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
Jul 27, 2021 • 29min
Protest music and the social conflict in America 1967-70 (Part One)
This is the first of a multi part exploration of protest music in America during the late 1960s, beginning with Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young's Ohio, written to mourn the killing of four students by the National Guard at Kent State University in Ohio, in May 1970. By the late 1960s, the pressure of the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights movement had led to a progressive radicalisation of the new left and also a reactionary backlash from America's lower middle classes, who flocked to Nixon in 1968 and his promise to restore order to a seemingly anarchic country. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 21, 2021 • 27min
The experience of military mobilisation in Germany and Austria Hungary 1914
Fear and solidarity defined both Austro Hungarian and Germany societies in August 1914. The pace of mobilisation meant that over three million soldiers in Germany alone were in uniform in just twelve days. Soldiers said emotional farewells to loved ones and took last minute photographs with sweethearts, and both German and Austro Hungarian economies were plunged into crisis by the disruption of war, with families losing most of their income from the loss of a breadwinner. This podcast looks at the lived experience of German and Austro Hungarian people during the first days of the First World War. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 7, 2021 • 44min
Getting Churchill wrong and the problem of fake history - Explaining History in conversation with Otto English
History as entertainment has shaped, for many, the understanding of the past. Mythologisation of key moments of the past crafts powerful and often misleading national stories that provide simple and often comforting notions about the past. In his new book Fake History, Otto English takes many of these fantasies to task, and today we explore one of the most enduring myths of all, the fantasy figure that is Winston Churchill. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 2, 2021 • 27min
1937 - The Year of the Great Terror (Part One)
Throughout the 1930s the forces that led to a year of terror in 1937 had been gradually developing, from the trials of bourgeois specialists in the1920s to the murder of Sergei Kirov. The regime initially looked to the population at large to show their anger and rage at figures such as Iuri Piatikov, who as a former ally of Trotsky, was cast as a saboteur and wrecker. Others were characterised as corrupt embezzlers as well as foreign agents. In a time of constant setbacks in industry and society, shortages and hunger, these accusations in the Soviet press led to widespread anger and condemnation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jun 12, 2021 • 28min
The Motherland Calls - the Soviet Union's Second World War memorials
In present day Volgograd, one of the largest Second World War memorials in the world stands. The city, once known as Stalingrad, is home the gigantic concrete and steel sculpture, The Motherland Calls, which was built in 1967, eleven years after Stalin himself had been denonced and disgraced by his successor. The immense losses that the USSR suffered at the hands of Nazi Germany and its allies will shape Russian memory for centuries to come and this podcast explores the creation of the memorials that were built after the war, and those which are still being constructed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jun 3, 2021 • 25min
Maoism, Vietnam and the Domino Theory
John F Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson both saw Vietnam as the vital frontline in America's struggle against communism, but it was Chinese, as opposed to Soviet communism they were most concerned about. The widely accepted 'Domino Theory' which postulated that one country in Asia after another would fall to the communist rule was widely accepted across the administrations of both presidents, and it was also a vision that Mao and his inner circle hoped for. However, the lack of understanding about Indochinese history on the part of the USA meant that America was blind to the intense animosities and rivalries between China, Vietnam and Laos. This led to countless miscalculations by both Kennedy and Johnson, and Mao also failed to predict that an assertive and well armed North Vietnam would soon wish to throw off the mantle of 'obedient pupil' and wish greater autonomy in its affairs. This would be an unforgivable affront to the great helmsman in Beijing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 27, 2021 • 28min
Neville Chamberlain's diplomatic and strategic world view - 1937
When Neville Chamberlain succeeded Stanley Baldwin as Prime Minister in 1937 he inherited a highly precarious world situation. His predecessor was exhausted from his time in office but also was defeated by the dilemmas posed by rearmament. Chamberlain believed that a broad policy of appeasement in both Europe and Asia would stabilise the world situation that had been produced by the peace making of 1919 at the Paris Peace Conference Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 20, 2021 • 27min
Poujade and French Postwar Fascism 1945-53
In the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, the French Fourth Republic commenced a purge of former members of the wartime Vichy regime that had collaborated with the Nazi occupiers. However, by 1947, under the new conditions of the Cold War, the enthusiasm for anti fascist trials had waned and instead anti communism replaced it. This was accompanied by a swift revival of prewar fascist movements such as Action Francais, but the most successful figure on the fascist right by the 1950s was the populist Pierre Poujade, who presented himself as a lower middle class everyman, but was anything but. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 15, 2021 • 26min
The Indian Army Officer Corps in World War Two
The British hold over the Indian Army was born of strategic calculations; the army was the most powerful weapon in Asia at Britain's disposal, and its huge manpower enabled Britain to punch above its weight on the world stage during the conflict. The British government attempted to limit the numbers of commissions granted to Indian officers, but the demands of war and the mass mobilisation of India to fight the Axis powers meant that by 1945, the numbers of officers leading Indian companies and regiments had dramatically expanded. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 6, 2021 • 26min
Britain, France and the Middle East - 1956
During the 1950s, Britain, France the USA and the USSR all conducted great power politics and diplomacy in the Middle East, competing to court and undermine rising nationalist movements in Egypt, Sudan, Jordan and beyond. This podcast explores the wider context of these interactions and their culmination in the Suez Crisis Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
