We're Not So Different

in this episode, Luke and Eleanor discuss 1865-1905, including the Pax Britannica, the further spread of capitalism, the unifications of Germany and Italy, the true start of the American Empire, and the rise of the Japanese Empire with the Meiji Restoration. enjoy!

In this episode, Luke and Eleanor continue their ever-expanding series on Historical Materialism by covering the years from 1815-1865. this includes the aftermath of the Napoleonic era, the numerous failed revolutions of 1848, the promulgation of the Communist Manifesto, and America's very own suicide pact with itself: the American Civil War

In this episode, we welcome back friend of the show Patrick Wyman to talk about the change from feudalism to capitalism that we've been discussing in our series on historical materialism and then spend some time naming some historical guys. it's a lot of fun, you should check it out and you should check out Patrick's book, The Verge, and his podcasts!

In this episode, our 15th on Historical Materialism, we look at the years 1795-1815, aka, the Napoleonic era. Luke and Eleanor discuss how one man was able to stand astride history and use an army to smash most of the remaining vestiges of feudalism across western and central Europe, his many mistakes, and how, even though he hated the English, Napoleon ended up exporting their version of capitalism to the rest of Europe and eventually the world. also other stuff happens too, maybe

in this episode, Luke and Eleanor look at the years from 1750-1795 wherein we finally introduce Capitalism, America has a revolution, France has a much, much cooler revolution, and liberal ideas begin their spread across the world.

in this episode, Luke and Eleanor continue following the trajectory of historical materialism by discussing the emergence of the bourgeoisie, their first attempts at asserting power in the English Civil War, legislative enclosure, the Ottoman transformation, and the age of absolutism. covers the years from 1642 to 1750.

in this episode, Luke and Eleanor discuss a bunch of events that should've remained localized but, due to new technology, colonialism, and more, became huge events that changed the history of the entire human race. we talked about how the 30 Years' War led to the Peace of Westphalia, which directly led to World War 1. then we talk about internal Chinese politics that had massive global implications and helped spur on the Great Divergence. check it out! also: this is our 50th episode and we're so excited to keep doing them, thanks for listening!

in this episode, Luke and Eleanor continue the series on Historical Materialism by talking about how colonialism shaped the world in the Early Modern Era as well as the start of Mercantilism and the first true financial markets in the world. capitalism is right around the corner now...

in this episode, Luke and Eleanor discuss the end of the Medieval, or Post-Classical, era and the beginning of the Early Modern Period. they discuss a number of factors that pave the way for capitalism, including the rise of the printing press, the appearance of modern banking and lending practices, the Renaissance, and, finally, the Protestant Reformation.

happy new year, we're back! in this episode, Luke and Eleanor continue going through the series on Historical Materialism and finally make it to the Black Death, the mother of all external system shocks that kills anywhere from 15-40% of humans on earth and cracked the foundation of feudalism so badly that it would never recover.