History Impossible

Richard Lim from This American President joins to discuss the chaotic 1876 election between Tilden and Hayes. They delve into the post-Civil War context, media misinformation, and the impact of unresolved results on Black Americans' rights. The podcast reflects on historical parallels to present-day events and offers insights into political strategy and democracy.

Sometimes, the best way to understand everything a people have gone through is to understand a dream.This is how many nations frame themselves and their own origins. No matter the context, there is always truth in the idea that before there was a nation, there was a dream. And that dream, however morally sullied by the ugliness of reality, consequences, and choices, can never and should never be discounted, even with the nations who have had their dreams frustrated for so long. In fact, the truth of that dream can be seen in those realities, consequences, and choices that we may not understand or accept on a moral level many years later. This can be seen in plenty of nations, both old and young, and that everyone recognizes, from the United States to Israel. But there are few nations whose history better represents this dynamic than the young nation (but very old culture) of Bosnia.In this conclusion to the Balkan Inferno trilogy that will lead us by the hand back into the good graces of the so-called “Muslim Nazis,” we look at that long history of that central, symbolic part of the old Yugoslavian Region we today call Bosnia-Herzegovina (or Bosnia, for short). We’ll look at many of the strange and mysterious aspects of this place’s history, including its own schismatic Bosnian Church, and the various attempts at self-determination peppering the timeline. This timeline is often dominated by collapsed empires—Roman, Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian, German—and failed kingdoms—Serbian and Croatian—but always present is the story of Bosnia.This nation and its people has always had others trying to define them for their own ends, but there has always been a force within that has wanted to define itself. This has indeed led to some truly disturbing decisions—namely alliances—but these decisions could always be tracked back to the dream that forges all nations. That is what we explore here today.History Impossible has been made possible by the following generous supporters on Patreon, Substack, and PayPal. Please consider donating today to help keep me free and this show alive:David AdamcikMichael BeachBenjaminElias BorotaJohannes BreitsameterCharles CMind ChatteringsCliffydeuceCRdaddygorgonPaul DeCosterNathan DiehlBob DowningRob DuvalGavin EdwardsPierre GhazarianJayson GriesmeyerNathan GroteBenjamin HamiltonPeter HauckCarey HurstThomas JustesenMike KalninsBryn KaufmanLeah KodnerBenjamin LeeMaddyMounty of MadnessJose MartinezMike MaylebenJudy McCoidJim MillerKyle MohneyMonicaKostas MorosRyan MortensonBen MullenAllen PaceSkip PachecoDavid PageMolly PanJeff ParrentJean PetersBrian PritzlAnaR737PJ RaderGleb RadutskyAleksandr RakitinPhillip RiceChris RoweJon Andre SaetherAlison SaloJake ScaliaEmily SchmidtJulian SchmidtAndrew SeeberJoshua SimpsonCameron SmithThomas SqueoBrian SteggemanPier-Luc St-PierreAthal Krishna SundarrajanJared Cole TempleChrisTXRobert VSJonny WilkieRicky WortheyMichael WroblewskiF. YouBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/history-impossible--5634566/support.

Hey everybody. Now that I’ve finished up the notes and script for the conclusion of the “Balkan Inferno” trilogy (which will lead us right back into the thick of the “Muslim Nazis” series), I’m hard at work putting all of that together. In the meantime, please enjoy (as much as one can enjoy such a subject—I really do say that a lot, don’t I?) this bonus episode that slightly tweaks and expands my recent Substack post, “Pogroms and Students.” This episode covers relatively current events regarding the escalation of anti-Semitic incidents—especially in the United States, where in New York they have risen by 200 percent—on the heels of Hamas’ declaration of war on Israel and the ongoing war being waged against them by the IDF, but it also gets into the history of the role students played in some of the most infamous pogroms in Jewish history, particularly in Russia around the time of the First Russian Revolution. It also revisits the discussion of mass violence we did in the last part of “Balkan Inferno," which unfortunately, feels even more relevant than ever (so please consider giving that 5 hour 18 minute beast a listen if you haven’t already and have a strong constitution).History Impossible has been made possible by the following generous supporters on Patreon, Substack, and PayPal. Please consider donating today to help keep me free and this show alive:David Adamcik Michael Beach Benjamin Elias Borota Johannes Breitsameter Charles C Mind ChatteringsCJ Cliffydeuce CRdaddygorgon Paul DeCoster Nathan Diehl Bob Downing Rob Duval Gavin Edwards Pierre Ghazarian Jayson Griesmeyer Nathan Grote Benjamin Hamilton Peter Hauck Carey Hurst Thomas Justesen Mike Kalnins Bryn Kaufman Leah KodnerBenjamin Lee Maddy Mounty of Madness Jose Martinez Mike Mayleben Judy McCoid Jim MillerKyle Mohney Monica Kostas Moros Ryan Mortenson Ben Mullen Allen Pace Skip Pacheco David Page Molly PanJeff Parrent Jean Peters Brian Pritzl AnaR737PJ Rader Gleb Radutsky Aleksandr Rakitin Phillip Rice Chris Rowe Jon Andre Saether Alison Salo Jake Scalia Emily Schmidt Julian Schmidt Andrew Seeber Cameron Smith Thomas Squeo Brian Steggeman Pier-Luc St-PierreAthal Krishna Sundarrajan Jared Cole Temple ChrisTX Robert VSJonny Wilkie Ricky Worthey Michael WroblewskiF. YouBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/history-impossible--5634566/support.

