Samo Burja – The Great Founder Theory of History

Invest Like the Best | 1 August 2023 | 1h 08m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
Interview with Samo Burja about his Great Founder Theory of History. Argues that a small number of functional institutions founded by exceptional individuals form the core of society. Discusses institutions, the founders behind them, how they rise and why they always fall in the end, human progress, the nature of exceptional founders, and the future of different societies across the world.

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The Fall and Rise of Henry III

History Extra | 4 June 2023 | 0h 51m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
Interview with David Carpenter about his book Henry III: Reform, Rebellion, Civil War, Settlement, 1259-1272. Discusses the tumultuous events of 1258, when the king was removed from power by Simon de Montfort and a council of barons.

See also the History Extra interview about his earlier book on the first part of Henry’s reign.

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Rachel Chrastil on the Franco-Prussian War

History Extra | 1 July 2023 | 0h 40m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
Interview with Rachel Chrastil about her book Bismarck’s War: The Franco-Prussian War and the Making of Modern Europe. Discusses the Franco-Prussian War, which Prussia quickly won, but which left consequences that played out over the following century. Covers Bismarck’s leadership, the Paris Commune and why it fell, whether Prussian victory made German unification inevitable, and whether the French desire for revenge contributed to the First World War.

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Brian Villmoare on The Evolution of Everything: The Patterns and Causes of Big History

New Books Network | 3 April 2023 | 1h 00m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
Interview with Brian Villmoare about his book The Evolution of Everything: The Patterns and Causes of Big History. Traces the forces shaping the history of the world and the natural forces shaping humanity. Casts transformations in agriculture, the Industrial Revolution, the Enlightenment, and modernity in the context of underlying changes in demography, learning, and social organization.

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Ian Mortimer on Medieval Horizons

History Extra | 23 February 2023 | 0h 47m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
Interview with Ian Mortimer about his book Medieval Horizons: Why the Middle Ages Matter. Argues that the medieval period was an age of transformation, from society’s understanding of power to their views on war and exploration. Includes a discussion of the changes wrought by the 5 mph increase in maximum land speed for travel.

I confess I skipped this earlier this year but came back to it after Tyler Cowen’s nudge. This is an outstanding episode about what Cowen suggests will be one of the best books of the year.

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Peter Turchin: End Times

The Book Club | 7 June 2023 | 0h 48m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
Interview with Peter Turchin about his book End Times: Elites, Counter-Elites, and the Path of Political Disintegration. Proposes a scientific theory of history, mapping the underlying forces that have led to the collapse of states from the ancient world to the present day, and warns of very turbulent times ahead.

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