#81: Oxford Historian: Your Vote Doesn't Matter! The Greeks Would Call Your Democracy An Oligarchy!

Watson-Howland | Episode 81: The ancient Greeks invented democracy. Oxford classics lecturer Steve Kershaw says they'd look at your government and call it an oligarchy. An outsider looked at Rome and said "that city is for sale, and if it finds a buyer, it's doomed." 2,000 years later, the same corruption is everywhere.Jacob Watson-Howland (award-winning BBC-featured photographer) is joined by Steve Kershaw: Oxford lecturer, author of Mythologica and A Brief History of the Roman Empire, and BBC history expert (Barbarians Rising, You're Dead to Me, Dan Snow's History Hit).From the "barbarian" as a Greek linguistic joke to Rome's invisible collapse, Kershaw reveals how ancient political corruption and cultural arrogance mirror modern civilisation with uncomfortable precision.You'll learn: -Why the Greeks would classify every modern Western government as an oligarchy -How Roman historians used "noble barbarians" to criticise their own corrupt governments -Why a scholar found 210 different reasons for Rome's fall -What Achilles, Odysseus, and Medea reveal about the human cost of getting what you wantSubscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@watsonhowland?sub_confirmation=100:00 Intro02:04 Inventing The Barbarian06:57 Barbarian As Mirror11:13 Assimilation Not Erasure15:29 Polytheism And Tolerance17:31 Christianity Takes Over23:32 Pagan Gods And Boundaries28:53 Healing Sanctuaries Holism32:51 Greek Heroes Not Saints40:17 Myths Teach Nuance42:19 Fate Power And Limits47:22 Migration Then And Now53:35 Why Rome Is So Cool57:22 Roman Fantasy Reality59:13 Odysseus Cautionary Hero01:02:42 Medea Revenge Logic01:05:47 Achilles Revenge Price01:08:19 What Democracy Saved01:12:34 Coins as Propaganda01:14:09 Barbarians Worthy Foes01:17:10 Ancient Globalization01:20:36 Fall of Rome Debates01:26:25 Teaching Classics Today01:28:34 Why Classics Matter01:32:29 Rapid Fire Farewell01:36:30 Super Important MessageThree pillars of the show:FRONTIER: Space, AI, science, and the builders of the next century.CIVILISATIONS: History, economics, geopolitics and the ideas that run everything.AGENCY: Purpose, performance, and genuine character.Steve: stevekershaw.com | Books: stevekershaw.com/16.html Jacob: jacobwatsonhowland.com Coaching: skool.com/remote-pro-podcast-blueprint-8385 YouTube: youtube.com/@jacobjwatsonhowland Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/0r4v5xgyYz0rTFSLklk0Em Apple: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/watson-howland/id1813625992