Aspects of History

Zeb Baker-Smith
  • 5.0 (4)
  • Books
  • Updated Weekly

Aspects of History interviews historians and authors on the past – from the ancient world right up to the modern day. In each episode, we seek to get to the bottom of a story or scrutinise a figure from history. There are bonus episodes too, from current events to anniversaries.

  1. 1d ago

    Napoleon and his Marshals: Victory, Rivalry, Betrayal with Andrew Roberts

    Napoleon’s marshals were among the most formidable soldiers of the Napoleonic Wars, rising from backgrounds ranging from the working classes to the old aristocracy to become the senior military figures of the French Empire. But behind the battlefield victories lay a complicated world of rivalries, ambition, wealth, infidelity and fierce competition for Napoleon’s favour. In this episode of the ⁠Aspects of History⁠ podcast, ⁠Andrew Roberts joins ⁠Phil Craig⁠ to discuss his new book, ⁠⁠Napoleon and his Marshals. They explore Napoleon’s relationship with his commanders, his extraordinary micromanagement, the rivalries that increasingly undermined the Grande Armée, and the ways in which his marshals’ ambitions and personal loyalties shaped the course of the wars. Andrew also considers the marshals’ roles in the collapse of Napoleon’s empire, from the disasters of Spain and Russia to Waterloo and the Hundred Days. He also gives his verdict in the ultimate Napoleonic pub quiz – identifying the bravest, maddest, cleverest, luckiest and least pleasant of Napoleon’s commanders – and reflects on whether his own view of Napoleon has changed after a lifetime spent studying him. Episode Links Napoleon and his Marshals: Victory, Rivalry, Betrayal Andrew Links Andrew online⁠ Andrew ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠on Twitter/X Andrew on Facebook Phil Links Phil ⁠⁠online⁠⁠ Phil on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Scandal Mongers⁠⁠⁠ Phil on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter /X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Phil on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ Aspects of History Links AoH ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠online⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ AoH on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter /X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ AoH on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ AoH on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  2. Oct 2

    ⁠Plunder: The Last of the War in Europe, 1945⁠ with Max Hastings

    As the Second World War in Europe entered its final weeks, the outcome was no longer in doubt – but the fighting continued with extraordinary intensity. From the Allied crossing of the Rhine and the German defence of their homeland to the liberation of Belsen and the final bombing raids, the last days of the war were marked by courage, confusion, brutality and tragedy. In this episode of the Aspects of History podcast, Max Hastings joins Phil Craig to discuss his new book, Plunder. They explore why so many German soldiers continued to fight when defeat was inevitable, the persistence of the Nazi killing machine, the liberation of Belsen, and the difficult encounters between Allied troops and those emerging from the camps and prisoner-of-war system. Max also discusses the extraordinary individual stories he uncovered while researching the final weeks of the war and the importance of bearing witness – and why, even after a lifetime of writing about the Second World War, there are still stories that deserve to be better known. Episode Links Plunder: The Last of the War in Europe, 1945 Max Links Max ⁠⁠online⁠⁠ Phil Links Phil ⁠online⁠ Phil on ⁠⁠⁠⁠The Scandal Mongers⁠⁠ Phil on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter /X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Phil on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ Aspects of History Links AoH ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠online⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ AoH on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter /X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ AoH on ⁠Instagram⁠⁠ AoH on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  3. Sep 28

    The House of Cromwell with Miranda Malins

    Thomas Cromwell and Oliver Cromwell are among the most recognisable figures of Tudor and Stuart history – but few people realise that they were related. Separated by a century, their lives were shaped by remarkably similar rises from relative obscurity to the centre of English political life. In this episode of the Aspects of History⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ podcast, historian Miranda Malins joins Mark Turnbull to discuss her new book, ⁠The House of Cromwell. Together they explore the Cromwell family’s origins, its two branches, the wealth and estates inherited from Thomas Cromwell, and how fortunes were made and lost across the Tudor and Stuart periods. Miranda also explores the striking parallels between Thomas and Oliver, from their early obscurity and religious convictions to their relationships with Parliament and the Reformation. The conversation also considers how both men’s reputations have changed over the centuries – and how their family continued to navigate the political and religious upheavals of the 16th and 17th centuries. Episode Links The House of Cromwell: Power, Family and the Making of Modern Britain Miranda Malins Links Miranda ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠online⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Miranda on ⁠⁠Twitter/X⁠⁠ Miranda on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ Miranda on ⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠ Mark Turnbull Links Mark ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠online⁠⁠ Mark on ⁠⁠⁠Twitter/X⁠⁠⁠ Mark on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ Mark on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠ Aspects of History Links AoH ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠online⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ AoH on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter /X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ AoH on Instagram⁠ AoH on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  4. Sep 25

