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.

  1. 20h ago

    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 everyone starts wondering: will it all be worth it? Support Western Civ

    48 min

  2. Jun 19

    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 unfolding Mexican Revolution to the south.  Western Civ 2.0

    50 min

  3. Jun 12

    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. Western Civ 2.0

    49 min

  4. Jun 10 ·  Bonus

    Children of Abraham: The 1,400-Year History of Jewish–Muslim Relations

    In this bonus, author interview, I sit down with Marc Baer and discuss his latest book: Children of Abraham: The 1,400-Year History of Jewish–Muslim Relations.  Today, the dominant narrative of the relationship between Jewish and Muslim peoples assumes a long history of violent hostility. In Children of Abraham, historian Marc David Baer lays this myth to rest, showing how Jews and Muslims lived together in the Middle East and Europe, more often in cooperation than in conflict, for more than a millennium. When Islam emerged in the seventh century, Muslims and Jews were bound by shared religious tenets and common cultural practices, and for centuries afterward, they were often allies. Baer introduces readers to Muslim warriors fighting for a medieval Turkish Jewish kingdom on the Caspian Sea, Jewish viziers leading the Muslim sultan’s troops in Spain, and Jewish literary lights and political party leaders in modern Egypt and Iraq. But Baer resists the alluring fable that Jews and Muslims ever lived in interfaith utopia, and he shows how European colonization and nationalism fed the emergence of modern antisemitism and Islamophobia and helped to drive these two peoples further and further apart. Traversing the full spectrum of Jewish–Muslim relations, this is an urgent, essential history for understanding today’s unending conflicts in the Middle East and beyond. Buy The Book HERE

    45 min

  5. Jun 10 ·  Bonus

    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 this feed. For only $2 per month, you get ad-free versions of this feed plus all my bonus content.  You can try a free trial on HERE.

    1h 53m

  6. Jun 5

    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.... Western Civ 2.0

    28 min

  7. May 29

    Episode 538: The Spark

    Somehow, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914, throws the entire world into war. Of course, it was not an accident. The alliance systems, the militarism, the nationalism, all of it conspires to doom Europe to its own destruction. But it all starts with two bullets fired by a nineteen-year-old assassin. Support The Show

    37 min

  8. May 22

    Episode 537: Sleepwalkers

    World War One did not happen accidentally. There were a multitude of factors that led up to the Great War. Today we cover them.  Western Civ 2.0

    1h 2m
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About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    Adam Walsh
  • Years Active
    2014 - 2026
  • Episodes
    591
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright Adam Walsh
  • Show Website
    Western Civ

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