In episode 7 of our podcast series History Books, we look at how a great war broke out in the American south-west

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The podcast is on a book called The Wrath of Cochise by David Mort.

The book is about the disputes that led the outbreak of the Apache Wars. The Apache Wars were a series of conflicts between the United States and a number of Apache nations fought in the American Southwest from the mid-nineteenth century until the 1880s.

And as we shall soon see, a key factor in their starting was that in February 1861, the twelve-year-old son of Arizona rancher John Ward was kidnapped by Apaches. Ward followed their trail and reported the incident to patrols at Fort Buchanan, blaming a band of Chiricahuas led by the infamous warrior Cochise.

The book then tells the story of how events dramatically escalated, leading to the death of many and the destruction of parts of the states of Arizona and New Mexico. As well as the devastation of a way of life.

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If you enjoy the podcast, you can purchase the book here: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Take care,

George Levrier-Jones

email: info@itshistorypodcasts.com

web:www.itshistorypodcasts.com

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In episode 6 of our podcast series History Books, we look at a terrible crime in 1850s London.

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The podcast is on a book called The Secret Life of Celestina Sommer – Victorian Child Killer by David J. Vaughan.

Celestina Sommer had a tragic upbringing. Pregnant at seventeen, with no support and little more compassion, she relinquished her infant to the baby-farmers. Eleven years on and married, she endured not only vilification but domestic abuse - the man she trusted turning on her with misogynistic cruelty endorsed by a society turning its blind, masculine eye.

The book tells the story about the awful truth of Celestina’s short, tragic life and reveals exactly why she avoided the hangman's noose. Her heart-rending story follows the world's reaction to her crime: parliamentary debates, press outrage, allegations of royal collusion, garishly explicit reports of her trials at the Old Bailey and, finally, her collapse into madness as she struggles through a harsh Victorian penal system and, at the very end, Britain's foremost criminal lunatic asylum of the age.

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If you enjoy the podcast, you can purchase the book here: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Take care,

George Levrier-Jones

PS – just to inform you, this podcast is of a darker nature than some of our other podcasts.

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In episode 5 of our series History Books, we look at a fascinating tale of history and fiction.

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This podcast is on a book called A Captive Life by Helen Saker-Parsons.

This is a historical fiction book set in Italy during World War 2. The book’s main protagonist is Richard Bartlett, a British soldier who had lived a sheltered existence under the protection of his mother until war broke out. Then he went to war after World War 2 broke out; alas though, he was soon to be captured in Italy and taken prisoner.

He goes on to take charge of troops in a prisoner of war camp and then has to manage as change envelops them at every turn. First Italy starts to weaken, then Mussolini is deposed, but German troops are moved to Italy in order to combat Allied Forces. Amid all this change Bartlett has to manage himself and others. But the real challenge starts when the Italians finally surrender.

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If you enjoy the podcast, you can purchase the book here: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Take care,

George Levrier-Jones

email: info@itshistorypodcasts.com

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In episode 4 of our series History Books, we look at the history of a very different type of KGB spy in the Cold War.

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In a previous episode in this series we looked at Stalin’s Gulags; this time we are back with the Soviets in Cold War Radio: The Dangerous History of American Broadcasting in Europe, 1950 – 1989 by Richard H. Cummings.

Cold War Radio refers to Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty. These are radio stations that still exist and are funded by the US Congress. They seek to provide information to those parts of Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East where there is not a free flow of information. That is, in those countries with more limited freedom of speech and press.

Any why is this story different? Well, because it involves a rather uncommon type of spy. A female. And there’s more. She was from the West and hardly supportive of Soviet aims.

