The History of the Twentieth Century

Theodore Roosevelt becomes a war hero, and Vice President of the United States. An anarchist assassin takes the life of the President, William McKinley.

Reinforcements from the Western nations turn the tide in the fight against the Boxers. But will they get to Beijing in time?

A grassroots uprising against foreigners develops in China in 1900, a result of outrage over Chinese territorial concessions and foreign missionary activity.

At the beginning of the 20th century, a fault line develops in Protestantism, especially in the USA, over the role of ancient Scriptures in a modern church.

Frustrated on all fronts, the British mobilize the enormous resources of their Empire in a bid to defeat the Boers once and for all.

The British get the war they want with the Boer republics in South Africa, but the Boers turn out to be more than the British can handle. At first.

Britain is still very much a class-bound society at home and a military power abroad. A look at the state of the Empire in the late 19th century, with a special emphasis on Ireland and South Africa.

What are cathode rays? X-rays? Radioactivity? How old is the Earth? Inquiring minds want to know. Also, in an age when only men can vote, the greatest scientist of the time is a woman. And Polish. Take that, haters!

France at the turn of the century was rocked by the Dreyfus Affair, where an innocent soldier was convicted of treason, and the Army went to incredible lengths in its refusal to acknowledge what became increasingly obvious.

Dive into the fascinating contrasts of La Belle Époque, where France's cultural brilliance thrives amid societal struggles. Explore how department stores transformed shopping and empowered women while the specter of political turmoil loomed. Discover the artistic shifts from Romanticism to Impressionism, framed by the iconic Eiffel Tower. The podcast also unpacks the impact of shifting national identities and the rise of modern French cuisine, woven with tales of innovation and scandal, all set against the backdrop of a world teetering on the brink of change.