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After February 1917 the Provisional Government had a weak grasp on power, a fact that was exploited by the Bolsheviks in order to seize power in October. This study podcast explores how the Bolsheviks were able to seize power from a position of relative weakness. I will be running a livestream Q&A for students on Wednesday November 20th. You can access it here, subscribe to the channel to get your reminder. Help the podcast to continue bringing you history each weekIf you enjoy the Explaining Hi
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By March 1917 a new system of dual power had established itself in the capital city Petrograd. The Provisional Government, a group comprised of the Tsar’s former ministers who refused to disband, and the Petrograd Soviet, a meeting of delegates from the committees established in factories and army regiments, existed in an uneasy partnership with one another. This episode of our AQA Revolution and Dictatorship 1917-53 study course explores in depth these two organisations and how their dysfunctio
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This episode is for all students of A Level Russian history, and it follows the AQA syllabus. In this episode we will explore the events of the February Revolution and the Tsar’s catastrophic mishandling of the protests that began in Petrograd.Help the podcast to continue bringing you history each weekIf you enjoy the Explaining History podcast and its many years of content and would like to help the show continue, please consider supporting it in the following ways:If you want to go ad-free, yo
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How did people outside Petrograd hear about the events of February 1917? News spread quickly to cities like Kazan and Nizhni Novgorod due to the telegraph and train but more slowly in the towns and villages. The revolution was not experienced by all Russians, at all times in the same way. Instead the fragmented nature of Russia, its geography and sparse population presented the new Provisional Government with challenges in explaining to some Russians who it was that now ruled them. Help the podc
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This episode is for all students of A Level Russian history, and it follows the AQA syllabus. In this episode we will explore the context to Russia on the eve of revolution and the influence that the country’s geography, class system and autocracy had, along with the impact of the war.Subscribe for weekly updatesHelp the podcast to continue bringing you history each weekIf you enjoy the Explaining History podcast and its many years of content and would like to help the show continue, please cons
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In this week’s episode we hear from writer Toby Manning whose new book, Mixing Pop and Politics explores a Marxist history of popular music and examines the economic and social forces that make the phenomenon that is popular music and culture. In a wide ranging conversation that explores everything from Beyonce’s country album, John Lennon’s Working Class Hero, the intersection with queer culture and representation, Queen’s commercial suicide in USA following the video for I want to break free,
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Description:In this insightful episode of the Explaining History Podcast, we delve into a pivotal period in British history – the years 1968-1970 under the leadership of Prime Minister Harold Wilson and his Chancellor of the Exchequer, Roy Jenkins. Drawing from Kenneth O. Morgan’s meticulously researched book “The People’s Peace,” we explore the significant economic challenges and austerity measures that defined this era.As Britain faced mounting economic pressures, Wilson and Jenkins’s policies
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In this episode of the Explaining History podcast, we dive deep into the complex legacy of Che Guevara, the iconic revolutionary figure whose image has transcended generations. Our special guest, acclaimed author Otto English, joins us to discuss his new book, “Fake Heroes,” which critically examines the myths and realities surrounding Che Guevara.English, known for his incisive analysis and engaging storytelling, sheds light on the lesser-known aspects of Guevara’s life and the consequences of
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In this compelling episode of Explaining History, we delve deep into the ideological and historical currents that gave rise to Maoism, the influential doctrine of China’s revolutionary leader, Mao Zedong. Drawing from Julia Lovell’s profound work, “Maoism: A Global History,” we aim to demystify Mao’s philosophy and its global impact.Our exploration takes us from the early seeds of Mao’s political thought, encapsulated in his infamous aphorism “Power comes from the barrel of a gun,” to its implem
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Join us on this episode of Explaining History, where we journey back to one of the most politically turbulent eras in American history. We’re privileged to have Mary McNeil, a renowned historian and scholar, as our guide through the labyrinth of events that transpired from the release of the Pentagon Papers to the fall of the Nixon administration in the Watergate scandal.Mary elucidates the critical roles that Daniel Ellsberg and John Dean played in these defining moments of the early 1970s. She