Western Civ
A fast-moving history of the western world from the ancient world to the present day. Examine how the emergence of the western world as a global dominant power was not something that should ever have been taken for granted. This podcast traces the development of western civilization starting in the ancient Near East, through Greece and Rome, past the collapse of the Western Roman Empire into the Dark Ages, and then follows European and, ultimately, American history as the western world moved into a dominant world position.
Latest episodes
Mar 21, 2025 • 23min
Episode 447: The New World Exploited
In this episode I cover Spain's colonial efforts between 1492 and 1600, focusing on the broad economic, political, and social trends.Western Civ 2.0
Mar 20, 2025 • 48min
Making Sense of Slavery: America’s Long Reckoning, from the Founding Era to Today
In recent years, from school board meetings to the halls of Congress, Americans have engaged in fierce debates about how slavery and its legacies ought to be taught, researched, and narrated. But since the earliest days of the Republic, political leaders, abolitionists, judges, scholars, and ordinary citizens have all struggled to explain and understand the peculiar institution. In Making Sense of Slavery, historian Scott Spillman shows that the study of slavery was a vital catalyst for the broader development of American intellectual life and politics. In contexts ranging from the plantation fields to the university classroom, Americans interpreted slavery and its afterlives through many lenses, shaping the trajectory of disciplines from economics to sociology, from psychology to history. Spillman delves deeply into the archives, and into the pathbreaking work of scholars such as W. E. B. Du Bois and Annette Gordon-Reed, to trace how generations of Americans have wrestled with the paradox of slavery in a country founded on principles of liberty and equality. As the debate over the place of slavery in our history rages on, Making Sense of Slavery shows that what is truly central to American history is this very debate itself. BUY THE BOOK
Mar 14, 2025 • 29min
Episode 446: Louis XIII
Before turning to the New World, we bring the Old World up to speed, covering Louis XIII and France, Philip's heirs in Spain, the Ottoman Empire, and the Time of Troubles in Russia.Western Civ 2.0
Mar 11, 2025 • 17min
Episode 445: War and Peace
The Thirty Years War comes to an end, leaving Germany devastated and divided.Western Civ 2.0
Mar 10, 2025 • 16min
Episode 444: The End of the Baltic War
The Holy Roman Empire wilts under the combined pressure of Sweden and France. Spain exits our stage. And Central Europe lurches toward peace.Western Civ 2.0
Mar 9, 2025 • 17min
Episode 443: A New Alliance
Shifting alliances continue to hamper peace efforts in the Thirty Years War.Western Civ 2.0
Mar 7, 2025 • 29min
Episode 342: The War in Germany
The Thirty Years War continues to drag on in Germany after the death of Ferdinand II and the ascension of Ferdinand III. Western Civ 2.0
Feb 28, 2025 • 22min
Episode 341: The War After Adolphus
The years after the death of the Swedish King Gustavus Adolphus saw the ever-shifting alliances of the Thirty Years War do maximum damage. Western Civ 2.0
Feb 21, 2025 • 21min
Episode 340: The Lion of the North
King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden briefly, but decisively, intervenes in the Thirty Years War.
Feb 14, 2025 • 20min
Episode 339: Denmark Intervenes
Christian IV of Denmark intervenes in the Thirty Years War. WebsiteWestern Civ 2.0
