Ridley Scott's movie Napoleon has sparked controversy? Is it great cinema yet terrible history? Jeff Rich gives his assessment of the movie, and points you to other classic movies about Napoleon made over the last 100 years. The podcast also shares some of the best recent history books on the intriguing character, myth and historical impact of Napoleon Bonaparte. Read more of Jeff Rich's writing on mindful world history and cultures from all around the world at jeffrich.substack.com ---...

My reflections on the death of US diplomat and grand strategist, Henry Kissinger at 100. Does his death toll the bell for US leadership of the world? Read more at jeffrich.substack.com Thanks to the Twisted Nixons, the Dead Kennedies, Thomas Fazi, Nina Byzantina, Thomas Fazi, Odd Arne Westad and Richard Nixon for material used in this program. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jeff-rich4/message

Marie Favereau shows how the Mongol Horde changed the world and world history in this special interview. It was not only the conquests of Genghis Khan, but his successors in the Horde, especially the Golden Horde. Their culture, skilful diplomacy and embrace of diversity were the real reasons the Mongol Horde changed the world. If you're interested in world history, then this podcast is for you! Marie Favereau shares her insights from her book, The Horde: How the Mongols Changed the World,...

It is all about the story. We are all experts in story, aren't we? And every day amidst this current world crisis, we are bombarded with narratives. Some of these "geopolitical" narratives are based on good history. Some on very poor history. But how do you spot the difference? How do you know big historical comparisons like "Pearl Harbour or "Munich 1938" are flawed, when you don't know the details of events? You can with the help of stories. You do not need to be an expert historian. You...

If a modest librarian had not pulled the sole manuscript of the Old English poem, Beowulf from the fire, we might never have had J.R.R. Tolkein's Lord of the Rings. You have probably heard of Beowulf, but never have read the poem. Introduce yourself to this legend saved from a burning archive on the Burning Archive podcast. More details of all my content and free weekly newsletter are at theburningarchive.com --- Send in a voice message:...

It covers the history of the Nobel Prize for Literature, some of my favourite winners and losers, and some controversies. I also cover in this episode the 2022 winner, French writer, Annie Ernaux. This episode begins a mini-series on the Nobel Prize for Literature. There will be episodes in all in the lead-up to the announcement of the prize on 5 October. William Butler (W.B) Yeats 1923 100th anniversary (15 September) Patrick White 1973 50th anniversary (22 September) Olga Tokarczuk...

The Israel-Gaza Crisis, as the United Nations describes the situation, has shocked the world, and confronted us with the difficulties of living in a time of war. How can we respond to these shocking events mindfully, given the torrents of emotion coursing around the world? How can we use history not to nurse grievance, but to nurture empathy, and so to restore peace? I address these questions through many viewpoints in this show - the debates this week at the United Nations Security Council,...

Are you looking for a new, readable, intriguing history book to read? I introduce you to a shortlist of 6 top history books from 2023. All 6 books come from the shortlist for the 2023 Wolfson History Prize, Britain and the UK's most prestigious history book prize. I also invite you to help me shape my idea for an online history reading club, where you can learn and read with me. Would you like to see the world more clearly with some quality world history. Please discuss. You can follow me...

The 2023 Nobel Prize for Literature is announced. Relive world literature's night of nights with this edited live reaction to the announcement. It covers all the predictions, the actual announcement, and an emotional introduction to why you might want to read the works of this year's winner. Whether you do not know who won, or do not know anything about who won, this podcast will offer you some insights, and even some inspiration. Follow my free and exclusive writing at jeffrich.substack.com...

Why read Olga Tokarczuk, Winner of 2018 Nobel Prize for Literature? Find out in this fourth episode of my series on the Nobel Prize for Literature. It discusses the life of the 2018 Nobel Prize for Literature Laureate, the novelist Olga Tokarczuk. I give you 10 reasons to read one of the most celebrated Nobel winners of recent years. I give a guide to her works: The Books of Jacob (the best historical fiction of this century), Flights and Drive your Plow over the Bones of the Dead. And you...

Why read Patrick White, Winner of 1973 Nobel Prize for Literature? Find out in this third episode of my series on the Nobel Prize for Literature. It discusses the life and works of the 1973 Nobel Prize for Literature Laureate, the novelist Patrick White, the only Australian to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. You will hear White react to the news of the prize in his own voice, and learn how this great writer was an uneasy exile at home, in more ways than one. Read more at...

Why should you read W.B. Yeats, Winner of 1923 Nobel Prize for Literature? Find out in this second of my series on the Nobel Prize for Literature. It discusses the life and works of the 1923 Nobel Prize for Literature Laureate, William Butler (W.B.) Yeats, including a rare recording of Yeats in his own voice and the surprising story of his poem, The Second Coming. Find out about this intriguing poet, spiritualist and politician whose verse still speaks to us today. Read more at...

