PODCAST · history
Perspectives in History
by Willem Conner
A podcast where I tell the story of lesser-known and or misunderstood events and people from history in a way that is hopefully as entertaining as it is informative.
Episodes
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Crisis of the Third Century Part 2: Sic Semper Tyrannis
Groomed from birth to become emperor, Commodus takes power at age 18 after the death of his father, Marcus Aurelius. Entirely uninterested in the affairs of state, his reign would be characterized by intrigue, scandal, and corruption- culminating in his assassination at the hands of his closest...
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Crisis of the Third Century Part 1: Age of Iron and Rust
At the time that Marcus Aurelius became emperor in 161, the Roman Empire had enjoyed nearly two centuries of relative peace and prosperity. Over the 19 years of his reign, he would be forced to contend with a cascading sequence of wars, plague, natural disasters and civil conflict that gravely...
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Iron Guard Part 8: The Exiled and the Damned
Ousted from government after the failed rebellion of January 1941, the Iron Guard is once again outlawed and forced underground. With the fate of the Romanian nation out of their hands, the members of the Legionary movement are faced with a stark choice: renounce their beliefs and remain in their...
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Iron Guard Part 7: National Salvation
As Romania finds itself drawn into Germany’s war against the Soviet Union, the tenuous political partnership between the Legion and the Romanian military reaches a crisis point. Confident of Berlin’s support, the Iron Guard makes a bid to seize full control of the government- with deadly results....
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Iron Guard Part 6: Victory of the Faith
Emerging from years of persecution, the Iron Guard finally rises to power in Romania with the assistance of their ally, General Ion Antonescu. However, with their leadership decimated and their organization fractured, it remains an open question if the Legionary movement is prepared for the...
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Iron Guard Part 5: Avenging the Martyrs
The power struggle between the Legion and King Carol II continues to play out, with deadly consequences. Meanwhile, the upending of the status quo in Europe in the run up to the Second World War gives the Legion a chance to avoid total annihilation. Email me: [email protected]...
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Iron Guard Part 4: Everything for the Country
In the face of continued government repression, the Iron Guard resorts to extreme retaliatory measures. After the Legion stages an ostentatious display of its growing power, the stage is set for a confrontation with Romania’s king, Carol II. Email me: [email protected] Podcast...
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Iron Guard Part 3: The Legionary Movement
The “Legion of the Archangel Michael” struggles to establish itself as a new force in Romanian politics. As the Legion builds up a strong coalition of disaffected groups within Romanian society, the authorities begin to crack down against the movement. Email me: [email protected]...
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Iron Guard Part 2: Emissary of the Archangel
Corneliu Zelea Codreanu and his associates face great trials in their efforts to solve the “Jewish Question” in Romania. When the political party they helped to found becomes irrevocably split, they take it upon themselves to form a new organization. Email me: [email protected]...
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Iron Guard Part 1: The Plot Against Romania
In the turbulent years following the conclusion of the First World War, a young Romanian law student named Corneliu Zelea Codreanu becomes utterly convinced that his nation is under threat by a Jewish-Communist conspiracy. Inspired by the success of the Italian fascists, Codreanu begins working…
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Marquis de Lafayette Part 17: The Nation's Guest
With his political fortunes waning in France, Lafayette decides to embark on a long-deferred trip to the United States. As one of the last surviving figures of the founding generation, Lafayette’s 18 month grand tour inspires some of the most rapturous celebrations in the young nation’s history....
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Marquis de Lafayette Part 16: Counter-Revolution and Conspiracy
Once again restored to power in France, the House of Bourbon and their supporters work to reverse the enduring changes brought about by the revolution. Lafayette rallies his fellow liberals to oppose this reactionary agenda, but when legal methods of opposition prove ineffective, he is driven to...
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Marquis de Lafayette Part 15: The Fallen Eagle
In 1814, as Napoleon’s fortunes turn for the worse, Lafayette considers returning to politics. Unwilling to sit idle while the survival of the nation was at stake, he was determined to rekindle the flame of liberty- or at least to do what he could to avert a total catastrophe. Email me:...
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Marquis de Lafayette Part 14: Hero of a Bygone Age
Regaining his freedom after five years in prison, Lafayette emerges into a world irrevocably changed by the revolution he helped put into motion. Now considered a political liability by the governments of both France and the United States, and with war continuing to rage across Europe, his future...
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Marquis de Lafayette Part 13: Prisoner of State
Arrested by the Austrians after escaping political persecution in France, Lafayette is locked away in a dungeon for refusing to betray his ideals. While his family and friends, scattered across the world, do what they can to aid him, it becomes increasingly clear as time went on that his…
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Marquis de Lafayette Part 12: The World Turned Upside Down
Lafayette’s persistent efforts to save the French monarchy end in failure when Louis XVI is overthrown once and for all in August 1792. With his avowed enemies, the Jacobins, now in power and accusing him of betraying the revolution, the general is faced with the most difficult decision of his...