The recent Substack post and episode of History Impossible about the significant three root historical causes of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict has largely been well-received. What I didn’t expect is that one of the main sources I used for that episode would be willing to speak with me in greater depth about the massively underrated Arab Revolt of 1936-1939. In this episode, we’re joined by the scholar, political analyst, and writer Oren Kessler, whose 2023 book Palestine 1936: The Great Revolt and the Roots of the Middle East Conflict should be included as required reading for anyone interested or invested in what has been topping the news since October 7th, 2023.Oren, like myself, is a believer in the notion that the Littlefinger of Palestine, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem Hajj Amin al-Husseini, is a figure of massively underrated importance. In this episode, we discuss the Arab Revolt through the eyes of the Mufti and examine just why he and his decisions and his legacy matter in the 21st century, despite him becoming largely forgotten except for his infamous photo op with the Fuhrer of Nazi Germany himself, Adolf Hitler. Oren makes the case that this is giving al-Husseini the short shrift with regards to his impact and we discuss why this should be both self-evident and required for understanding why things have gotten so bad between Israel and Gaza.Thank you and enjoy!History Impossible has been made possible by the following generous supporters on Patreon, Substack, and PayPal. Please consider donating today to help keep me free and this show alive:David Adamcik Michael Beach Benjamin Elias Borota Johannes Breitsameter Charles C Mind ChatteringsCJ Cliffydeuce CRdaddygorgon Paul DeCoster Nathan Diehl Bob Downing Rob Duval Gavin Edwards Pierre Ghazarian Jayson Griesmeyer Nathan Grote Benjamin Hamilton Peter Hauck Carey Hurst Joseph Hurst Thomas Justesen Mike Kalnins Bryn Kaufman Leah KodnerBenjamin Lee Maddy Mounty of Madness Jose Martinez Mike Mayleben Judy McCoid Kyle Mohney Monica Kostas Moros Ryan Mortenson Ben Mullen Allen Pace Skip Pacheco David Page Molly PanJeff Parrent Jean Peters Brian Pritzl AnaR737PJ Rader Gleb Radutsky Aleksandr Rakitin Phillip Rice Chris Rowe Jon Andre Saether Alison Salo Jake Scalia Emily Schmidt Julian Schmidt Andrew Seeber Cameron Smith Thomas Squeo Brian Steggeman Pier-Luc St-PierreAthal Krishna Sundarrajan Jared Cole Temple ChrisTX Robert VSJonny Wilkie Ricky Worthey F. YouBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/history-impossible--5634566/support.

When you talk about history for a living, the contemporary world often has opportunities to make your knowledge more relevant. What knowledge actually possessed here about Israel and Palestine is likely more limited than some, I'd like to think that there is still some I can share to help clarify the conversation a little, at least when it comes to the notion of truly root causes to this ongoing conflict whose 2023 flare-up is the worst it's been in a long time, if not ever.In this special dispatch of History Impossible--which is being treated as a proper episode--we're going to revisit some old stomping grounds of this show, namely the Israeli-Palestinian region of the world during the 1890s-1930s. There are some familiar events and faces, and some information has been adapted from previous episodes, but this is largely all new ground to cover with new sources added into the mix. This will not solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by a long shot, and it will not please everyone, but it will hopefully add some historical clarity into the mix for folks who find themselves increasingly invested in the ongoing events in the Middle East. Love to you all who support this show: David Adamcik Michael Beach Benjamin Elias Borota Johannes Breitsameter Charles C CJ Cliffydeuce CRdaddygorgon Paul DeCoster Nathan Diehl Bob Downing Rob Duval Gavin Edwards Pierre Ghazarian Jayson Griesmeyer Nathan Grote Benjamin Hamilton Peter Hauck Carey Hurst Joseph Hurst Thomas Justesen Mike Kalnins Bryn Kaufman Benjamin Lee Maddy Mounty of Madness Jose Martinez Mike Mayleben Judy McCoid Kyle Mohney Monica Kostas Moros Ryan Mortenson Ben Mullen Allen Pace Skip Pacheco David Page Molly PanJeff Parrent Jean Peters Brian Pritzl PJ Rader Gleb Radutsky Aleksandr Rakitin Phillip Rice Chris Rowe Jon Andre Saether Alison Salo Jake Scalia Emily Schmidt Julian Schmidt Andrew Seeber Cameron Smith Thomas Squeo Brian Steggeman Pier-Luc St-PierreAthal Krishna Sundarrajan Jared Cole Temple ChrisTX Robert VSJonny Wilkie Ricky Worthey F. YouPlease consider supporting History Impossible over on Patreon or Substack if you like what I do here and want to support my work.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/history-impossible--5634566/support.