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If you enjoy the podcast, you can purchase the book here: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Take care,

George Levrier-Jones

email: info@itshistorypodcasts.com

web:www.itshistorypodcasts.com

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In the last episode we looked at Stalin’s Gulags; this time we consider his arch-enemy in the book Reaction, Revolution and the Birth of Nazism: Germany 1918-1923 by Nick Shepley

The book tells the story of events in Germany in the years after World War I. These were years of great strife and change in the country. There was gross political instability following the German defeat in the war, with groups on both the political left and right trying to stake their claim to power. Indeed, the book argues that Germany at the time was involved in a three-way fight. Firstly, there were left-leaning groups. Secondly, there were traditional conservative elements, the old elite. And thirdly, there were radical right-wing groups.

This episode picks up the rise of the Nazis in the early 1920s, and the extreme lengths that Adolf Hitler went to in order to gain power.

Now, I hope that you enjoy the audio.

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And if you enjoy the podcast, you can purchase the book here: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Take care,

George Levrier-Jones

email: info@itshistorypodcasts.com

web:www.itshistorypodcasts.com

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Our series, History Books, continues with a book about a man who was deported to a Soviet prison camp, a Gulag, before escaping.

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Following our look at last words in the previous episode of History Books, this time we consider the book Two Years in a Gulag by Frank Pleszak.

The book is a personal journey. In the book Frank tries to find out about what happened to his father, somebody who was sent away from his native Poland to one of the toughest of the Gulag Soviet labor camps. That deportation happened following the 1939 invasion of eastern Poland by the USSR after the division of Poland between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.

One of the aspects of the book that I found interesting is that it mixes both a personal account with an overview of historical events that I was not always greatly aware of. For example, Frank explains the detail of the Nazi-Soviet invasion of Poland at the start of the book and then what happened once they assumed power in Poland.

Now, I hope that you enjoy the audio.

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And if you enjoy the podcast, you can purchase the book here: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Take care,

George Levrier-Jones

email: info@itshistorypodcasts.com

web: www.itshistorypodcasts.com

facebook: click here

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rss feed | iTunes | History Books page | Other listening options

Firstly, just what is History Books?!

Well, the series will feature readings from a variety of history related books about different topics in history. From the Nazis to Abraham Lincoln, and Gulags to prisoners in Italy in World War II, we will provide you with something different and intriguing in each episode.

And in this episode we look at a book that is a fascinating read and a great historical document – Last Words of the Executed. It pulls together the last words of those people who were killed by the government in America for their crimes from the 17th century onwards. It starts by discussing why we would want to know the last words of those who have committed the most heinous crimes possible in society, and briefly looks at the history of the death penalty. And that is where we begin this audio podcast…

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And if you enjoy the podcast, you can purchase the book here: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Take care,

George Levrier-Jones

email: info@itshistorypodcasts.com

web: www.itshistorypodcasts.com

facebook: click here

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rss feed | iTunes | American Revolution page | Other listening options

Today, we see what happened in the fateful years of 1777 and 1778, years of great contrast in the war. In 1777, the British were trying to ambitiously destroy American forces. They had a major force in the north, and another further south that was to attack Philadelphia, the seat of the rebel Continental Congress. These moves would lead to a seismic shift in the war and led to the Great Powers of Europe becoming involved in it.

We can even say that these years made the war.

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Take care,

George Levrier-Jones

email: info@itshistorypodcasts.com

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rss feed | iTunes | American Revolution page | Other listening options

In this episode we see what happened on the fateful day of April 19 1775 and understand how one single shot became so very important. We will also see what happened over the course of 1775 and a very famous declaration that took place in 1776, as well as the Battle of Bunker Hill, fighting in Canada, and the Battle of Long Island.

In short, we see how the war really broke out.

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Take care,

George Levrier-Jones

email: info@itshistorypodcasts.com

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rss feed | iTunes | American Revolution page | Other listening options

This revolution had it all. A yearning desire for liberty, great battles, constantly shifting sands, a result which left the world in a very different place. It also happened at a time when the world was going through a new stage of globalization and so set the tone for what was to happen in the revolutionary and colonial late 18th and 19th centuries.

