By the early 1970s a perfect storm of inflation and mounting industrial unrest brought the government of Edward Heath to its knees. His plans to introduce free market economics and politics to Britain were abandoned and he was outmanoeuvred by the National Union of Mineworkers, resulting in the 1974 three day week.This podcast explores the crises that beset Heath and their origins in the Wilson years of the late 1960s. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/explaininghistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the 1840s onwards China endured over half a century of an unprecedented onslaught from Britain and other western powers. She was defeated, humiliated and forced to sign treaties that drained her of her wealth, Japan quickly reformed her economy and military to prevent the same process from occurring. This podcast explores the relationship between the west's 'Scramble For China' and the downfall of the Qing Dynasty. You can also download the companion ebook here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sun-Yat-birth-modern-China-ebook/dp/B00DJE8ANI Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/explaininghistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why did West Germany suffer a decade of terrorism from 1967-77? During the height of Vietnam War protests, a generation of radical West German students saw a relationship between the West German Government's support for America's war and their own unresolved Nazi past. Their decision to wage an urban war against what they saw as a barely concealed Nazism would culminate in the bloody summer of 1977. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/explaininghistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1933 Hitler established a state run mass leisure organisation in Germany to help develop his vision of a socially unified, racially homogenous society. The extent to which it was successful has been an area of debate by historians of Nazi Germany and is explored in this podcast. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/explaininghistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Between 1936 and 1938 nearly 2,000 British men and women travelled in secret to Spain to fight on the side of the Spanish Republic against a nationalist military rebellion. Motivated by fears of a fascist Europe and by the intervention on Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy on the side of the rebels, the men and women of the international brigade suffered appalling hardship and losses in an ultimately doomed struggle. Here is a short introduction exploring the context of their idealistic fight.Also check out Orwell's time in Spain here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/George-Orwell-Explaining-History-Century-ebook/dp/B00HLRW8YQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1392218617&sr=8-1&keywords=julia+routledge+george+orwell Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/explaininghistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When the Italian Socialist Giacomo Matteotti was assassinated in 1924, parts of the nation were united in outrage, strongly suspecting that their Prime Minister Mussolini was behind the killing. How did Mussolini manage to turn the situation to his advantage and emerge as the dictator of Italy a year later? Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/explaininghistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why did the British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour give an assurance to Britain's Zionists that there would be a Jewish homeland in Palestine in 1917? This podcast gives a brief outline of the politics of the Balfour Declaration and Britain's deals with the Arabs, French and Jews. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/explaininghistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How did Benito Mussolini manage to be appointed Prime Minister in 1922? This podcast explores the details of his rise to power from relative obscurity and his March on Rome. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/explaininghistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What are the origins of Italian Fascism? In order to understand Fascism as a concept we have to delve into the 19th Century history of the country. The manner in which Italy was unified as a nation state led to a fundamentally divided country that was chaotic and unstable - an authoritarian idea like Fascism seemed to many on the right to be the solution to Italy's weaknesses. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/explaininghistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A general overview of the development of the trade union movement from the 1830s to the eve of the First World War. What factors led to the radicalisation of the movement and how did the two main parties, Liberal and Tory adapt to the 'threat' of mass democracy and the working class vote? Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/explaininghistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How did the fall of France, the invasion of the Soviet Union and Pearl Harbour have bearing on the fate of Vietnam? This podcast explores not only the actions of the great powers towards Vietnam during the Second World War, but also the actions of the Vietnamese themselves and their resistance to both French and Japanese occupation. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/explaininghistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of the more overlooked aspects of the history of Soviet Communism is the last years of Trotsky's life at Coyoacan in Mexico. This podcast explores the man and his feuds within his own movement, the plot to assassinate him and his relationships with his patron and eventual enemy Diego Rivera. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/explaininghistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Japan enjoyed spectacular military successes from December 1941 to February 1942, but from May to November that year was dealt a series of defeats that would ultimately spell doom for the Japanese war effort in the Pacific. Why was the Japanese advance halted in the South Pacific so quickly? Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/explaininghistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Five Year Plans involved and immense bureaucratic effort to industrialise Russia on a massive scale. Beyond the massive cost to the Russian people and the coercion of much of the population, there was also an immense degree of participation and consent in the grand historical undertaking to build socialism. This podcast explores the efforts of the Stakhanovites and other participants in the plans. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/explaininghistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why did so many western intellectuals decide to offer their support to the Soviet Union in the 1930s? Writers like George Bernard Shaw, Freda Kirchwey and left intellectuals like Sidney and Beatrice Webb all gave Stalinism a veneer of legitimacy whilst hoping their own countries would stay steadfastly non communist. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/explaininghistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

