey A. When the World Seemed New. Finlan, Alastair. The Gulf War 1991. 2003. Gordon, Michael R. Trainer, Bernard E. The General’s War. 1995. “The Gulf War” / FRONTLINE. PBS. Jan 9, 1996.Hallion, Richard P. Desert Storm 1991. 2022. Hiro, Dilip. Desert Shield to Desert Storm: The Second Gulf War. 1991. Hiro, Dilip. Cold War in the Islamic World. 2018.Karsh, Efraim. The Iran-Iraq War, 1980-1988. 1989.Karsh, Efraim. Rautsi, Inari. Saddam Hussein. A Political Biography. 1991.Khadduri, Majid. Ghareeb, Edmund. War in the Gulf, 1990-1991. 1999. Lockwood, Stuart. 2015 June 5. “That’s Me In The Picture”. The Guardian.Mufson, Steven. 1990 Aug 6. “Kuwait Assets Form Vast, Frozen Empire”. The Washington Post.Murray, Williamson. Woods, Kevin M. The Iran-Iraq War. 2014.Meacham, Jon. Destiny and Power. 2015.Morris, David J. Storm on the Horizon. 2004. Riedel, Bruce. Kings and Presidents: Saudi Arabia and the United States. 2019.Swofford, Anthony. Jarhead. 2003. Woodward, Bob. 1991, May 4. “Regal Audience for a Forceful Presence”. The Washington PostWyndham, Buck. Hogs in the Sand. 2020.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On August 2, 1990, Saddam Hussein invaded the tiny emirate of Kuwait. The resulting conflict triggered a chain reaction that changed the world. In this first installment in a three-part series, we trace the origins of the Kuwait crisis, chronicle Saddam’s rise to power in Iraq, and explore America’s symbiotic relationship with the Persian Gulf. SOURCES:Aburish, Said K. Saddam Hussein: The Politics of Revenge. 2000.Atkinson, Rick. Crusade: The Untold Story of the Gulf War. 1993.Al-Radi, Nuha. Baghdad Diaries. 1998.Charles Rivers Editors. The Gulf War. 2018.Coll, Steve. Ghost Wars. 2004.Coll, Steve. Branigin, William. “US scrambled to shape view of ‘Highway of Death’”. 3.11.1991.Corrigan, Jim. Desert Storm Air War. 2017.Coughlin, Con. Saddam: His Rise and Fall. 2005. Dunnigan, James F. Macedonia, Raymond M. Getting It Right. 1995. Finlan, Alastair. The Gulf War 1991. 2003. Gordon, Michael R. Trainer, Bernard E. The General’s War. 1995. Hallion, Richard P. Desert Storm 1991. 2022. Hiro, Dilip. Desert Shield to Desert Storm: The Second Gulf War. 1991. Hiro, Dilip. Cold War in the Islamic World. 2018.Karsh, Efraim. The Iran-Iraq War, 1980-1988. 1989.Karsh, Efraim. Rautsi, Inari. Saddam Hussein. A Political Biography. 1991.Khadduri, Majid. Ghareeb, Edmund. War in the Gulf, 1990-1991. 1999. Mufson, Steven. 1990 Aug 6. “Kuwait Assets Form Vast, Frozen Empire”. The Washington Post.Murray, Williamson. Woods, Kevin M. The Iran-Iraq War. 2014.Meacham, Jon. Destiny and Power. 2015.Morris, David J. Storm on the Horizon. 2004. Riedel, Bruce. Kings and Presidents: Saudi Arabia and the United States. 2019.Swofford, Anthony. Jarhead. 2003. Wyndham, Buck. Hogs in the Sand. 2020.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Where does the two-day weekend come from? In this standalone episode of Conflicted, we trace the historical trajectory of that oasis of leisure and free time we call “the weekend”.  From its mystical beginnings in the religions of antiquity to its hard-fought development in Gilded Age America, we’ll untangle the surprising origins of everyone’s favorite part of the week. SOURCES:Hunnicutt, Benjamin. Free Time: The Forgotten American Dream. 2013.Onstad, Katrina. The Weekend Effect. 2017. Loomis, Erik. A History of America in Ten Strikes. 2018.Murolo, Priscilla. Chitty, A.B. From the Folks Who Brought You the Weekend. 2001.Green, James. Death in Haymarket. 2006. Brecher, Jeremy. STRIKE! 1972. Zinn, Howard. A People’s History of the United States. 1980.Thomas, Gordan. Morgan-Witts, Max. The Day the Bubble Burst. 1979.BBC. (2019, September 5). Who invented the weekend? BBC Bitesize.Miller Center of Public Affairs, University of Virginia. “Presidential Speeches: Downloadable Data.” Accessed Feb 19, 2023. data.millercenter.org Captivating History. The Industrial Revolution. 2020. Grossman, Jonathan. “Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938: Maximum Struggle for a Minimum Wage.” Monthly Labor Review 101, no. 6 (1978): 22–30. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41840777. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a plot to assassinate Mohandas Gandhi unfolds, the Mahatma goes to existential lengths to reconcile India’s Hindu, Sikh and Muslim communities. Meanwhile, a shadow war erupts between India and Pakistan over the picturesque kingdom of Kashmir, threatening the future of both nations. Jawaharlal Nehru bids farewell to friends, a lover, and the innocence of the nation he must now lead. A dying Muhammed Ali Jinnah reflects on his choices. Sources:Akbar, M.J. Tinderbox: The Past and Future of Pakistan. 2011.Tharoor, Shashi. Nehru: The Invention of India. 2003.Tharoor, Shashi. Inglorious Empire: What The British Did To India. 2017.Khan, Yasmin. The Great Partition: The Making of India and Pakistan. 2007.Guha, Ramachandra. Gandhi: The Years That Changed The World. 2018.Collins, Larry; Lapierre, Dominique. Freedom at Midnight. 1975. Sarila, Narendra Singh. The Shadow of the Great Game. 2005.Charles Rivers Editors. The Punjab. 2018.Charles Rivers Editors. British India. 2017.Puri, Kavita. Partition Voices: Untold British Stories. 2019.Malhotra, Aanchal. Remnants of Partition: 21 Objects From A Continent Divided. 2017.Von Tunzelmann, Alex. Indian Summer. 2007.Zakaria, Anam. The Footprints of Partition. 2015.Ahmed Akbar. Jinnah, Pakistan and Islamic Identity. 1997.Urvashi, Butalia. The Other Side of Silence: Voices from the Partition of India. 1998.White-Spunner, Barney. Partition. 2017.Lawrence, James. Raj: The Making and Unmaking of British India. 1997.Hamdani, Yasser Latif. Jinnah: A Life. 2020.Fischer, Louis. Gandhi. 1950. Kidwai, Anis. In Freedom’s Shade. 2011. Saxena, Chandni. “ON RELIGION AND ITS IMPLICATIONS ON WOMEN DURING PARTITION OF INDIA.” 2014. “India: A People Partitioned” Broadcast on the BBC World Service, 1997. Compiled and presented by Andrew Whitehead, producer Zina Rohan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The podcast delves into the tragic experiences of women during the Partition of India. It discusses the widespread abduction and assault of women across religious lines as communities descended into chaos. The formation of a joint recovery operation by India and Pakistan highlights the horrific realities faced by these women. Personal accounts, like that of Anis Kidwai, reveal the deep trauma and societal pressures survivors confronted. The complexities of recovery operations are explored, shedding light on the lasting impact of this dark chapter in history.