And in this episode we set the scene to the war by telling you about 18th century America, the French and Indian War, and those major events that happened in the years before the American Revolutionary War or the American War of Independence broke out. The Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, and the Continental Congress were just a few of these events…

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Take care,

George Levrier-Jones

email: info@itshistorypodcasts.com

web: www.itshistorypodcasts.com

facebook: click here

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In an unstable world, how do you know who your friends and enemies are?

You don\u2019t.

The Cold War was international affairs for the second\nhalf of the 20th Century. Nuclear weapons testing, civil wars in all\ncorners of the globe and the race for economic dominance were all key spheres\nof the Cold War, although they were just a few elements of a very complex\nglobal puzzle. More so than the great battles between Carthage and Rome in\nAncient times or the Napoleonic Wars, the Cold War defined our world. But,\nthere was one key difference between the Cold War and earlier major wars. Due\nto advances in technology and communications, the Cold War touched most\ncountries on earth.

This introduction to the middle years of the Cold War\ntells the story of the great clash between the Communist Soviet Union and the\ncapitalist USA. It considers events in an intriguing age for international\nrelations. Following the Cuban Missile Crisis, there were calls to avert the\nrisk of another nuclear near-miss, and this did lead to an improvement in the\nsuper-power relationship; however, underneath this improvement, there remained\ngreat tension. To further complicate the situation, China and Europe both\nbecame increasingly powerful and assertive. In the world of the 1960s and 1970s,\nit was hard to know who to trust and who to fear.

The topics in the\nbook include:

• The Vietnam War and its\nimpact on the Cold War
• Decolonization and the\nopportunities that arose from it for the super-powers
• The growing power of Western\nEurope and a major change in Czechoslovakia
• The historic changes in the\nrelationship between Mao Zedong\u2019s China and the super-powers
• The super-powers as friends?\nD\u00E9tente, Richard Nixon, and Leonid Brezhnev
• The major nuclear agreements\nand the arms race
• How serious tensions emerged\nonce more

The approximately 90-page book is the perfect complement\nto the Cold War History audio series that is available as part of the \u2018History in 28-minutes\u2019 podcasts.

George Levrier-Jones

In an unstable world, how do you know who your friends and enemies are?

You don’t.

The Cold War was international affairs for the second half of the 20th Century. Nuclear weapons testing, civil wars in all corners of the globe and the race for economic dominance were all key spheres of the Cold War, although they were just a few elements of a very complex global puzzle. More so than the great battles between Carthage and Rome in Ancient times or the Napoleonic Wars, the Cold War defined our world. But, there was one key difference between the Cold War and earlier major wars. Due to advances in technology and communications, the Cold War touched most countries on earth.

This introduction to the middle years of the Cold War tells the story of the great clash between the Communist Soviet Union and the capitalist USA. It considers events in an intriguing age for international relations. Following the Cuban Missile Crisis, there were calls to avert the risk of another nuclear near-miss, and this did lead to an improvement in the super-power relationship; however, underneath this improvement, there remained great tension. To further complicate the situation, China and Europe both became increasingly powerful and assertive. In the world of the 1960s and 1970s, it was hard to know who to trust and who to fear.

The topics in the book include:

• The Vietnam War and its impact on the Cold War
• Decolonization and the opportunities that arose from it for the super-powers
• The growing power of Western Europe and a major change in Czechoslovakia
• The historic changes in the relationship between Mao Zedong’s China and the super-powers
• The super-powers as friends? Détente, Richard Nixon, and Leonid Brezhnev
• The major nuclear agreements and the arms race
• How serious tensions emerged once more

The approximately 90-page book is the perfect complement to the Cold War History audio series that is available as part of the ‘History in 28-minutes’ podcasts.