    The Aspects of History Film Club: Pressure with Giles Milton and Henry Thackray

    What happens when one of the most pivotal decisions of the Second World War rests on something as unpredictable as the weather? The new feature film, Pressure, takes us behind the D-Day invasion, where meteorologists and Allied command must decide whether conditions are right for the Normandy landings. In this special ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Aspects of History⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Film Club episode, bestselling historian Giles Milton joins Zeb Baker-Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ again, this time to discuss the historical reality behind the film – from the competing teams of British and American meteorologists to James Stagg’s role in presenting their forecasts to Eisenhower. They discuss what the film gets right and wrong, including its portrayals of Eisenhower and Montgomery, and the figures it leaves out. Zeb is then joined by film editor Henry Thackray⁠ to discuss Pressure as cinema: Andrew Scott and Brendan Fraser’s performances, its chamber-piece structure, use of maps and weather charts, and its attempt to create suspense when the audience already knows the outcome. They also ask whether its intimate approach offers a refreshing alternative to the familiar D-Day blockbuster. Episode Links D-Day: The Soldiers' Story Giles Milton Links Giles ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠online⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Giles on ⁠Twitter/X⁠ Giles on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ Giles on ⁠⁠Facebook⁠ Henry Thackray Links Henry ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠online⁠ Henry on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Aspects of History Links AoH ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠online⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ AoH on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter /X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ AoH on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Zeb Links Zeb on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter /X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Zeb on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ Zeb on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  5. Sep 21

    Deep into the Sixties: Britain 1965–66 with David Kynaston

    The Sixties are often remembered as a decade of sweeping social and cultural change. But how much really changed for ordinary people? From deindustrialisation and urban redevelopment to immigration, race relations and the shifting attitudes of a younger generation, Britain in the mid-1960s was a far more complicated place than the familiar images of the Beatles and a swinging London suggest. In this episode of the podcast, David Kynaston joins Zeb Baker-Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, Editor of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Aspects of History⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, to discuss ⁠Deep into the Sixties: Britain 1965–66, the latest volume in his Tales of a New Jerusalem chronicle of post-war Britain. They dissect the realities behind the decade's reputation for modernisation and liberalisation, and how contemporary diaries, newspapers and personal accounts demonstrate the gap between political and cultural change and everyday life. David also discusses his approach to social history, the value of diaries in capturing the ‘big’ and ‘small’ moments of ordinary lives, and the economic pressures facing Harold Wilson's Labour government. The conversation concludes with England's 1966 World Cup victory, and what that day reveals about Britain and its changing mood. Episode Links Deep into the Sixties: Britain 1965–66 David Kynaston Links David ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠online⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Aspects of History Links AoH ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠online⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ AoH on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter /X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ AoH on Instagram⁠⁠ AoH on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Zeb Links Zeb ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠online⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Zeb on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter /X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Zeb on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠ Zeb on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  6. Sep 18

