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192 episodes
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Empire The Empire Club
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- History
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4.8 • 8 Ratings
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How do empires rise? Why do they fall? And how have they shaped the world around us today?
William Dalrymple and Anita Anand explore the stories, personalities and events of empire over the course of history.
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171. The Bengal Famine: Chaos in Calcutta
By 1943, the price of rice was beyond unaffordable for most in Bengal, and people were dying in the streets. Despite government censorship of letters, news spread about the famine and the tide turned with the introduction of a new Viceroy. Yet when aid eventually did arrive from other regions of India, it was so chaotically handled that some food shipments were halted at the station. Listen as Anita and William are joined again by Kavita Puri to explore the legacy of what is sometimes dubbed “Churchill’s Famine”.
Twitter: @Empirepoduk
Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com
Goalhangerpodcasts.com
Assistant Producer: Anouska Lewis
Producer: Callum Hill
Exec Producer: Neil Fearn
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170. The Bengal Famine: A Disaster on the Horizon
In 1942, in the midst of the Second World War, the British administration feared that Japanese forces would take India as part of their campaign. To prevent access to resources in the event of a potential invasion, colonial forces enacted a “denial policy”, confiscating rice and destroying boats. This, along with a cyclone and political unrest, led to starvation in the countryside of Bengal, forcing people to flee to cities in a desperate search for food. Listen as Anita and William take a break from the American series to revisit an important and tragic event in 20th century Indian history, with guest Kavita Puri…
Twitter: @Empirepoduk
Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com
Goalhangerpodcasts.com
Assistant Producer: Anouska Lewis
Producer: Callum Hill
Exec Producer: Neil Fearn
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169. Freedom Fighters Betrayed: Colonising the Philippines
By the end of the Spanish-US war, the Philippines was on the menu. Two battles played out simultaneously on the archipelago: and old and a new empire fought for power over a colony, whilst Filipinos fought for independence. The Philippines honoured the US in their new constitution and flag. But they were betrayed, and a young revolutionary, Emilio Aguinaldo, led the Filipino people in the brutal war against American imperialism. Listen as Anita and William are joined once again by Daniel Immerwahr to explore the colonisation of the Philippines.
Twitter: @Empirepoduk
Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com
Goalhangerpodcasts.com
Assistant Producer: Anouska Lewis
Producer: Callum Hill
Exec Producer: Neil Fearn
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
168. Teddy Roosevelt Takes on the Old World
In 1898, whilst his boss was on a break at the osteopath, Teddy Roosevelt basically started a war. A master of the press, he managed to whip up war fever amongst jingoists in Congress, leading the United States to declare war on imperial Spain. Building on an established independence movement in Cuba, the US was ambiguous about its intentions. Was it liberation or colonisation that it wanted for this Caribbean island? Listen as Anita and William are joined again by Daniel Immerwahr to discuss the Spanish-US war.
Twitter: @Empirepoduk
Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com
Goalhangerpodcasts.com
Assistant Producer: Anouska Lewis
Producer: Callum Hill
Exec Producer: Neil Fearn
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Bonus: Opium Dens, Definition of Empire, & Live Show Debrief
How do you define an “empire”? Would India have become as advanced as Japan if the British hadn’t arrived? Is the idea of opium dens a literary trope? What’s the history of desi pubs in London? How do you know when you’ve finished writing a book? Listen as Anita and Willie answer these questions and discuss how the live show went last week…
Twitter: @Empirepoduk
Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com
Goalhangerpodcasts.com
Assistant Producer: Anouska Lewis
Producer: Callum Hill
Exec Producer: Neil Fearn -
167. Paradise Lost: The Taking of Hawaii
On 7th July 1898, President McKinley formally annexed Hawaii, making it a colonial territory of the USA. It was not until 21st August, 1959, that it became the 50th state. Orchestrated by the American planter class in Hawaii, led by Sanford Dole, this annexation was the culmination of a process throughout the 19th century which pushed the native Hawaiian population to the side for commercial gain. Listen as William and Anita look at the taking of the 50th state and the attempts by the last Queen of Hawaii, Lili’uokalani, to fight against the Americans.
Twitter: @Empirepoduk
Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com
Goalhangerpodcasts.com
Assistant Producer: Anouska Lewis
Producer: Callum Hill
Exec Producer: Neil Fearn
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Customer Reviews
Charming and entertaining
Listening to this podcast feels as if you are having a coffee with two very charming and entertaining companions, as you wait to go into a lecture in the history department (or any other department in the arts faculty) of one of the better universities.