George Levrier-Jones

rss feed | iTunes | Cold War page | Other listening options

Following our podcast on Brezhnev, we shall be looking at one of the most famous Communist leaders of all time, and almost certainly the most well-known Cuban in the world. He was also one of the longest serving leaders of the 20th Century, and somebody who inspires both fierce praise and fierce criticism, as well as somebody who was at the center of the most dangerous event of the Cold War.

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Take care,

George Levrier-Jones

PS – the new series will be on the American Revolution. Make sure you’re connected with us for updates on when the series will be out.

email: info@itshistorypodcasts.com

web: www.itshistorypodcasts.com

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rss feed | iTunes | Cold War page | Other listening options

Leonid Brezhnev was the dominant force in Soviet politics during the middle period of the Cold War and led his country at the same time as Nixon, our previous Cold War People subject. We have previously seen the rise and fall of detente during Brezhnev’s years in power, and how in the 1970s, under Brezhnev’s watch, the USSR became more involved in military endeavors in other countries. Today, we will see the wider changes he undertook in Soviet society, and reflect on his economic legacy, something that would be key as the 1980s wore on.

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Hope you enjoy!

George Levrier-Jones

email: info@itshistorypodcasts.com

web: www.itshistorypodcasts.com

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One of the best and worst of America’s Presidents is the subject of today’s podcast.

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Following our look at Charles de Gaulle, this week we are looking at a very different man, a man who started his political career as an arch anti-Communist and who is remembered for many of the wrong things. But in fact, he played a crucial and constructive role in the Cold War during the Détente years, most notably for his dealings with China. In this episode, we look at Richard M Nixon’s wider life and times.

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Enjoy it!

George Levrier-Jones

email: info@itshistorypodcasts.com

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The leader of the Free French forces and perhaps the greatest Frenchman of the 20th Century is the subject of today’s episode. Charles de Gaulle.

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Today we look at a man who was both similar and different to the subject of our last podcast, Ho Chi Minh. De Gaulle was a strong-willed, fiery character and he was very nationalistic. And as well as leading the Free French forces during World War 2, he would later take on another very important role. He even started his own political creed, and also caused major disputes with his Cold War allies in the 1960s.

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Happy listening!

George Levrier-Jones

email: info@itshistorypodcasts.com

web: www.itshistorypodcasts.com

facebook: click here

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rss feed | iTunes | Cold War page | Other listening options

Much like the man we looked at in the last podcast, Mao Zedong, Ho was an East Asian Communist revolutionary. He was involved in the Communist movement and had wanted to create a Communist Vietnam for many years even before he got close to having his wish fulfilled. Previously, we have seen him play a key role in the Vietnam War, but in this episode we briefly look at his wider life.

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See you soon,

George Levrier-Jones

email: info@itshistorypodcasts.com

web: www.itshistorypodcasts.com

facebook: click here

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rss feed | iTunes | Cold War page | Other listening options

Following our episode on JFK, we’re here with an episode on one of the most important people in the whole Cold War – Chairman Mao Zedong.

He was dominant for decades after taking power in Communist China. He was often more hard-line than Soviet leaders. His views caused rifts with the Soviets as well as the Americans in the Cold War. A truly unique character, his policies also caused havoc within China, and he had a long and winding life before he even took power.

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See you soon,

George Levrier-Jones

email: info@itshistorypodcasts.com

web: www.itshistorypodcasts.com

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Our final episode on the Spanish Civil War looks at how the war ended and its bloody aftermath.

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We left you last time with a weakened and divided Republic. In November 1938, the Republicans retreated back across the River Ebro having been outfought by the Nationalist’s superior forces in the Battle of the Ebro. The Republican’s threw all of their energies into that battle, but failed in their objectives.

This episode considers the aftermath of that battle, including the Nationalist advance on Catalonia, how the war ended, another internal civil war, and the bloody transformation that occurred in the years and decades after the war.

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See you soon,

George Levrier-Jones

email: info@itshistorypodcasts.com

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Episode 4 in our Spanish Civil War history series looks at the key stages in the war.