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Marquis de Lafayette Part 11: Fall from Grace
The king’s ill-fated attempt to flee the country causes anti-monarchist protests to break out in Paris, which Lafayette responds to with a heavy hand. After the subsequent massacre at the Champ de Mars leaves his reputation in tatters, the general attempts to make his exit from the political…
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Marquis de Lafayette Part 10: Unity or Death
Lafayette stages a remarkable display of patriotism at a festival celebrating the one year anniversary of the revolution’s beginning. Having reached the ‘zenith of his influence,’ his political opponents on both the left and right grow increasingly wary of his ambition. Email me:...
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Marquis de Lafayette Part 9: Guardian Angel
Famine conditions in Paris and fears of counter-revolution prompt thousands of enraged civilians to march on Versailles. With the safety of the royal family threatened, Lafayette is compelled to intervene to avert a catastrophe. Email me: [email protected] Podcast Website Follow…
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Marquis de Lafayette Part 8: Reigning in Paris
As the early stages of the French Revolution unfold on the streets of Paris, Lafayette’s new role as the commander of the National Guard forces him to maintain a delicate balancing act between the preservation of liberty and the restoration of public order. Email me:...
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Marquis de Lafayette Part 7: Divided Loyalties
When King Louis XVI is forced to take drastic measures to stave off financial collapse, Lafayette and other liberal-minded nobles hope to use the opportunity to push for much-needed reforms to France’s decrepit political structure. However, it quickly becomes apparent that the crisis facing the...
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Marquis de Lafayette Part 6: The Liberty of All Mankind
Returning home after the war’s conclusion, Lafayette continues to work for the betterment of his adoptive country. A few years later, he embarks on a grand tour of the United States, revisiting old friends and weighing in on some of the political issues that beset the fledgling nation. Email me:...
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Marquis de Lafayette Part 5: The Final Reckoning
Rejoining the American war effort in 1780, Lafayette is sent south to bring a traitorous general to heel. Unbeknownst to him, his actions were setting the stage for the dramatic final act of the War of Independence: the Battle of Yorktown. Email me: [email protected] Podcast...
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Marquis de Lafayette Part 4: Foreign Entanglements
After the formalization of an alliance between France and the United States, Lafayette is dispatched to facilitate cooperation between allied forces- a task that would prove more difficult than he’d hoped. Returning temporarily to his home country in 1779, the marquis continued to work tirelessly...
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Marquis de Lafayette Part 3: Winter of Discontent
Lafayette accompanies Washington and the Continental Army at their winter encampment at Valley Forge. During this time, he finds himself entangled in a series of political intrigues and inconclusive military actions that threaten to shake his faith in the American cause. Email me:...
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Marquis de Lafayette Part 2: Baptism by Fire
Upon arriving in America, the Marquis de Lafayette is granted a commission in the Continental Army, serving directly under George Washington. Most expected this to be nothing more than a ceremonial appointment, but Lafayette remained determined to prove his worth to the American cause and to win...
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Marquis de Lafayette Part 1: The Orphan
Born into a noble family in the small French town of Chavaniac, Gilbert du Motier, the Marquis de Lafayette would lose both of his parents at a young age. Left as an orphan and sent to live with relatives in Paris, he would inherit a massive fortune that altered the course of his life. Email me:...
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Congo Free State Part 5: Vers l'Avenir
An official report on conditions in the Congo exposes the Free State’s atrocities to the world. As pressure mounts on Leopold II to relinquish control of his colony, the king became increasingly determined to cling onto it until his dying breath. Email me: [email protected]…
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Congo Free State Part 4: Blood and Rubber
The exploitation of the Congo and its people greatly intensifies as rubber becomes a valuable trade commodity. As the Free State begins to rake in profits, a few individuals take notice of the rampant human rights abuses in the colony and resolve to put a stop to them. Email me:...
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Congo Free State Part 3: Into the Heart of Darkness
King Leopold II consolidates his control over the Congo. In his efforts to make the colony profitable, he oversees the establishment of a coercive regime of exploitation and moves to ruthlessly eliminate all resistance. Email me: [email protected] Podcast Website Follow me on...
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Congo Free State Part 2: Scramble for Africa
Leopold II, King of the Belgians, continues his efforts to acquire a colony in Africa. As he constructs an elaborate façade to mask his true intentions, he contracts the famous explorer Henry Morton Stanley to do the dirty work on his behalf. Email me: [email protected] Podcast...
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Congo Free State Part 1: Prelude to Catastrophe
In the mid-19th century, new technological advances and the emergence of large industrial economies usher in the age of ‘New Imperialism.’ As the world’s ‘great powers’ search for new territories to conquer, their eyes turn towards a region previously thought to be uninhabitable: Sub-Saharan...
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Korean War Part 12: Requiem for a Forgotten War
An armistice is signed on July 27th, 1953 that suspends hostilities in Korea, but leaves the nation divided. But while the fighting and dying may have stopped, the events of the war continue to affect Korea and the world to this day. Email me: [email protected] Podcast Website...
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Korean War Part 11: The Path to Peace
The war in Korea enters its third year, and the prospect of either side achieving a total victory has long since been deemed unrealistic. New leadership rises to power in both the US and USSR intent on brokering a ceasefire, but the situation in Korea remains shrouded in uncertainty. Email me:...