As Partition finally becomes reality in August 1947, the new boundary sparks a mass migration in the Punjab and Bengal. Atrocity and ethnic cleansing soon follow. The Sikhs, a long-ignored but well-armed religious minority, mobilize to stake their claim. Edwina Mountbatten and Jawaharlal Nehru plunge into the fray, desperate to assuage a refugee crisis in the city of Delhi. Sources:Akbar, M.J. Tinderbox: The Past and Future of Pakistan. 2011.Tharoor, Shashi. Nehru: The Invention of India. 2003.Tharoor, Shashi. Inglorious Empire: What The British Did To India. 2017.Khan, Yasmin. The Great Partition: The Making of India and Pakistan. 2007.Guha, Ramachandra. Gandhi: The Years That Changed The World. 2018.Sarila, Narendra Singh. The Shadow of the Great Game. 2005.Charles Rivers Editors. The Punjab. 2018.Charles Rivers Editors. British India. 2017.Puri, Kavita. Partition Voices: Untold British Stories. 2019.Malhotra, Aanchal. Remnants of Partition: 21 Objects From A Continent Divided. 2017.Von Tunzelmann, Alex. Indian Summer. 2007.Zakaria, Anam. The Footprints of Partition. 2015.Ahmed Akbar. Jinnah, Pakistan and Islamic Identity. 1997.Urvashi, Butalia. The Other Side of Silence: Voices from the Partition of India. 1998.White-Spunner, Barney. Partition. 2017.Lawrence, James. Raj: The Making and Unmaking of British India. 1997.Hamdani, Yasser Latif. Jinnah: A Life. 2020.Fischer, Louis. Gandhi. 1950.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1947, India is on the brink of independence from British rule, but tension brews as communities prepare for conflict. Lord Louis Mountbatten, the last Viceroy, navigates intense political factions amid emerging violence. Muhammad Ali Jinnah faces a terminal illness and a shocking secret, while Jawaharlal Nehru engages in a controversial romance with Lady Mountbatten. As borders are hastily drawn, the complexities of partition and the impending civil war cast a shadow over the moment of freedom, marked by Nehru's iconic speech.

The podcast discusses the crumbling of the British Raj in India and the rise of Muhammed Ali Jinnah, who calls for the creation of Pakistan. It explores the Hindu-Muslim tensions that explode into violence during the Great Calcutta Killing. The podcast also delves into the conflicting perceptions of Jinnah and the looming power vacuum left by the departing British. It discusses the charismatic leadership of Jawaharlal Nehru and the potential for him to become a dictator. The episode uncovers the mystery behind a piece of writing by Nehru and explores the demands for the creation of Pakistan. It delves into the violent consequences of Direct Action Day and the urgency of bringing Pakistan into existence.

Explore the history of the Partition of India, including the violent exchanges between Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs, the complicated marriage of Dickie and Edwinna Mountbatten, a young Mohandas Gandhi's encounter at a brothel, Gandhi's role in India's partition, the Amritsar Massacre, and the religious and cultural dynamics that led to violence and partition.