This is a bonus episode (a bit bigger than one might expect) that adapts and, more importantly expands, an essay I wrote for my friend and editor Jamie on his American Dreaming Substack. I seriously need to thank him for letting me write something so…I dunno, controversial? Combative? Anyway, whatever, so THAT under his publication’s name).This does use a very contemporary and contentious issue as its launchpad, and while some might see this as impolitic or even inappropriate, my history-addled brain only allowed me to see, hear, and read what I see, hear, and read and interpret it thusly. Pretentious way of saying, yes, I know I’m being edgy, and I know I’m being provocative, but I do implore all of my listeners to hear me out. This is not only history, but it’s, in my mind, an important aspect of history both in the United States and the “West” more broadly. So yes, we’re talking about the biggest problems with the mere idea of affirmative action and what I—and by extension Hannah Arendt—believes is the real issue at heart when aristocrats and monarchs (literal and figurative) grant privilege as a means to improve their own lots, while, of course, always under the guise of improving everyone’s lot. Is History Impossible too cynical? It’s been suggested. But there’s a polemic in here that needed to be made, otherwise I’d go a little crazy without making my self-important analysis known.Love to you all who support this show:David AdamcikMichael BeachBenjaminElias BorotaJohannes BreitsameterCharles CCJCliffydeuceCRdaddygorgonPaul DeCosterNathan DiehlBob DowningRob DuvalGavin EdwardsPierre GhazarianJayson GriesmeyerNathan GroteBenjamin HamiltonPeter HauckCarey HurstJoseph HurstThomas JustesenMike KalninsBryn KaufmanBenjamin LeeMaddyMounty of MadnessJose MartinezMike MaylebenJudy McCoidKyle MohneyMonicaKostas MorosRyan MortensonBen MullenSkip PachecoDavid PageMolly PanJeff ParrentJean PetersBrian PritzlPJ RaderGleb RadutskyAleksandr RakitinChris RoweJon Andre SaetherAlison SaloJake ScaliaEmily SchmidtJulian SchmidtAndrew SeeberCameron SmithThomas SqueoBrian SteggemanPier-Luc St-PierreAthal KrishnaSundarrajanJared Cole TempleChrisTXRobert VSJonny WilkieRicky WortheyF. YouBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/history-impossible--5634566/support.

Hey all. This is an adaptation/audio version of an essay I recently wrote for my friend and editor Jamie Paul’s American Dreaming Substack, in which I examine the uniqueness of the Holocaust as both a genocide and historical event. If you like what you hear and want to hear me delve more into this subject, I’ll try to delve further into it in a future special episode like this one. But in the meantime, please enjoy. And thank you very much for all of your patience as I try and juggle all the projects I have on tap at once.History Impossible has been made possible by the following generous supporters on Patreon, Substack, and PayPal. Please consider donating today to help keep me free and this show alive:David AdamcikMichael BeachBenjaminElias BorotaJohannes BreitsameterCharles CCJCliffydeuceCRdaddygorgonPaul DeCosterNathan DiehlBob DowningRob DuvalGavin EdwardsPierre GhazarianJayson GriesmeyerNathan GroteBenjamin HamiltonPeter HauckCarey HurstJoseph HurstThomas JustesenMike KalninsBryn KaufmanBenjamin LeeMaddyMounty of MadnessJose MartinezMike MaylebenJudy McCoidKyle MohneyMonicaKostas MorosRyan MortensonBen MullenSkip PachecoDavid PageMolly PanJeff ParrentJean PetersBrian PritzlPJ RaderGleb RadutskyAleksandr RakitinChris RoweJon Andre SaetherAlison SaloJake ScaliaEmily SchmidtJulian SchmidtAndrew SeeberCameron SmithThomas SqueoBrian SteggemanPier-Luc St-PierreAthal KrishnaSundarrajanJared Cole TempleChrisTXRobert VSJonny WilkieRicky WortheyF. YouBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/history-impossible--5634566/support.

CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains persistent graphic genocide violence and cruelty, especially in its first 75 minutes. Listener discretion is advised.In this part of the ongoing Balkan prelude to our return to the "Muslim Nazis" series, we are about to descend into the depths of hell. This was by design by the murderous Ustashe regime that took power after the invasion and dismemberment of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia by the Fuhrer of the Third Reich, Adolf Hitler. What happened next was a nightmare beyond the the imagining of most modern, comfortable nations in the 21st century. But it all happened.Serbs, Jews, Roma, and others were singled out not just for extermination, but extermination in the most brutal methods imaginable, thanks both to the savage hatreds festering under the surface of the former Kingdom's political culture, but also because the perpetrators actually saw their cruelty as the point; as their mission. It was less about politics, or religion, or anything really, than it was about simplistic notions of identity-based vengeance that never really made much sense to begin with.In the wake of this slaughter, however, more chaos was to follow. Almost immediately after the Nazi-fascist invasion, resistance began to crop up, both from Serb nationalist royalists and the multi-ethnic, multi-religious communist Partisans, as well as from other, less-armed but no-less-motivated groups we will be examining in later episodes. The three-to-five-sided civil war that exploded across the region not only swallowed up thousands of lives and muddied the waters of loyalty and nationhood and identity, but it placed the Nazis in the greatest quagmire the world had yet seen, where even members of their own military apparatus--no strangers to the deliberate mass destruction of civilians--were horrified by what they saw their supposed allies do to their hated countrymen. If anyone thought self-reflection was in order, however, they were naïve.The story of the Yugoslavian territory during World War II--one of pain and unresolved trauma--is one that will likely not be matched in European history in terms of sheer brutality and hatred, at least not for a very long time. But it's a story that must be examined, even if only as part of a much larger one.Also: Make sure to check out my friend and comrade Saša Paprić's awesome work here and here.History Impossible has been made possible by the following generous supporters on Patreon, Substack, and PayPal. Please consider donating today to help keep me free and this show alive:David AdamcikMichael BeachBenjaminElias BorotaJohannes BreitsameterCharles CCJCliffydeuceCRdaddygorgonPaul DeCosterNathan DiehlBob DowningRob DuvalGavin Edwardseli123kyPierre GhazarianJayson GriesmeyerNathan GroteBenjamin HamiltonPeter HauckCarey HurstJoseph HurstThomas JustesenMike KalninsBryn KaufmanBenjamin LeeMaddyMounty of MadnessJose MartinezMike MaylebenJudy McCoidKyle MohneyMonicaKostas MorosRyan MortensonBen MullenSkip PachecoDavid PageMolly PanJeff ParrentJean PetersBrian PritzlPJ RaderGleb RadutskyAleksandr RakitinChris RoweJon Andre SaetherAlison SaloJake ScaliaEmily SchmidtJulian SchmidtAndrew SeeberCameron SmithThomas SqueoBrian SteggemanPier-Luc St-PierreAthal KrishnaSundarrajanJared Cole TempleChrisTXRobert VSJonny WilkieRicky WortheyF. YouBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/history-impossible--5634566/support.

This podcast explores the complex history of Yugoslavia, from Ottoman rule to the Balkan Wars and the formation of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes. It discusses the violent events in the Yugoslav parliament, the rise of nationalism and violence, and the assassination of King Alexander. The podcast also delves into Hitler's attack on Yugoslavia and its impact on World War II.

Hello ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, comrades and friends! I'm here with another miniature episode for your listening pleasure, adapted from a recent essay I wrote over on the History Impossible Substack, which you can go check out if you're interested. I'm in the home stretch of recording the next big History Impossible episode, so I figured I'd give all of you a nice thanks for supporting the show this long.In the case of this one, we're looking at some potential predictions for how the future of AI could shake out, assuming that it ends up having the level of influence as its possible historical analogue and the one I've chosen--the mass translations of the Bible in the 15th and 16th centuries. This is more of a fun tidbit--an addendum for Pandemic: A Plague Coda--for all of you patiently waiting for the next episode proper of History Impossible, which will serve as the grand return not just to WWII, not just to broad and dark historical topics that you won't believe, but to the series that started this entire crazy journey known as History Impossible.Thank you to all of you fine listeners, and especially to you fine supporters over on Patreon and Substack.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/history-impossible--5634566/support.