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We left you last time in 1937 in a Spain that was increasingly reflecting the great divide that had occurred in Europe between right and left. On one side were the Nationalists, under the strong conservative leadership of General Franco. On the other, were the Republicans, with a Socialist Prime Minister, but increasing Communist influence.

The Nationalists had the upper hand in the first stages of the war, although the situation was starting to become more complex. The Republicans were trying to smash the Nationalist lines, while the Nationalists were trying to take the Republican’s territory in the east and north. This episode considers events as 1937 turned in to 1938, and ends by considering the greatest battle of the war.

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See you soon,

George Levrier-Jones

email: info@itshistorypodcasts.com

web: www.itshistorypodcasts.com

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Our new book is FREE INSTANTLY until May 29th. Grab your copy now while you still can!

Our new book is FREE INSTANTLY until May 29th. Grab your copy now while you still can!

\u200B

So, you think that World War 2 began in 1939?

Then you\u2019re evidently not familiar with the Spanish Civil War.

The\n war was Spain\u2019s Great War. The country suffered death, destruction, and\n repression on an unprecedented scale. There were large-scale military \nbattles that left tens of thousands dead. The world witnessed some of \nthe largest air battles that it had ever seen. People from all parts of \nsociety, from labor unionists to priests, were heartlessly murdered. \nExtremists and radical groups saw an exponential rise in their size and \ninfluence.

But, it was not just Spain that experienced its Civil\n War. The Spanish Civil War was also Europe\u2019s and the world\u2019s war. There\n was significant international involvement and interest in the war from \nthe start, and it was a microcosm of the far greater war that was to \nfollow it. It involved battles between democracy and dictatorship, \nFascism and Communism, Germany and the USSR. The Great Powers of Europe \ntested out military strategies and new technologies, while tens of \nthousands of idealistic foreigners joined the war to battle against \nFascism. At the same time, the great democracies of Britain and France \nplayed a more muddled role.

This introduction to the Spanish \nCivil War is the second book from George Levrier-Jones. The book \nconsiders the brutal war that arose between the political left and right\n in Spain over the years 1936-1939.

The topics in the book include:

\u2022\t19th Century Spain and the path that led to the Spanish Second Republic\u2022\tThe chronic instability and changes of the Spanish Second Republic\u2022\tThe major differences between the two sides\u2022\tHow the 1936 election led to the Spanish Civil War breaking out\u2022\tInternational involvement and the instability of 1930s Europe\u2022\tWhy the Great Powers of Europe intervened in the war\u2022\tThe early Nationalist advances in the war\u2022\tHow General Francisco Franco consolidated the Nationalist side\u2022\tThe civil war within the Spanish Civil War\u2022\tThe great Republican counter-attacks and General Franco\u2019s responses\u2022\tEvents across Spain from Madrid to the Basque Country, and Barcelona to Valencia\u2022\tThe closing stages of the war\u2022\tWhat the victors did in the years and decades after winning the war

So, you think that World War 2 began in 1939?

Then you’re evidently not familiar with the Spanish Civil War.

The war was Spain’s Great War. The country suffered death, destruction, and repression on an unprecedented scale. There were large-scale military battles that left tens of thousands dead. The world witnessed some of the largest air battles that it had ever seen. People from all parts of society, from labor unionists to priests, were heartlessly murdered. Extremists and radical groups saw an exponential rise in their size and influence.

But, it was not just Spain that experienced its Civil War. The Spanish Civil War was also Europe’s and the world’s war. There was significant international involvement and interest in the war from the start, and it was a microcosm of the far greater war that was to follow it. It involved battles between democracy and dictatorship, Fascism and Communism, Germany and the USSR. The Great Powers of Europe tested out military strategies and new technologies, while tens of thousands of idealistic foreigners joined the war to battle against Fascism. At the same time, the great democracies of Britain and France played a more muddled role.

