Explaining History

Episode Summary:As 2025 draws to a close, Nick reflects on a pivotal year in global history. From the economic shockwaves of the Trump tariffs to the accelerating shift of power back to Asia, this episode argues that we are witnessing the terminal decline of the Anglo-American world order.We explore the existential threat of "de-dollarization"—a process accelerated not just by Trump, but by the weaponization of the financial system under Biden. Nick also examines the hollowing out of the British state, now a vassal to American private equity, and the dangerous geopolitical flashpoints emerging in Venezuela. Is the AI bubble about to burst? Will the 2026 midterms offer a reprieve for democracy, or are we locked into a cycle of crisis?Key Topics:The Trump Tariffs: How protectionism is biting the American consumer.De-Dollarization: Why the end of the dollar as the reserve currency is an existential threat to US power.The AI Bubble: Will artificial intelligence save the economy or concentrate wealth even further?Britain as Vassal State: The colonization of the UK economy by American private equity.Explaining History helps you understand the 20th Century through critical conversations and expert interviews. We connect the past to the present. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and share.▸ Support the Show & Get Exclusive ContentBecome a Patron: patreon.com/explaininghistory▸ Join the Community & Continue the ConversationFacebook Group: facebook.com/groups/ExplainingHistoryPodcastSubstack: theexplaininghistorypodcast.substack.com▸ Read Articles & Go DeeperWebsite: explaininghistory.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Explaining History, Nick explores the unprecedented explosion of wealth and consumption in post-war America. We often focus on the economic decline of the middle class in recent decades, but today we look back at the era of mass abundance that preceded it.Drawing on James Patterson’s Grand Expectations, we delve into the cultural and economic forces that transformed a nation scarred by the Depression into a land of "gleaming kitchen conveniences" and tail-finned cars. From the futuristic designs of General Motors to the utopian promises of the atomic age, we examine how prosperity reshaped the American psyche. But beneath the chrome and the optimism lay a new kind of anxiety—one medicated by a booming pharmaceutical industry and shadowed by the fear that this golden age might be unrepeatable.Plus: Stay tuned for an update on our upcoming live masterclass on Stalinist Russia for students!Key Topics:The Post-War Boom: Why America was uniquely positioned to prosper after 1945.Car Culture: How the automobile became the ultimate symbol of freedom and status.Atomic Optimism: The belief that science could solve everything, from weather control to disease.The Anxiety of Affluence: The rise of tranquilizers and the darker side of the American Dream.Books Mentioned:Grand Expectations: The United States, 1945-1974 by James T. PattersonThe Culture Industry by Theodor AdornoSilent Spring by Rachel CarsonExplaining History helps you understand the 20th Century through critical conversations and expert interviews. We connect the past to the present. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and share.▸ Support the Show & Get Exclusive ContentBecome a Patron: patreon.com/explaininghistory▸ Join the Community & Continue the ConversationFacebook Group: facebook.com/groups/ExplainingHistoryPodcastSubstack: theexplaininghistorypodcast.substack.com▸ Read Articles & Go DeeperWebsite: explaininghistory.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode Summary:In this episode of Explaining History, Nick explores the murky relationship between British intelligence, the Labour government, and the "gentleman capitalists" of the post-war era.Why was Harold Wilson, the most electorally successful British Prime Minister of the 20th century, targeted by paranoid elements within MI5 as a potential Soviet spy? We delve into Wilson's time at the Board of Trade in the late 1940s, where he forged controversial deals with the Soviet Union to secure timber for Britain’s reconstruction.From the rise of corrupt tycoons like Robert Maxwell (who began as an intelligence officer in occupied Germany) to the class war between the "modernizing" Labour government and the "grouse moor" establishment, this episode uncovers the seeds of the plot to overthrow Wilson in the 1960s. It’s a story of Cold War intrigue, antisemitism within the British elite, and the clash between a new technological Britain and the old school tie.Key Topics:The Plot Against Wilson: Why MI5 officers like Peter Wright suspected the PM was a KGB agent.The Timber Deals: How Wilson negotiated with Stalin’s deputies to rebuild Britain.Robert Maxwell: The origins of a media mogul in the intelligence world of post-war Berlin.Class Conflict: The "Chapocracy" vs. Wilson's white heat of technology.Books Mentioned:Smear! Wilson and the Secret State by Stephen Dorril and Robin RamsayThinking the Twentieth Century by Tony JudtSpycatcher by Peter WrightExplaining History helps you understand the 20th Century through critical conversations and expert interviews. We connect the past to the present. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and share.▸ Support the Show & Get Exclusive ContentBecome a Patron: patreon.com/explaininghistory▸ Join the Community & Continue the ConversationFacebook Group: facebook.com/groups/ExplainingHistoryPodcastSubstack: theexplaininghistorypodcast.substack.com▸ Read Articles & Go DeeperWebsite: explaininghistory.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As we close out 2025, Nick takes stock of the first year of Donald Trump's second term. While some liberal commentators hold out hope that the upcoming 2026 midterms will curb his power, Nick argues that the real conflict isn't between Left and Right, but between two factions of capital: the liberal-democratic establishment and the nativist, protectionist forces embodied by Trump.We explore the failure of the Democratic Party to offer a meaningful alternative to neoliberalism, the rise of "America First" as a tool for personal enrichment, and the alarming normalization of far-right rhetoric in Europe. From the hollowing out of the British state to the potential end of the globalized order, this episode asks: If Trumpism is a symptom of a broken economic system, what happens when the opposition refuses to fix it?Key Topics:The Schism of Capital: Liberal globalism vs. conservative protectionism.The 2026 Midterms: Will a Democratic victory save democracy or just delay the inevitable?The Failure of Centrism: Why Hillary Clinton and Keir Starmer failed to stop the drift to the right.Trump as CEO: Viewing the presidency as a mechanism for personal wealth extraction.Explaining History helps you understand the 20th Century through critical conversations and expert interviews. We connect the past to the present. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and share.▸ Support the Show & Get Exclusive ContentBecome a Patron: patreon.com/explaininghistory▸ Join the Community & Continue the ConversationFacebook Group: facebook.com/groups/ExplainingHistoryPodcastSubstack: theexplaininghistorypodcast.substack.com▸ Read Articles & Go DeeperWebsite: explaininghistory.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode Summary:In this episode of Explaining History, Nick delves into the critical years of 1928-1929, exploring the mindset of the Soviet leadership on the eve of the Great Famine. Drawing from Robert Conquest’s seminal work The Harvest of Sorrow, we examine how Stalin’s paranoia and Marxist-Leninist ideology filtered his understanding of the peasantry.Why did the Bolsheviks view grain reserves as evidence of a "Kulak war" against the state? How did faulty statistics and a fundamental misunderstanding of village life lead to catastrophic policy decisions? We unpack the tragic logic of collectivization—a "second revolution" that was essentially a continuation of the Civil War by other means.Plus: A special announcement for history students studying the Russian Revolution and Stalinism—don't miss details about our upcoming live masterclass in January!Key Topics:The Grain Procurement Crisis: Why grain exports ceased by 1928.The Myth of the Kulak: How hedging against famine was misinterpreted as capitalist speculation.Statistical Failure: How bad data fueled bad policy.The Second Revolution: Stalin’s view of collectivization as a class war.Books Mentioned:The Harvest of Sorrow by Robert ConquestEveryday Stalinism by Sheila FitzpatrickFor the complete recordings on AQA Russia Revolution and Dictatorship see the links below: https://explaininghistory.org/2025/02/19/aqa-revolution-and-dictatorship-russia-1917-53-part-15/https://explaininghistory.org/2025/01/29/aqa-revolution-and-dictatorship-russia-1917-53-part-14/https://explaininghistory.org/2025/01/23/aqa-revolution-and-dictatorship-russia-1917-53-part-13/https://explaininghistory.org/2024/12/18/aqa-revolution-and-dictatorship-russia-1917-53-part-12/AQA Revolution and Dictatorship: Russia 1917-53 part 11AQA Revolution and Dictatorship: Russia 1917-53 Part TenAQA Revolution and Dictatorship: Russia 1917-53 part 9AQA Revolution and Dictatorship: Russia 1917-53 part 8AQA Revolution and Dictatorship: Russia 1917-53 part 7AQA Revolution and Dictatorship: Russia 1917-53 part 6https://explaininghistory.org/2024/10/23/aqa-revolution-and-dictatorship-russia-1917-53-part-5/AQA Revolution and Dictatorship: Russia 1917-53 part 4AQA Revolution and Dictatorship: Russia 1917-53 part 3Explaining History helps you understand the 20th Century through critical conversations and expert interviews. We connect the past to the present. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and share.▸ Support the Show & Get Exclusive ContentBecome a Patron: patreon.com/explaininghistory▸ Join the Community & Continue the ConversationFacebook Group: facebook.com/groups/ExplainingHistoryPodcastSubstack: theexplaininghistorypodcast.substack.com▸ Read Articles & Go DeeperWebsite: explaininghistory.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.