By the late 19th Century Russia was a rapid increase in acts of terrorism against the state, the assassination of government ministers, bombings of state buildings and attempts (eventually successful) on the lives of the Tsars. The terrorists were well educated members of Russia's middle classes, waging their own war against the state on behalf of Russia's peasants. Why? This Explaining History podcast attempts to address this question. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/explaininghistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How did Germany's defeat in World War One lead to a revolution that swept away the Kaiser and result in the rise of a liberal socialist government? What compromises and deals did the new administration make to prevent the spread of communism and how did that affect the development of the republic?Answers to all this and more are here in this Explaining History Podcast. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/explaininghistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Theodor Herzl is credited with being the father of Zionism and the intellectual force behind the founding of the state of Israel, even though he died nearly half a century earlier. How did Herzl's ideas emerge and evolve in the mid to late 19th Century and how was he influenced by the growing climate of intolerance across Europe in the last quarter of the century? Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/explaininghistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What did ordinary German people know or think about the genocide of the Jewish people? This podcast encourages students of Nazi Germany to move away from simplistic views of German Moralities. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/explaininghistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How did Germany deal with the legacy of the Holocaust and Nazism? How did West and East German governments address the memory of crimes committed during the war? Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/explaininghistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Both Britain and Germany had tried to starve each other into submission on the high seas in the First World War. The British were slow to adopt new tactics in the Second World War against the renewed threat of U-Boats, but by 1944, the British and Americans had devastated the German U-Boat fleet. How had these changes come about? Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/explaininghistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why did Roosevelt agree to help arm Britain and France before America joined the war? How did his Arsenals of Democracy Speech affect the nation?What effect did Lend Lease have on America's future enemies? Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/explaininghistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why did the USA offer billions of dollars in aid to Europe in 1948? How did the USSR react to this?This podcast explores the dangers to liberal democracy and the fragile peace in 1948 and George Marshall's plan to rescue Europe and keep America from fighting the next war. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/explaininghistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When President Harry Truman announced a huge military aid package to Greece in 1947 it signalled a sea-change in America's stance in the growing Cold War, and showed a willingness to commit fully to the fight. This podcast explores the wider context of that decision, and challenges students to consider: What does this all really show us? Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/explaininghistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why did Trotsky, the hero of the Red Army and the most likely candidate to succeed Lenin, fail to become leader of the USSR after his death?How did Stalin use his position to build a powerbase of mass support? Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/explaininghistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After 1917 there were radical changes to almost every walk of life, women, children and families all radically altered as service to the new Communist state took centre stage in everyone's lives.How did Lenin impose his own ideas of the role and the nature of individuals on the rest of Russia? Listen to this podcast for the answers. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/explaininghistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How did the February Revolution happen? Why did it escalate from a series of protests over food shortages to the abdication of the Czar and the establishment of the Provisional Government and Petrograd Soviet? Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/explaininghistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Before the revolution, Russia's aristocrats played a key role in Russian society, and presented themselves in 1917 as an alternative to the Czar. They were utterly destroyed as a social class by the Bolsheviks from 1918 onwards. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/explaininghistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why did Russia explode into violence and anarchy in 1905? How the the Czar react? Russia's experience in 1905 set the stage for the revolution in 1917 and showed to all sides, the Czar, workers, peasants and nobles, who could trust who, and how high the stakes were. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/explaininghistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.