This introduction to the Spanish Civil War is the second book from George Levrier-Jones. The book considers the brutal war that arose between the political left and right in Spain over the years 1936-1939.

The topics in the book include:

• 19th Century Spain and the path that led to the Spanish Second Republic• The chronic instability and changes of the Spanish Second Republic• The major differences between the two sides• How the 1936 election led to the Spanish Civil War breaking out• International involvement and the instability of 1930s Europe• Why the Great Powers of Europe intervened in the war• The early Nationalist advances in the war• How General Francisco Franco consolidated the Nationalist side• The civil war within the Spanish Civil War• The great Republican counter-attacks and General Franco’s responses• Events across Spain from Madrid to the Basque Country, and Barcelona to Valencia• The closing stages of the war• What the victors did in the years and decades after winning the war

The approximately 100-page book is the perfect complement to the Spanish Civil War History audio series that is available as part of the ‘History in 28-minutes’ podcasts.

So come and join the past – buy the book now!

George Levrier-Jones

George Levrier-Jones

Good afternoon!

The third episode in our series on the Spanish Civil War is out now!

rss feed | iTunes | Spanish Civil War Page | Other listening options

Spain had divided to the point of no return and the right-wing Nationalists, led by the army, had given up on democracy and launched an uprising, against the government. The uprising was only partially successful, leaving Spain split in two not only politically, but also geographically. There was then a scramble to get the support of foreign powers, to put armies in the field and to organize shattered command structures.

This episode looks at the battles in the war as 1936 turned into 1937, as well as the civil war within the civil war. Madrid, Guernica, Republican infighting, and Nationalist consolidation are just a few of the areas we cover.

rss feed | iTunes | Spanish Civil War Page | Other listening options

See you soon,

George Levrier-Jones

The second episode in our series on the Spanish Civil War is out now!

rss feed | iTunes | Spanish Civil War Page | Other listening options

Spain’s true democratic experiment was tearing the country further and further apart. Traditionalist, conservative, Catholic Spain was increasingly at odds with urban, liberal, secular Spain. And in the fervent, charged atmosphere of 1930s Europe, both sides were increasingly viewing the other as an extremist enemy. Then in February 1936 an election was called.

This episode looks at that election and how its aftermath led to a very international civil war.

rss feed | iTunes | Spanish Civil War Page | Other listening options

See you next time,

George Levrier-Jones

We’re back with the first episode in our brand new series on the Spanish Civil War.

rss feed | iTunes | Spanish Civil War Page | Other listening options

The Spanish Civil War is surely one of the most important civil wars of all time. It was a war that had ideological, social, class, religious, regional, and economic divides. It was a bloody war that saw brutal repression. And it was a war that had a major international element - it involved battles between democracy and dictatorship, Fascism and Communism, Germany and the USSR.

In short, the war was not only a battle for Spain’s soul, but a battle for Europe’s and the world’s soul. And I haven’t even mentioned how important it was for World War 2..

rss feed | iTunes | Spanish Civil War Page | Other listening options

See you next time,

George Levrier-Jones

John F Kennedy, a man who surely needs no introduction, is the last person we look at in this series of Cold War People.

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We shall be looking at one of the most iconic of US presidents, a sometimes controversial figure who inspired hope in so many. He also died in the most tragic of circumstances.

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See you soon for our series on the Spanish Civil War.

George Levrier-Jones

Hello!

Nikita Khrushchev was the leader of the Soviet Union for nearly a decade in the years after Stalin’s death.

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Khrushchev played a major role in some of the most important Cold War events during his time in power in the 1950s and 1960s. The key years of the nuclear arms race, the building of the Berlin wall, and the Cuban Missile Crisis all happened during his time as Soviet leader. But, he had a bloody and intriguing past before then.

rss feed | iTunes | History Podcasts Page

See you next time,

George Levrier-Jones

Hello All,

Dwight D Eisenhower was US President throughout much of the 1950s, and lived an extraordinary life before then.

