Explaining History
Nick Shepley
The Explaining History Podcast, created and hosted by Nick Shepley, offers a comprehensive exploration of 20th-century history through weekly episodes. For over a decade, this podcast has been providing students and history enthusiasts with in-depth analyses of key events, processes, and debates that shaped the modern world.The podcast covers a wide range of topics within 20th-century history, including:- Major historical events like World Wars I and II, The rise and fall of communism, fascism and imperialism- Political movements and ideologies- Economic developments and crises- Social and cultural changesEpisodes typically run for about 25 minutes, offering concise yet informative discussions on specific subjects. The podcast invites listeners to engage with complex historical topics in manageable segments, making it ideal for students and busy history enthusiasts.Expert InsightsNick frequently invites expert guests to contribute their knowledge and perspectives, enriching the podcast with diverse viewpoints and specialized expertise. This approach helps listeners understand the competing debates and interpretations surrounding historical events and processes.Educational FocusThe podcast is particularly valuable for students, especially those studying A-level history. It offers targeted content aligned with specific curricula, such as the AQA syllabus for Russian history. This educational focus makes it an excellent supplementary resource for formal history studies.Chronological ApproachWhile the podcast primarily focuses on the 20th century, it adopts a chronological approach to storytelling. This method allows listeners to follow the progression of events and understand how different historical moments are interconnectedEngaging PresentationNick's presentation style combines rigorous historical analysis with an engaging narrative approach. The podcast aims to not only inform but also captivate listeners, making complex historical topics accessible and interesting to a broad audienceBy offering this mix of comprehensive content, expert insights, and engaging presentation, the Explaining History Podcast serves as a valuable resource for anyone looking to deepen their understanding of 20th-century history. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Oct 14, 2024 • 30min
Woodrow Wilson, Mandates and the Paris Peace Conference
In the aftermath of the First World War, the delegates of the victorious powers at the Paris Peace Conference attempted to shape a post war world order. Woodrow Wilson, pioneer of the mandate system that saw former German and Ottoman imperial possessions administered through the new League of Nations, found that the British and French were hungry for new colonial acquisitions and saw the Mandate system as a perfect tool for their ambitions.Help the podcast to continue bringing you history each weekIf you enjoy the Explaining History podcast and its many years of content and would like to help the show continue, please consider supporting it in the following ways:If you want to go ad-free, you can take out a membership hereOrYou can support the podcast via Patreon hereOr you can just say some nice things about it here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Oct 11, 2024 • 46min
My Palestine by Mohammad Tarbush
Mohammad Tarbush's extraordinary life story, from growing up in a Palestinian refugee camp and hitchhiking to Europe to becoming head of Deutsche Bank is captured in his memoirs, My Palestine. This week we explore his recollections as part of the wider context of the current war against the Palestinian people in Gaza.Help the podcast to continue bringing you history each weekIf you enjoy the Explaining History podcast and its many years of content and would like to help the show continue, please consider supporting it in the following ways:If you want to go ad-free, you can take out a membership hereOrYou can support the podcast via Patreon hereOr you can just say some nice things about it here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Oct 10, 2024 • 27min
The LA radical press 1964-70
An entire radical history of Los Angeles in the 1960s that rarely gets mentioned can be found in Mike Davis and Jon Wiener's brilliant book Set The Night on Fire: LA in the Sixties. This episode explores in brief the emergence of an independent radical press in the city in the guise of the LA Free Press or 'Freep', and explores reactions of the Freep and the reactionary LA Times to the Watts Riots of 1965.Help the podcast to continue bringing you history each weekIf you enjoy the Explaining History podcast and its many years of content and would like to help the show continue, please consider supporting it in the following ways:If you want to go ad-free, you can take out a membership hereOrYou can support the podcast via Patreon hereOr you can just say some nice things about it here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Oct 9, 2024 • 37min
Western Intellectuals and Stalinism Part One
Subscribe for weekly updatesIn the 1930s a generation of intellectuals were attracted to the Soviet Union, though most were never members of any communist party and balked at the idea of revolution occurring in their own country. We begin to explore this convoluted and contradictory mindset through examining David Caute's seminal work The Fellow Travellers.Help the podcast to continue bringing you history each weekIf you enjoy the Explaining History podcast and its many years of content and would like to help the show continue, please consider supporting it in the following ways:If you want to go ad-free, you can take out a membership hereOrYou can support the podcast via Patreon hereOr you can just say some nice things about it here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Oct 8, 2024 • 25min
