Episode #182: Dr. Richard Overy

In Episode #182, historian Dr. Richard Overy sits down with Osi to explore why war has been such a consistent presence throughout human history. They discuss the role of innate psychological drives in fueling conflict, the influence of power struggles among leaders on major wars, and the evolution of warfare from ancient times to today's global conflicts, including the ongoing situations in Ukraine and Gaza. Drawing from Richard’s book Why War?, the conversation provides a deep analysis of the forces that have shaped and sustained warfare across the ages. Richard James Overy is a British historian who has published extensively on the history of World War II and the Third Reich. Educated at Caius College, Cambridge and awarded a research fellowship at Churchill College, Professor Overy taught history at Cambridge from 1972 to 1979, as a fellow of Queens' College and from 1976 as a university assistant lecturer. In 1980 he moved to King's College London, where he became professor of modern history in 1994. He was appointed to a professorship at the University of Exeter in 2004. His work on World War II has been praised as "highly effective in the ruthless dispelling of myths" (A. J. P. Taylor), "original and important" (New York Review of Books) and "at the cutting edge" (Times Literary Supplement.)