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Eisenhower was so much more than a 1950s Cold War President. In spite of the fact that he led the US during the period when the Cold War was in full swing, Eisenhower had a great and long life before that. Indeed, in many respects Eisenhower’s greatest accomplishment came before his time as President.

rss feed | iTunes | History Podcasts Page

Enjoy the show..

George Levrier-Jones

Hello All,

In the latest episode of Cold War People we look at an important and controversial figure, and the leader of East Germany for decades after World War 2. Walter Ulbricht.

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He was closely involved in the events that led to the building of the Berlin Wall, and was the dominant figure in East German life throughout the 1950s and 1960s. He became an important and influential Communist not just in East Germany, but also the wider Communist world.

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Enjoy!

George Levrier-Jones

Hello Everybody,

The man who authorized the use of the atomic bomb against Japan in World War 2, and the man in charge when the Cold War began, is the focus of this episode of Cold War People - former US President Harry S Truman.

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Truman was President of the USA over the years 1945-1953, the years when the Cold War really got going. In Cold War History, we saw how instrumental Truman was as Europe became divided in the post-war years and during the Korean War, but in this episode we shall look at Truman’s wider life.

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Enjoy!

Hello All,

In this episode of Cold War People, we look at the life of one of the most important men of the 20th Century, Joseph Stalin.

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He presided over one of the most brutal regimes in history and many millions of people died as a result of his policies and actions. But, the changes he made to the Soviet economy ultimately allowed the Soviets to overcome Nazi Germany in World War 2. In this episode, we look at Stalin the man, and ask how he came to be such a bloody tyrant.

Enjoy the podcast!

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We’re back with our brand new series, Cold War People.

This series will look at the lives of some of the most important people involved in the Cold War. We will provide interesting, introductory overviews of them rather than necessarily looking in detail at their involvement in the Cold War.

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And the first episode looks at one of the most important men of his age, Winston Churchill. The British war-time leader played a key role for the allies throughout World War 2, and in the war-time conferences when the Allied Powers were deciding how the post-war world would look. But, there was so much more to Winston Churchill than that. He had a long and distinguished career before then.

Enjoy the podcast!

PS – the next episode will be on Joseph Stalin.

rss feed | iTunes

Do you know why the world came to the brink of nuclear war?

Two words – ‘Cold War’.

The Cold War was international affairs for the second half of the 20th Century. Nuclear weapons testing, civil wars in all corners of the globe and the race for economic dominance were all key spheres of the Cold War, although they were just a few elements of a very complex global puzzle. More so than the great battles between Carthage and Rome in Ancient times or the Napoleonic Wars, the Cold War defined our world. But, there was one key difference between the Cold War and earlier major wars. Due to advances in technology and communications, the Cold War touched most countries on earth.

This introduction to the early years of the Cold War is the debut book from George Levrier-Jones. He tells the story of the great clash between the Communist Soviet Union and the capitalist USA. George’s fast-paced, concise writing style will allow you to quickly learn about the key events of the Cold War, and to find out how the world came to the cusp of nuclear annihilation.

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George Levrier-Jones & the team

The episode looks at what happened as a result of the changes that Gorbachev unleashed in the USSR.

Last time we saw how Cold War tensions rose before the world changed once more - the policies of Reagan and Gorbachev led to a breakthrough on nuclear weapons. However, it would be the reforms that came from the Eastern bloc that led to a world transformed and the end of the Cold War.

Required reading is available here.

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The episode looks at how relations between the super-powers fell to levels not seen since the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Following growing tensions in the late 1970s, the Soviets invaded Afghanistan. This led to a large increase in US defense spending from US President Carter. But this wasn’t enough for many in the US, and a much more aggressive US-government led by Ronald Reagan came in to power. The consequences were a world where fear once again dominated people’s thinking.

Related reading is available here.

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Capitalist and Communist economies – episode 8 in itshistorypodcasts.com’s Cold War series is out now..

