Shows
How To Be A HistorianMeloni And Mussolini Pt. 1 : BackgroundIn the dictionary, the word populist is defined as “a person, especially a politician, who strives to appeal to ordinary people who feel that their concerns are disregarded by established elite groups.” Across the world, from the Netherlands, to Romania, to India, populists are gaining power - reshaping their countries in the face of huge opposition from many and die hard fanaticism from others. This is not the first time a tsunami of Trumpism has washed across the world however. In my recent series on the rise of Hitler, I covered populism and fascism in Germany. In t...
2025-08-2313 min
How To Be A HistorianKing: A LifeToday I have the honor of interviewing the Pulitzer prize winning biographer and journalist Jonathan Eig about his recent book King: A Life. In the last episode we discussed his career, biographies, and what it means to be a historian. Jonathan Eig is the author of six books, four of them New York Times best sellers. The New York Times hailed King as the "definitive" biography of Martin Luther King Jr. The book was awarded the New-York Historical Society’s 2024 Barbara and David Zalaznick Book Prize, which is presented annually to the nation's best work of history or biography. Ki...
2025-04-0828 min
How To Be A HistorianA Conversation With Jonathan EigOn this episode I interview the Pulitzer prize winning biographer and journalist Jonathan Eig. We discuss his passion for journalism, process for writing biographies, what it means to be a historian, and the importance of portraying history in engaging ways. This episode is the first of a two part series of interviews with Mr. Eig, the next one focusing on her book King: A Life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2025-04-0635 min
How To Be A HistorianThe Life of a Historian: Prithi KanakamedalaOn this episode I interview Prithi Kanakamedala an author, public historian, and professor at Bronx Community College of CUNY where she teaches US history, African-American history and the history of New York City. We discuss her journey to becoming a historian, the challenges of the job, what her days look like, what excites her about being a historian. This episode is the first of a two part series of interviews with Professor Kanakamedala, the next one focusing on her book Brooklynites: The Remarkable Story of the Free Black Communities that Shaped a Borough. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/p...
2025-03-0534 min
How To Be A HistorianBrooklynitesOn this episode I interview Prithi Kanakamedala an author, public historian, and professor at Bronx Community College of CUNY where she teaches US history, African-American history and the history of New York City. This episode is the second in a two part series of interviews with Professor Kanakamedala. We discuss her book Brooklynites: The Remarkable Story of the Free Black Communities that Shaped a Borough, which is a 2025 Gotham book prize finalist. Last episode, we focused on being a historian, her journey, and what her days look like. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2025-02-1636 min
How To Be A HistorianAppeasement Part 3: AscensionIn this episode, Hitler is appointed chancellor by President Paul von Hindenburg and his foolish allies. Hitler will use this new position to gain even more power after the Reichstag goes up in flames. Then, to gain the favor of the army he brutally murders his previously loyal SA paramilitary in cold blood. Finally we will see Hitler tragically become dictator of Germany. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2024-12-2314 min
How To Be A HistorianAppeasement Part 2: MomentumThis episode will see the tumultuous rise of Hitler and his cronies to national prominence and power. Via luck and skill Hitler's hateful and discriminatory message will sadly became massively popular. This episode we'll see Hitler try to take power forcefully, and then use democracy to create a dictatorship. Additionally, we'll visit Italy to witness Mussolini's meteoric rise to power as the first facists premier ever. I hope you enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2024-12-0812 min
How To Be A HistorianAppeasement Part 1: The Rise of the MonsterAppeasement is taught as one of the most disastrous foreign policies in human history. For half a decade, the great powers of Britain and France bent to the will of a dictator from Berlin. Hoping, just hoping, that this would be the last demand, this time it would be the last concession. But why would they do that? Britain and France, if they had wanted to, could’ve steamrolled the second-rate military power of Germany in the interwar period. So the question is, why? Why didn’t they stomp the upstart fascists? Why didn’t they end the threat to the...
2024-11-2314 min
How To Be A HistorianFire and RainOn this episode I interview Carolyn Eisenberg an award winning author and professor of US History and American Foreign Relations at Hofstra University about her book Fire and Rain: Nixon Kissinger and the Wars in Southeast Asia (Oxford University Press). Her previous book Drawing the Line: the American Decision to Divide Germany (Cambridge University Press) was awarded the Stuart Bernath Book Prize from the Society of Historians of Foreign Relations, the Herbert Hoover Library Prize and was a finalist for the Lionel Gelber Prize for outstanding English-language book on international relations.Professor Eisenberg has lectured widely...
2024-09-1937 min
How To Be A HistorianThe Life of a HistorianOn this episode I interview Carolyn Eisenberg an award winning author and professor of US History and American Foreign Relations at Hofstra University. We discuess her journey to becoming a historian, the challenges of the job, what her days look like, and what excites her about being a historian. Her previous book Drawing the Line: the American Decision to Divide Germany (Cambridge University Press) was awarded the Stuart Bernath Book Prize from the Society of Historians of Foreign Relations, the Herbert Hoover Library Prize and was a finalist for the Lionel Gelber Prize for outstanding English-language book on international...
2024-09-1930 min
How To Be A HistorianThe 1876 Election: A House DividedThis November Americans will be deciding the direction our country will be going. In times like these, with literally the fate of the country hanging in the balance, it can be hard to not feel overwhelmed. With so many changes especially in the nature of the race like Biden’s withdrawal, the attempt on Trump’s life we can feel like we are in completely new territory historically. While that is true to an extent, we actually have had an election somewhat like this one in the past, where the fate of the country hung in the balance, where tempers ran h...
2024-08-0812 min
How To Be A HistorianThe Finland EffectOne of the largest wars in the world at this moment is the Russia-Ukraine war. It recently reached its 2 year anniversary with Ukraine still holding out. Much of the international community assumed that Ukraine would be steamrolled by its larger neighbor Russia. Contrary to this opinion Ukraine stubbornly survived Russia's initial attacks and pushed them back so Russian now only holds the Donbas region Crimea and a land bridge connecting the two. This is not a new phenomenon however. In 1939 a similar situation played out albeit farther north. The large nation of the USSR had its eyes set on it...
2024-07-2512 min
How To Be A HistorianHell on Earth: Part 1 The Bombing of Japan In this episode, I discuss the bloody and destructive Allied bombing campaigns of World War Two. I'm doing this because much of the world has taught WW2 as a black-and-white conflict—a crusade against the evil Axis by the victorious Allies. While the Axis most definitely fit the role of the horrible bad guys, the Allies haven’t always been good guys either. This season we will look into the ferocious, deadly, and destructive allied bombing campaigns of WW2. In Italy, Germany, and Japan, Allied air forces wreaked havoc in residential areas, killing thousands more civilians than the Germans ever...
2024-06-0811 min
How To Be A HistorianHell on Earth: Part 2 The Bombing of GermanyIn this episode, I discuss the bloody and destructive Allied bombing campaigns of World War Two. I'm doing this because much of the world has taught WW2 as a black-and-white conflict—a crusade against the evil Axis by the victorious Allies. While the Axis most definitely fit the role of the horrible bad guys, the Allies haven’t always been good guys either. This season we will look into the ferocious, deadly, and destructive allied bombing campaigns of WW2. In Italy, Germany, and Japan, Allied air forces wreaked havoc in residential areas, killing thousands more civilians than the Germans ever...
2024-06-0211 min