What is the history behind the rise and fall of the professions? How is their story linked to the rise of management especially since the 1970s? And how does it all relate to what happens in the modern university? Find out answers to all these questions in this in-depth interview with historian Dr Hannah Forsyth, author of Virtue Capitalists: the rise and fall of the professional class in the Anglophone world c.1870-2008  (2023). For more ways to see the world more clearly with some quality...

The Burning Archive brings you the second in a special two-part interview with the esteemed world historian, Felipe Fernández-Armesto. Is the world changing in ways not seen for 100 years? How can America's Hispanic past and present inform how it responds to this changing world of more equally distributed power? And what makes explorers like Magellan, Columbus and Captain James Cook such intriguing figures in world history? In this second episode we discuss 1. Hispanic America in the...

The Burning Archive brings you a special two-part interview with the esteemed world historian, Felipe Fernández-Armesto. Did you know the first case of animal farming was the humble snail? How does the world's leading historian of the world see the accelerating pace of change today affecting identity and mental health? In this first episode we discuss 1. World History, Food, Environment and Civilizations - how no civilization is better than another, and all civilizations adapt the...

Change is part of life and central to history. But has the pace of change accelerated over the last 50 years beyond our capacity to cope? Find out with Jeff Rich on the Burning Archive, who shares insights from historian, Felipe Fernandez-Armesto. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jeff-rich4/message

Why can't we just all get along? Is all history class struggle, or a fight between the people and the elites? Or, as Peter Turchin suggests, do elites fight hardest against other elites? And how can Stockholm show us a better way to live together? Quote of the show: "Identity is an invitation to dialogue, not a prison." (Vaclav Havel) --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jeff-rich4/message

We feel that society is changing in dramatic ways. But what are the four big social changes that are driving how we make sense of society. Find out on the Burning Archive Podcast. www.theburningarchive.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jeff-rich4/message

There are mass protests in France. Tensions everywhere. Peter Turchin has published End Times- his theory of social collapse. Is it that bad? And what are Emmanuel Todd's seven top social changes that define the conflicts of modern advanced societies? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jeff-rich4/message

The NATO Summit in Vilnius disappointed Volodomyr Zelenszky and Ukraine. He might be singing, Is that all there is to an alliance? Find out what it means for NATO, for the war in Ukraine, and risks of war with China in the Indo-Pacific. Is it the beginning of the end game? Or is it the old game of the End and the Beginning? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jeff-rich4/message

Atlantic Romantics, Part II gives you a rapid fire history of the Altlantic, structured around seven key dates. These dates provide glimpses into the multipolar history of the Atlantic Ocean, and the chameleon-like character of the Atlantic idea, institutions, alliance, cultures and civilizations. This podcast will take you in less than an hour from late Bronze Age Portugal to the July 11-12 NATO Summit in Vilnius. --- Send in a voice message:...

Three big regional ideas dominate the world: the Indo-Pacific, Eurasia, and the Atlantic. What is the Atlantic? Is it an ocean? An alliance? An idea? Is it Western civilization? Is it a special relationship between the USA and Britain? Could the NATO alliance be about to break up? Find out the answers and some surprising fun facts about the Atlantic on this podcast. Imagine the world differently with a little bit of history. Find more details on world history reimagined and the Burning...

There are not two continents of Europe and Asia. There is one physical continent of Eurasia. Ideas of Europe and Asia, and their place in world history have formed two continents from one. And ideas of Eurasia in Russia and in the West threaten war between the Eurasian and Atlantic worlds. But it does not need to be so. Halford Mackinder has a lot to answer for, including Aleksander Dugin. Join my free weekly newsletter at jeffrich.substack.com for more details on each show. --- Send...

There are not two continents of Europe and Asia. There is one physical continent of Eurasia, and the countries of Eurasia are becoming more important, more wealthy and more assertive in world politics. Find out why, and how powerful new international institutions, infrastructure projects and foreign policies are strengthening this region, including its Heartland, Russia, compared to the Atlantic powers. Time Stamps 0:00-0:40 Introduction 0:40-2:45 What is Eurasia? 2:45-10:10 Eurasian...

I wrote recently that the Free and Open Indo Pacific is like the Holy Roman Empire. It is not free, not open, and not even the Indo-Pacific. Find out why on this intriguing podcast that covers - my article on Australia, India and the Indo-Pacific, "Australia, Little Country Lost" - some real history you can read to get a better understanding of the history of the Indian and Pacific Ocean regions, including 4 history book recommendations? - some surprising revelations and legacies of the...