AQA Revolution and Dictatorship: Russia 1917-53 part 3
This episode is for all students of A Level Russian history, and it follows the AQA syllabus. In this episode we will explore the events of the February Revolution and the Tsar's catastrophic mishandling of the protests that began in Petrograd.Help the podcast to continue bringing you history each weekIf you enjoy the Explaining History podcast and its many years of content and would like to help the show continue, please consider supporting it in the following ways:If you want to go ad-free, you can take out a membership hereOrYou can support the podcast via Patreon hereOr you can just say some nice things about it here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Oct 7, 2024 • 28min
The Russian Revolution: Beyond Petrograd and Moscow
How did people outside Petrograd hear about the events of February 1917? News spread quickly to cities like Kazan and Nizhni Novgorod due to the telegraph and train but more slowly in the towns and villages. The revolution was not experienced by all Russians, at all times in the same way. Instead the fragmented nature of Russia, its geography and sparse population presented the new Provisional Government with challenges in explaining to some Russians who it was that now ruled them. Help the podcast to continue bringing you history each weekIf you enjoy the Explaining History podcast and its many years of content and would like to help the show continue, please consider supporting it in the following ways:If you want to go ad-free, you can take out a membership hereOrYou can support the podcast via Patreon hereOr you can just say some nice things about it here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Oct 4, 2024 • 1h 17min
The Decline and Fall of the Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is one of British history's great survivors, it morphs and mutates when it needs to into new incarnations that help to preserve it and its mission to protect the interests of Britain's elites, institutions against the threat of change from below. This was always true until now. The party that many British people see as the natural party of government is changing into a fringe far right conspiracy theorists club, with politicians like Kemi Badenoch, Robert Jenrick and Liz Truss articulating far right talking points that are divorced not only from any objective reality but also from the sentiments of the mainstream of British society that the Conservative Party was historically so attuned to. This portends the end of the Tories in the next few years and a realignment of the forces in British politics.Help the podcast to continue bringing you history each weekIf you enjoy the Explaining History podcast and its many years of content and would like to help the show continue, please consider supporting it in the following ways:If you want to go ad-free, you can take out a membership hereOrYou can support the podcast via Patreon hereOr you can just say some nice things about it here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Oct 3, 2024 • 28min
The rise and fall of the New Deal Era Part Two
In today's episode of the The Explaining History podcast we revisit Gary Gerstle's Rise and Fall of the Neoliberal Era. Here we explore the New Deal Era that preceded it and examine the philosophical underpinnings of the historic project of rebalancing American capitalism through state intervention. Help the podcast to continue bringing you history each weekIf you enjoy the Explaining History podcast and its many years of content and would like to help the show continue, please consider supporting it in the following ways:If you want to go ad-free, you can take out a membership hereOrYou can support the podcast via Patreon hereOr you can just say some nice things about it here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Oct 2, 2024 • 36min
America's War on Prostitution 1870-1930
Why did American reformers and missionaries seek to eliminate prostitution worldwide at the end of the 19th Century and the start of the 20th? In this wide ranging conversation with Dr Eva Payne Assistant Professor of History at the University of Mississippi about her new book, Empire of Purity. We explore how ideas around empire, race, eugenics and the need to police sexuality combined to lead US private citizens and politicians to wage war against prostitution world wide, enforcing a sexual abstinence model that had predictably disastrous results. Help the podcast to continue bringing you history each weekIf you enjoy the Explaining History podcast and its many years of content and would like to help the show continue, please consider supporting it in the following ways:If you want to go ad-free, you can take out a membership hereOrYou can support the podcast via Patreon hereOr you can just say some nice things about it here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Oct 1, 2024 • 25min
AQA Revolution and Dictatorship: Russia 1917-53 (part 2)
This episode is for all students of A Level Russian history, and it follows the AQA syllabus. In this episode we will explore the revolutionary ideas that shaped the events of 1917 and their long history in Russia.You can access the full study notes bundle hereSubscribe for weekly updatesHelp the podcast to continue bringing you history each weekIf you enjoy the Explaining History podcast and its many years of content and would like to help the show continue, please consider supporting it in the following ways:If you want to go ad-free, you can take out a membership hereOrYou can support the podcast via Patreon hereOr you can just say some nice things about it here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