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Korean War Part 10: Dead Souls
We divert from the main narrative to examine one of the most controversial aspects of the Korean War- the prisoner of war issue. Although the treatment of prisoners of war was codified into international law following World War II, both sides in this conflict would violate these laws to further...
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Korean War Part 9: The Stalemate
The military situation in Korea devolves into a stalemate a year after the war began. Negotiations are opened to bring a stop to the bloodshed, but it very quickly becomes apparent that the diplomatic process will be more fraught than some may have hoped. Email me:...
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Korean War Part 8: Turning the Tide
As a new year dawns, the war in Korea nears another decisive turning point. Meanwhile, a domestic political crisis in the United States threatens to expand the conflict and plunge the world into a new conflagration. Email me: [email protected] Podcast Website Follow me on Twitter...
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Korean War Part 7: No Substitute for Victory
As the UN coalition struggles to mount a defense in the face of China’s intervention in the final weeks of 1950, they are forced to reckon with the fact that they now face an ‘entirely new war’ in Korea. Email me: [email protected] Podcast Website Follow me on Twitter Facebook…
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Korean War Part 6: The Long Way Back
The Chinese People’s Volunteer Army springs the trap on UN forces in Korea, inflicting significant losses and forcing the enemy to withdraw south of the 38th parallel. Against all odds, the US Marines trapped at the Chosin Reservoir try to fight their way to safety. Email me:...
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Korean War Part 5: Points of No Return
As the UN forces gain momentum following the Battle of Incheon, they must decide whether to continue advancing north of the 38th parallel. Meanwhile, China and the Soviet Union weigh the possibility of intervening on behalf of their North Korean comrades. Email me:...
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Korean War Part 4: Brother Against Brother
General Douglas MacArthur hatches an audacious plan to turn the tide of the war in favor of the United Nations coalition. Meanwhile, long-standing tensions in Korea explode to the forefront, with the resulting violence leading to unspeakable atrocities and the deaths of thousands. Email me:...
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Korean War Part 3: Crossing the Parallel
War begins in earnest on the Korean peninsula, as North Korean forces cross the 38th parallel on June 25th, 1950. As the Korean People’s Army advances rapidly southward, the American government is forced to decide whether or not to intervene in the conflict before it is too late. Email me:...
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Korean War Part 2: The Divided Nation
The year 1948 sees the establishment of two separate Korean governments in the north and south. Amidst growing tensions between the US and the USSR, the Korean peninsula seems poised to become the location of the first direct confrontation between the Soviets and Americans over spheres of...
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Korean War Part 1: Traitors and Patriots
After having long been subjected to the rule of foreign powers, it seemed that with the defeat of Japan, the dream of Korean independence might finally be realized. However, the victorious allied powers of World War II had other plans. Download Every Email me: [email protected]...
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Girolamo Savonarola Part 11: Death and Afterlife
Savonarola and his companions are brought before a tribunal and sentenced to death. Despite being formally condemned as a heretic, the friar's legacy would continue to cast a long shadow over Florentine politics in the years to come. Email me: [email protected] Podcast Website...
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Girolamo Savonarola Part 10: Hope and Despair
As Savonarola languishes in his prison cell, his faith is tested. Reckoning with his inner battle between hope and despair, Savonarola would then write a series of religious tracts that have since taken on great theological significance. Email me: [email protected] Podcast…
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Girolamo Savonarola Part 9: Trial by Ordeal
Political tensions in Florence reach a climax, and Savonarola is challenged to undergo a trial by fire. When the results of the trial turn public opinion decisively against him, he and his fellow monks are forced to make a desperate last stand in the monastery of San Marco. Email me:...
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Girolamo Savonarola Part 8: Bonfire of the Vanities
Savonarola creates a spectacular demonstration of public virtue in the hopes of turning Florence's fortunes around. Meanwhile, Pope Alexander VI has the monk excommunicated- a decision Savonarola was determined to fight against to his last breath. Email me: [email protected]...
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Girolamo Savonarola Part 7: Wailers and Bigots
Savonarola engages in a new campaign to combat vice in the city of Florence. Meanwhile, Pope Alexander VI continues to utilize every possible strategy to silence the renegade friar. Email me: [email protected] Podcast Website Follow me on Twitter Facebook Page Buy Some Used Books...
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Girolamo Savonarola Part 6: Book of Revelation
When Savonarola's influence prevents Florence from joining an anti-French coalition made up of the other Italian states, he raises the ire of Pope Alexander VI, sparking a deadly rivalry that would last for the next three years. Email me: [email protected] Podcast Website Follow…
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Perspectives in History have?
Perspectives in History currently has 95 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Perspectives in History about?
A podcast where I tell the story of lesser-known and or misunderstood events and people from history in a way that is hopefully as entertaining as it is informative.
How often does Perspectives in History release new episodes?
Perspectives in History has 95 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Perspectives in History?
You can listen to Perspectives in History on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Perspectives in History?
Perspectives in History is created and hosted by Willem Conner.
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