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Western Civ

Adam Walsh

A fast-moving history of the western world from the ancient world to the present day. Examine how the emergence of the western world as a global dominant power was not something that should ever have been taken for granted. This podcast traces the development of western civilization starting in the ancient Near East, through Greece and Rome, past the collapse of the Western Roman Empire into the Dark Ages, and then follows European and, ultimately, American history as the western world moved into a dominant world position.

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  • 21 episodes
  • Avg 46 min
  • English
Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.
  • S1 · E554
    Friday · 47 min

    Episode 554: To The East

    I've wanted to move to Asia for a long time. And we're finally getting there. Today we discuss the development of Japan and China in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  https://patreon.com/westerncivpodcast

    • Transcript
  • S1 · E553
    August 21 · 43 min

    Episode 553: The Gathering Storm

    The Depression did not only impact the United States. It hit Europe as well because the world economy had become too interconnected for this to be a one-country issue anymore. And Europe responded to the crisis much differently than America. America...

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  • S1 · E552
    August 19 · 25 min

    Episode 552: The First Hundred Days

    Before FDR the idea of a "First Hundred Days" was not a thing. But Roosevelt was so incredibly active during that period that ever since American Presidents have been judged by his standard. Today I cover Roosevelt's First Hundred Days, what...

    • Transcript
  • S1 · E531
    August 14 · 25 min

    Episode 551: The Descent

    At first, the Wall Street Crash of 1929 is seen as a Wall Street issue. But it does not take long before the Great Depression grips the nation. Plus, in the high plains, the earth itself begins to come apart. https://patreon.com/westerncivpodcast

    • Transcript
  • S1 · E550
    August 12 · 23 min

    Episode 550: The Crash

    The Great Wall Street Crash did not cause the Great Depression. But it sure didn't help either... https://patreon.com/westerncivpodcast

    • Transcript
  • August 7 · 49 min

    Is Plea Bargaining Just?

    In a fun little twist, today I sit down with Attorney Edward Cohn and we argue (and sometimes agree) about the justness of plea bargaining, the state of the Fifth and Fourth Amendments, and the overall state of our justice system.  Attorney Cohn is a...

    • Transcript
  • S1 · E549
    August 7 · 44 min

    Episode 549: The Roaring Twenties

    Jazz. Radio. Talkies. Cars. All of it. The Roaring Twenties are when the world starts to look modern. Oh, and did I mention...

    • Transcript
  • August 5 · 54 min

    Illusions of Trust

    This one is new. I'm trying my hand at fiction interviews and, I have to say, I enjoyed it.Here I am sitting down with Jeffrey Stephens and we are talking about his newest book: Illusions of Trust. It's a lovely legal thriller with twists and turns...

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  • S1 · E548
    August 5 · 27 min

    Episode 548: Wilson's Failure

    Woodrow Wilson came home from Paris thinking the hard part was behind him. Little did he realize Republican opposition and his own intransigence would doom his League of Nations and nearly cost him his life.  https://patreon.com/westerncivpodcast

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  • S1 · E547
    July 31 · 1 hr 51 min

    Episode 547: Armageddon

    Today we step back and catch up with events we passed in the Great War as the Russian Revolution unfolded. We follow the war to its brutal conclusion. Then we pick up the Russian Civil War and take that to its equally brutal end with a sprinkling of...

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  • S1 · E546
    July 24 · 50 min

    Episode 546: Red October

    The Bolsheviks did not need to take over Russia. It was never a foregone conclusion. But after October 1917, it became increasingly inevitable. https://patreon.com/westerncivpodcast0 

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  • S1 · E545
    July 17 · 34 min

    Episode 545: April Theses to July Days

    The Russian Revolution's final result was never a foregone conclusion. Lenin made several crucial mistakes early on that might have resulted in his demise. We see that today.  https://patreon.com/westerncivpodcast

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  • S1 · E544
    July 10 · 33 min

    Episode 544: Lenin

    It is that time. The Russian Revolution would be a lot different without Vladimir Lenin (Lenin is not his real name by the way...) But Lenin strikes a deal with the Germans who hope that he can steer Russia out of the Great War and he hits Petrograd...

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  • S1 · E543
    July 3 · 35 min

    Episode 543: The Roots of Revolution

    The Russian Revolution did not come out of nowhere. It was not merely the result of World War One. Its legacy is long. Today, we go all the way back to the abolition of serfdom and hit the main events that lead to that critical month: March 1917....

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  • S1 · E542
    June 26 · 47 min

    Episode 542: Meat Grinder

    1916 is one of the most depressing years in human history and today we're covering it. This is the year that makes World War One the horror it is. This is the year of Verdun, of the Somme, and of countless deaths on other fronts. It is also the year...

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  • S1 · E541
    June 19 · 50 min

    Episode 541: Stalemate

    The western front grinds to a slow halt, despite the best efforts of the generals on both sides who appear to be overly committed to killing their own men in pointless offensives... Across the pond, America tries to stay neutral while watching the...

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  • S1 · E540
    June 12 · 48 min

    Episode 540: Tannenberg

    The Eastern Front in World War One is often overlooked. But, even beyond the Battle of Tannenberg, the Eastern Front is critical not only in understanding the outcome of the war but the 20th century as a whole. https://patreon.com/westerncivpodcast

    • Transcript
  • June 10 · 1 hr 53 min

    Western Civ 2.0: Trajan (Part Four)

    This is a bonus look at what I do on our other feed: Western Civ 2.0. The feed covers similar topics compared to this one but in much greater detail. The number one way you can continue to support the show and enjoy bonus content is to sign up for...

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  • S1 · E539
    June 5 · 28 min

    Episode 539: The Miracle at the Marne

    Germany nearly won World War One in the first six weeks, just as it planned. Nearly. But it turns out that timetables are a heck of a lot easier to work out on paper than in real life.... https://patreon.com/westerncivpodcast

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Showing 1–20 of 21 episodes