    Empire at the Edge of the World with Giles Milton

    In the early 20th century, the Arctic remained one of the last great unexplored regions of the world. When the celebrity explorer Vilhjalmur Stefansson sets out to chart its unknown territory, the expedition’s flagship, the Karluk, becomes trapped in the ice, leaving its crew, scientists and Indigenous members facing an extraordinary struggle for survival. In this week's episode of the podcast, bestselling historian Giles Milton joins Zeb Baker-Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, Editor of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Aspects of History⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, to discuss his new book, Empire at the Edge of the World, including the Karluk disaster, Captain Robert Bartlett’s remarkable journey to raise the alarm, and the ill-fated attempt to establish a colony on Wrangel Island. They explore the realities of Arctic exploration, from temperatures of minus 50 degrees to starvation, contaminated food and the treacherous sea ice. Giles also discusses Ada Blackjack, the Indigenous seamstress who found herself stranded on Wrangel Island, and the diaries and accounts that reveal what happened there. From Stefansson’s vision of the Arctic as the future of the world to his eventual fall from celebrity to disgrace, the conversation also considers Wrangel Island’s continuing geopolitical importance a century later. Episode Links Empire at the Edge of the World: Endurance and Madness in the High Arctic Giles Milton Links Giles ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠online⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Giles on Twitter/X Giles on ⁠Instagram⁠ Giles on ⁠Facebook⁠ Aspects of History Links AoH ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠online⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ AoH on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter /X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ AoH on Instagram⁠⁠ AoH on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Zeb Links Zeb on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter /X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Zeb on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠ Zeb on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  7. Sep 14

    The Model Patient with Lucy Ashe

    In 1963, former model Evelyn Westbrook is secretly beginning psychotherapy to understand a recurring nightmare. But as her relationship with Dr Daley develops, her search for answers becomes increasingly unsettling. In this episode of the Aspects of History⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ podcast, author Lucy Ashe joins Ella Beales to discuss The Model Patient, her psychological suspense novel inspired by her own experience of therapy. Together they examine the complex relationship between patient and therapist in the novel, and the narrative's blurred boundary between care and control. Lucy also discusses her character's struggle for autonomy, shifting expectations of women in the 1960s, the role of art in expressing hidden emotions and poses the question of what happens when we trust someone else to help us understand ourselves. Episode Links The Model Patient⁠ Lucy Ashe Links Lucy online ⁠Lucy on Twitter/X⁠ Lucy on Instagram ⁠Lucy on Tiktok Ella Links Ella online Ella on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ Aspects of History Links AoH ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠online⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ AoH on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter /X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ AoH on Instagram⁠ AoH on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  8. Sep 11

    Redwood: The Untold Story of the Cold War's Most Extraordinary Spy with Ben Macintyre

    In the early 80s, at the height of the Cold War, a senior KGB officer in revolutionary Iran offered to spy for Britain. His motivation was deeply personal: desperate to save his marriage, Vladimir Kuzichkin believed the West possessed medicines that could cure his erectile dysfunction. What followed was an extraordinary intelligence operation involving MI6, the KGB, the Iranian Communist Party and a Soviet plot that could have transformed the balance of the Cold War. In this episode of the Aspects of History⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ podcast, bestselling author Ben Macintyre joins Phil Craig to discuss Redwood, his story of Kuzichkin and the young MI6 officer, Ian McCredie, who ran him as a source in one of the most dangerous environments imaginable. Kuzichkin possessed detailed intelligence about a planned Soviet-backed communist coup in Iran, including the networks, personnel and weapons involved. Ben outlines how MI6 handled this highly sensitive intelligence, why it was initially withheld from the Americans, and the extraordinary operation to get Kuzichkin out of Iran. The conversation also considers the consequences of the decision to share Kuzichkin's intelligence with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, and, alongside the geopolitics, brings to life the remarkable human stories at the heart of the operation, from Kuzichkin's new life in Britain to the moral ambiguities faced by those involved. Episode Links Redwood: The Untold Story of the Cold War's Most Extraordinary Spy Ben Links Ben ⁠online⁠ Ben on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter /X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ben on ⁠Facebook⁠ Phil Links Phil online Phil on ⁠⁠⁠The Scandal Mongers⁠ Phil on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter /X⁠⁠⁠⁠ Phil on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ Aspects of History Links AoH ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠online⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ AoH on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter /X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ AoH on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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About

Aspects of History interviews historians and authors on the past – from the ancient world right up to the modern day. In each episode, we seek to get to the bottom of a story or scrutinise a figure from history. There are bonus episodes too, from current events to anniversaries.

Information

  • Creator
    Zeb Baker-Smith
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    358
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Aspects of History
  • Show Website
    Aspects of History

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