For more than a decade, the Explaining History Podcast has helped listeners around the world make sense of modern history. What began in 2012 as a simple experiment—short, accessible episodes explaining major historical events—has grown into a long-running library of carefully researched, thoughtful explorations of the 20th and 21st centuries.
This page introduces new listeners to the podcast, explains what makes it different from other history shows, and offers curated paths into more than a thousand episodes.
If you’re searching for a history podcast that goes deeper than anecdotes or trivia, this is where to begin.
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This pivotal referendum reshaped the Constitution, but left unresolved issues of land rights and discrimination, setting a complex legacy for Aboriginal activism.
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Australia’s post-war immigration policy, championed by Arthur Calwell, sought to ‘populate or perish,’ inviting over a million displaced persons and refugees. Despite assimilation promises, migrants were integral to shaping the nation, quietly defying assimilation and becoming architects of Menzies-era prosperity.
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In the 20th century, unprecedented human mobility reshaped nations and cultures. Driven by war and ideology, millions moved across borders, challenging state-imposed controls. Discover how this century’s migrations became a catalyst for global change.
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Global migration fuels an economic powerhouse: remittances soar past $850 billion in 2024, reshaping economies and global power dynamics.
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The Philippines’ colonial shift from Spanish to American rule ignited a cultural revolution in the 1920s and 1930s, as Filipino intellectuals, inspired by Rizal, creatively engaged with a new colonial language and ideology. Through literature and art, they challenged and transformed American imperialism, crafting a modern Filipino identity that was both cosmopolitan and uniquely resilient.
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India’s diaspora transcends borders, wielding economic might and cultural influence. As a superpower of soft power and global capital, this vibrant community reshapes societies worldwide.
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From steamship holds to digital visas, the evolution of global migration reshapes borders and governance. Discover how technology and ambition redefine the journey of today’s world travelers.
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The evolution of the ‘évolué’ and ‘assimilado’ was a calculated colonial strategy to quell resistance, promising European citizenship in exchange for cultural surrender.
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I’ve spent a lot of time recently reflecting on how we teach and learn the history of the Civil Rights movement. In the UK, and indeed in much of the US, the narrative is often sanitized into a series of Southern milestones: the bus boycotts in Montgomery, the dogs of Birmingham, the bridge at Selma, and the soaring rhetoric of Dr. King at the Lincoln Memorial. It is a story of legal triumphs—the dismantling of de jure segregation. But as I discussed in the latest episode of the Explaining History podcast, if we stop the clock in 1964 with the…
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France and Portugal’s assimilation schemes promised citizenship but concealed racial divides, fueling identity crises and revolutionary movements.
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In the turbulent interwar Middle East, Atatürk and Reza Shah Pahlavi launched ambitious modernization campaigns, aiming to transform their societies into secular republics. Their top-down reforms sparked a cultural crisis as they clashed with existential doubts and traditional identities.
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From rubble and refugee chaos emerged the foundation for today’s international refugee framework
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Rabat’s Ville Nouvelle and New Delhi’s architectural feats were not just cities but powerful ideological statements. As French and British architects crafted their grand visions, they visually reinforced colonial hierarchies, leaving a legacy of imperial dreams that proved fragile.
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In the vibrant interwar cities of Bombay, Shanghai, and Cairo, modernity exploded with a unique twist. These cosmopolitan metropolises weren’t just imitators of Western ideals; they thrived as dynamic hubs where global influences collided. From art deco cinemas to jazz-filled nightclubs, these cities forged a modern urban culture that challenged colonial dominance and reshaped local traditions.
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Paris during the interwar period became a crucible for change, where colonial subjects from Africa and the Caribbean catalyzed a cultural revolution known as Négritude. This intellectual movement, spearheaded by Aimé Césaire, Léopold Sédar Senghor, and Léon-Gontran Damas, was not just a literary trend but a bold challenge to French colonialism, reclaiming Black identity and critiquing the empire’s foundations.
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The 20th century redefined global labour migration with the rise of temporary guest workers, transforming economies through transient yet crucial labor cycles. Discover how these programs shaped modern capitalism’s heart.
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The decline of the Ottoman Empire was not a single event but a slow, agonizing process of attrition. Throughout the 19th century, the “Sick Man of Europe” lost territory piece by piece—Algeria to France, Egypt to Britain. But the final act began in 1911, not in the Balkans or the Caucasus, but on the sands of North Africa. In this week’s podcast, I explored the Italian invasion of Libya, a conflict that is often overlooked but was pivotal in setting the stage for the First World War. The Latecomer to Empire Italy, unified only in 1871, was desperate to join…
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Key History Topics
Global History: Key Topics
- The Rise and Fall of Neoliberalism
- The Partition of India
- The Great Depression and the Collapse of Global Trade
- The Cultural Revolution in China
- The Mexican Revolution
- The Creation of the United Nations
- The Iranian Revolution
- The Marshall Plan and the Reconstruction of Europe
- The First Indochina War
- The Global Anti Apartheid Movement
- The Holocaust: Bureacracy and Genocide
- Korea: War, Division, Development
- Operation Condor
- The Bandung Conference
- The Rwandan Genocide
- Stalin and the transformation of the USSR 1924-41
- Pakistan from Independence to Belt and Road
- The Civil Rights Movement
- The 1911 Revolution and the fall of the Qing dynasty
- Watergate and Nixon’s Legacy
- The Arab-Israeli War of 1948 and Its Aftermath
- Ghana’s Independence and the ‘Year of Africa’
- The West German Republic: From Ruins to Reunification
- The Space Race and the Cold War
- Bangladesh war of Liberation
- The Sykes Picot Agreement and the conquest of the Middle East
- The Collapse of Yugoslavia
- Deng Xiaoping and the transformation of China
- The Fall of France, 1940
- The Spanish Civil War: A Global Struggle