On this episode of Live Players, Samo Burja and Erik Torenberg discuss the way we misunderstand or skew history. They cover the Bronze Age, Europe's Decline, Russia/Ukraine conflict, and more. If you need an ecommerce platform, check out our sponsor Shopify: https://shopify.com/momentofzen for a $1/month trial period.

Live Players is part of the Turpentine podcast network. Learn more: www.turpentine.co

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RECOMMENDED PODCAST: History 102 with WhatifAltHist

Every week, creator of WhatifAltHist Rudyard Lynch and Erik Torenberg cover a major topic in history in depth -- in under an hour. This season will cover classical Greece, early America, the Vikings, medieval Islam, ancient China, the fall of the Roman Empire, and more.

Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/36Kqo3BMMUBGTDo1IEYihm

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/history-102-with-whatifalthists-rudyard-lynch-and/id1730633913

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@History102-qg5oj

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We're hiring across the board at Turpentine and for Erik's personal team on other projects he's incubating. He's hiring a Chief of Staff, EA, Head of Special Projects, Investment Associate, and more. For a list of JDs, check out: eriktorenberg.com.

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SPONSORS: HARMONIC | SHOPIFY

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LINKS:

Samo’s Bismarck Brief: https://brief.bismarckanalysis.com/

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TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Intro

(00:50) Technological Backsliding in Civilizations

(01:59) The Mystery of Greek Fire

(04:24) The Late Bronze Age Collapse

(11:03) The Impact of Civilizational Failure

(11:17) Predicting Centralization and Decentralization

(12:30) The Fall of the Soviet Union

(18:00) Sponsor: Shopify

(19:37) The Future of Europe

(21:49) The Role of the United States

(25:10) The Potential of a Federal Europe

(27:20) The Digital Cold War

(28:40) The Rise of AI in Europe

(29:29) Key Players in Europe's AI Scene

(29:38) The Role of Macron and Orban in Europe's AI Development

(30:16) The Potential of Eastern European Countries

(32:41) The Future of Western and Northern Europe

(33:41) Understanding Orban's Policies

(33:50) The Demographic Challenges in Eastern Europe

(36:13) The Impact of Nationalism and Cultural Conceptions

(41:02) The Russia-Ukraine Conflict

(50:10) The Influence of Politics on Historical Understanding

(56:08) Revisiting the History of North America