History's Devils

James Crossland

Prof James Crossland takes listeners on a journey through the lives, times and legacies of some of history's worst (and least known) people.

الحلقات

  1. قبل ٤ أيام

    "Ace of Spies" or Ultimate Grifter? Sidney Reilly and the World of British Intelligence

    This episode of HISTORY’S DEVILS delves into the life of Sidney Reilly, a dashing, semi-mythical MI6 officer who has often been referred to – without much reason – as the “Ace of Spies”. James Crossland is joined by Professor Rory Cormac (author of How to Stage a Coup, and Fakers: A Top Secret Tale of Phantoms and Forgeries of the Disinformation Front) for a conversation that explores Reilly’s duality as both a charming spy and a deceitful grifter who worked his way into the British intelligence community whilst building side careers as an arms dealer and radium peddler, all whilst acquiring as many as four wives without ever bother to divorce one of them. Along the way, Reilly allegedly stole German war plans, tried to kill Valdimir Lenin and, in the final act of his melodramatic life, conspired with a supposedly anti-Bolshevik secret society to destroy the Soviet Union from within. Join James and Rory for this wild ride of truths, half-truths and outright lies!   Buy James’ book: https://eandtbooks.com/books/rogue-agent/ Buy Rory’s book: https://www.tgjonesonline.co.uk/Product/Rory-Professor-of-International-Relations-Professor-of-Inter-Cormac/Fakers--A-Top-Secret-Tale-of-Phantoms-and-Forgeries-on-the-Disinformation-Front-Line/15874311     Further Reading Andrew Cook, Ace of Spies: The True Story of Sidney Reilly (History Press, 2004) Robin Bruce Lockhart, Reilly: Ace of Spies (1967) James Crossland, Rogue Agent: From Secret Plots of the Psychological Warfare, the Untold Story of Robert Bruce Lockhart (Elliot & Thompson, 2024) Keith Jeffrey, MI6: The History of the Secret Intelligence Service, 1909-1949 (Bloomsbury, 2010)     Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Sidney Reilly: The Ace of Spies 04:34 The Duality of Sidney Reilly: Hero or Villain? 08:52 Reilly's Early Life and Transformation 12:50 The Rise of a Bigamist: Sidney Reilly's Marriages 25:33 The Legend of the Ace of Spies: Myths and Reality 30:37 The Problem with Historical Sources 31:00 Reilly's War-time Activities 34:15 MI6's Role in America 35:50 The Black Tom Explosion 37:14 Reilly's Recruitment into MI6 40:21 The Bolshevik Revolution and Reilly's Role 42:14 The Lockhart Plot 46:09 Reilly's Failures in Espionage 48:04 Double-Crossing and Confusion 50:23 Reilly's Later Years and Grifting 54:08 “The Trust” and Reilly’s Final Mission 56:21 The Mysterious Death of Sidney Reilly 59:34 The Enduring Legend of the Ace of Spies Music by SOULFULJAMTRACKS Follow HISTORY's DEVILS On Instagram @historysdevils https://www.instagram.com/historysdevils/ On Substack https://jamescrossland.substack.com/ Follow JAMES CROSSLAND On Bluesky @jamescrossland.bsky.social https://bsky.app/profile/jamescrossland.bsky.social

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  2. ١٩ فبراير

    Nathan Bedford Forrest: Massacre-Ordering General and First Grand Wizard of the KKK

    This episode of History's Devils delves into the life of Nathan Bedford Forrest, a Confederate general and the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. Joined by the incomparable Edd Mair, James explores Forrest's early life, his rise in the Confederate army, the controversial Battle of Fort Pillow, and his post-war activities, including his leadership in the KKK. The discussion highlights the complexities of Forrest's character, his motivations, and the lasting impact of his actions on American history, particularly in relation to race and the legacy of the Civil War. Further Reading John Allen Wyeth, That Devil Forrest: The Life of General Nathan Bedford Forrest (Quatarro, 2016) Court Carney, Reckoning with the Devil: Nathan Bedford Forrest in Myth and Memory (Louisianna State Press, 2024) Susan Campbell Bartoletti, They Call Themselves the KKK: Birth of an American Terrorist Group (Clarion, 2014) Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Nathan Bedford Forrest 02:58 Early Life and Character of Forrest 05:55 Forrest's Rise in the Confederate Army 09:06 The Civil War and Economic Motivations 11:51 Forrest's Military Tactics and Leadership 14:36 The Battle of Fort Pillow: A Controversial Legacy 17:34 The Aftermath of the Civil War and Reconstruction 20:13 Forrest's Involvement with the Ku Klux Klan 35:11 The Origins of the Ku Klux Klan 36:04 The Evolution of the Klan: From Pranks to Terrorism 37:50 The Klan's Structure and Governance 39:15 Psychological Fractures  41:59 The Klan's Political Aspirations and Violence 44:42 The Klan's Influence in the 1868 Election 47:46 Ulysses S. Grant and the Suppression of the Klan 54:02 The Decline of the First Klan and Its Legacy 58:31 Nathan Bedford Forrest's Later Life and Controversies 01:00:47 The Legacy of Confederate Statues and Memorialization Music by SOULFULJAMTRACKS Follow HISTORY's DEVILS On Instagram @historysdevils https://www.instagram.com/historysdevils/ On Substack https://jamescrossland.substack.com/ Follow JAMES CROSSLAND On Bluesky @jamescrossland.bsky.social https://bsky.app/profile/jamescrossland.bsky.social

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  3. First Fascists: How Posh Dreamers, Military Washouts and Thugs Brought Poison to Britain

    ٧ فبراير

    First Fascists: How Posh Dreamers, Military Washouts and Thugs Brought Poison to Britain

    In this inaugural episode of HISTORY’S DEVILS, James Crossland and Jayne Friend answer the question of where British Fascism came from, by dialling the clock back a hundred years to the 1920s. In doing so, they delve into the life of Rotha Lintorn Orman – the little-known upper-class alcoholic tomboy who became Britain’s first fascist – and her gang of military has-beens, street-fighters and conspiracy theorists who in 1923 dubbed themselves the British Fascisti. In doing so, Lintorn Orman created a movement that has persist for over a hundred years, rising to prominence in our own times via a new generation of racists, grifters and ambitious politicians.  Just try and get through this first episode without feeling the weight of Britain's past on the back of the present. Follow Jayne Friend on Instagram @drjaynefriend Further Reading Robert Benewick, A Study of British Fascism: Political Violence & Public Order (London: Allen Lane, 1969) Julie Gottlieb, Feminine Fascism: Women in Britain’s Fascist Movement, 1923-1945 (London: I.B. Taurus, 2000) Martin Pugh, Hurrah for the Blackshirts!: Fascists and Fascism in Britain Between the Wars (London: Pimlico, 2006) Music by SOULFULJAMTRACKS Follow HISTORY's DEVILS On Instagram @historysdevils https://www.instagram.com/historysdevils/ On Substack https://jamescrossland.substack.com/ Follow JAMES CROSSLAND On Bluesky @jamescrossland.bsky.social https://bsky.app/profile/jamescrossland.bsky.social

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حول

Prof James Crossland takes listeners on a journey through the lives, times and legacies of some of history's worst (and least known) people.

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  • صناع العمل
    James Crossland
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  • الحلقات
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    فاضح
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    © 2026 History's Devils
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    History's Devils