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Episodes from Empire: World History
Jung Chang On Life Under Mao & Being Banned From China
To listen to the full bonus episode, join the Empire Club at empirepoduk.com. Wild Swans author, Jung Chang, joins William to discuss her family’s harrowing experiences during Mao’s Cultural Revolution and how Xi Jinping continues his memory in China today. She tells the story of how her father defied Mao and paid the price in a detention facility. She explains how she travelled across the countryside as a teenager, working as a peasant labourer and a barefoot doctor. And she discusses how Mao’s legacy in China continues to shape global politics, from Ir...
347. Arab-Israeli Conflict: The Six Day War (Part 2)
**Listen to the first 4 episodes of the series today by joining the Empire Club at empirepoduk.com.** How did Israel defeat the armies of Egypt, Jordan and Syria in just six days in 1967? Why did Egyptian media report victory whilst their army was retreating? How did the war replace Palestinian hopes of liberation with the tragedy of a ‘second exodus’? William and Anita are joined by Eugene Rogan, Oxford Professor of Modern Middle Eastern History and author of The Arabs: A History, to explore how Israel won the Six-Day War of 1967. Join the Empir...
346. Arab-Israeli Conflict: From Suez To The Palestinian Liberation Organisation (Part 1)
**Listen to the first 4 episodes of the series today by joining the Empire Club at empirepoduk.com.** What was the Arab Cold War, and how did it violently divide the Middle East in the 1950s and 60s? What is the origin story of the Palestine Liberation Organisation? And how did Soviet disinformation and a closed maritime strait push the region to war? This series explores the history of this pivotal fifteen-year period and how its events mirror the crises in the Middle East today, and in Episode 1, William and Anita are joined by Eugene Rogan...
Chairman Mao: The Cultural Revolution
What were Mao’s motivations for launching The Cultural Revolution? Who were the Red Guards, and why did Mao indoctrinate teenagers? How did Mao die, and who came next? Anita and William are joined once again by Rana Mitter, author of A Bitter Revolution: China’s Struggle with the Modern World, and Modern China: A Very Short Introduction, to discuss the final years of Mao’s rule. Try Attio for free at attio.com/empire Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live...
Chairman Mao: The Great Leap Forward
Why did Mao declare war on sparrows as part of The Great Leap Forward? What caused China to attack India in 1962? How did Mao use a swimming pool to embarrass Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev? Anita and William are joined once again by Rana Mitter, author of A Bitter Revolution: China’s Struggle with the Modern World, and Modern China: A Very Short Introduction, to discuss The Great Leap Forward and its consequences. Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book...
Christiane Amanpour On Iran & Trump’s Miscalculations
William and Anita are joined by renowned British-Iranian journalist, Christiane Amanpour, to discuss the war in Iran, and how it has echoes of the events she has covered since leaving Tehran in 1979. How did the Iran-Iraq War of 1980 shape the military tactics of today’s Islamic Regime? What is the endgame for the US-Israeli strikes? Is the war strengthening Iranian nationalism? Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatr...
343. Lebanon: Hezbollah, Israel, & Fifty Years As A Battleground
What is the long history behind the current Israeli strikes on Lebanon? Why did Israel sell weapons to Iran in the 1980s? How was the Lebanon’s map drawn by European powers after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire? Lebanese historian and author of Black Wave, Kim Ghattas, joins William to discuss the historical view of the current attacks on Lebanon. **To listen to the rest of the Mao series today, join the Empire Club at empirepoduk.com** Listen to Kim’s previous Empire episode on Hezbollah by finding Episode 123 on Apple Podcasts or Sp...
342. Iran: The Three Ayatollahs – From Revolution to Dynasty
How did Ayatollah Khamenei ensure his son, Mojtaba, would take over after his death? How is this war a product of deep historical trends? What internal crises have been plaguing Iran’s government in recent years? Is there hope for Iran after this war? **To listen to the rest of the Mao series today, join the Empire Club at empirepoduk.com** In light of the war in Iran, we disrupt our current series to bring you the vital historical view of a region we have often covered on Empire. William is joined by Ali Ansari, au...
341. Chairman Mao: The Clash With Stalin (Ep 4)
Mao has declared that China is a communist republic. How did life change for ordinary people living in this new nation? To what extent was Mao’s China modelled on the USSR, and how did Mao and Stalin feel about each other? And how did Mao destroy the pillars of traditional culture and violently purge “class enemies”? William and Anita are joined once again by Rana Mitter, author of A Bitter Revolution: China’s Struggle with the Modern World, and Modern China: A Very Short Introduction, to discuss The Great Leap Forward and its consequences. Try Attio...
Chairman Mao: World War II, Japanese Invasion, & Massacre in Nanjing
How did World War II break out in Asia in 1937? Why did Mao Zedong and his fellow communists live in caves after the Long March? How did the notorious Nanjing Massacre occur? ** Binge all six episodes of the series on Chairman Mao by joining the Empire Club today at empirepoduk.com. ** Anita and William are joined once again by Rana Mitter, author of China’s War with Japan 1937-1945, The Struggle for Survival (or Forgotten Ally, China’s World War II), and Modern China: A Very Short Introduction. Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full...
Chairman Mao: China's Communist Uprising
Why did the communists and nationalists join forces with the USSR during the Chinese Civil War? When did the nationalists purge communists in what is known as the “White Terror”? Why did 80,000 communists walk across the country in the “Long March”, and how is this retreat reframed in Chinese political memory today? ** Binge all six episodes of the series on Chairman Mao by joining the Empire Club today at empirepoduk.com. ** William and Anita are joined once again by Rana Mitter, author of A Bitter Revolution: China’s Struggle with the Modern World, and Modern China: A Very...
Chairman Mao: Birth of A Dictator
A revolutionary hero or a brutal despot? Mao Zedong has one of the most recognisable portraits on Earth. How did he rise to become the founder of the People’s Republic of China? ** Binge all six episodes of the series on Chairman Mao by joining the Empire Club today at empirepoduk.com. ** A child born in a rural village, Mao hated the Confucian traditions he grew up with. He read profusely and rebelled against his father. But how did his early life shape him into the dictator he would become? William and Anita are...