We look at the key trends in the capitalist and Communist economies up to the 1980s and set the scene for what was to happen in the final years of the Cold War.

Economic growth was key to the battle between the super-powers – more growth meant that they could spend more on the military in a sustainable way. But, military spending had to be traded-off against allowing people in these countries to have improved living standards. It would be the country that could keep their public happy and spend significant amounts on defence that would be in a much stronger position to win the Cold War..

Related reading is available here.

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Hello All,

Today we’re bringing you episode 7 of itshistorypodcasts.com's series on the Cold War – Are we Friends or Enemies?

We look at the ever-evolving Cold War relationships between the Great Powers during the 1960s and 1970s, the detente period. We shall see how relations changed between the USSR and the USA after the Cuban missile crisis. Then we’ll discuss the events that led to the USSR and China fighting each other. And we’ll also look at change in the Eastern bloc and a historic meeting between the US and China.

Go to www.itshistorypodcasts.com to find out more about us and see some books related to the episode.

Let us know what you think of the podcast!

George and the team at itshistorypodcasts.com

Here is episode 6 of itshistorypodcasts.com's series on the Cold War – European revolutions.

We’re going to pick up on the story of many countries in a Continent that had become divided by an Iron Curtain. The Continent had the USA’s most important and strongest allies, and was the area of many of the USSR’s key allies. It was of course Europe. We left the story of Europe with one of the most dramatic events of the Cold War - the Berlin blockade. This time, we will be back in Berlin for another shocking event.

And previously we also saw another very topical event for this episode – how the Soviets were invited to East Germany to end an internal uprising against the government. Something more brutal was to happen again very soon..

Related books to the episode are here.

Happy listening from the team at itshistorypodcasts.com!

It’s on that generation-defining war, a war that spanned the central years of the Cold War, but also the years when the global balance of power perhaps started to shift a little bit. We are going to be looking at a war in which US involvement lasted more than double the whole length of World War II, and one that spans over a quarter of a century. It also involves many key trends in the Cold War – decolonization, the ever-changing role of China, and the US policy of containment. The podcast is on the Vietnam War.

Go to www.itshistorypodcasts.com to find out more about us and see some books related to the episode.

We're glad that you've decided to come and join the past.. Happy listening!

The team at itshistorypodcasts.com

With the hindsight of knowing all of the events in the Cold War, many historians see this crisis as the time that the world flirted most closely with nuclear destruction. By the time of the crisis, 1962, we shall see how both the USA’s and USSR’s nuclear weapons had become terribly powerful, but this was in a world where the rules of the game for nuclear war were still being made..

Go to www.itshistorypodcasts.com to find out more about us and see some books related to the episode.

We're glad that you've decided to come and join the past.. Happy listening!

The team at itshistorypodcasts.com

The Korean War, episode 3 of itshistorypodcasts.com's series on the Cold War is out now.

The main focus of the episode is on the first major international war since World War II, and one that saw the Cold War battle lines grow stronger – the Korean War. This was not just a war among Koreans though - as with many major international events in the Cold War years, it ended up becoming caught up in the battle between Communism and capitalism..

Find some books related to the episode here.

Happy listening!

The team at itshistorypodcasts.com

Here is episode 2 of itshistorypodcasts.com's series on the Cold War. It looks at Post-War Europe and picks up our Cold War story..

The period saw World War II coming to a close. Europe and many parts of the world were coming out of the most devastating war in their histories. Only two countries had the power and ability to support a recovery – the USA and the USSR. The old European powers were shadows of their former selves.

Go to www.itshistorypodcasts.com to find out more about us and find some books related to the episode.

We're glad that you've decided to come and join the past.. Happy listening!

The team at itshistorypodcasts.com

Go to www.itshistorypodcasts.com to find out more about us and some books related to the episode.

Happy listening!

The team at itshistorypodcasts.com