The traditional view of the Second World War focusses on mainland Europe between 1939 and 1945. Germany is the aggressor drawing its closest neighbours into war and prompting a chain of reactions which ends in worldwide turmoil. Thomas Bottelier is an historian of twentieth century international relations, particularly within Europe and the Atlantic world. He suggests that we should widen the lense with which we look at this war, in terms of both geography and timescale. Thomas spoke to James about the various ways in which we could do this, and the countless events and experiences that have been overshadowed by the conventional narrative of the Second World War.
In this podcast, Deirdre Henderson gives us a unique insight into the mind of President John F. Kennedy. Deirdre was hired by JFK in 1954 as his Research Assistant in his run for President. Her assignments mainly related to defense and foreign policy. In 1959, Senator Kennedy gave Deirdre his pos...
Why is it that nobody has used the absolute weapon, the nuclear bomb, since 1945? Was it ever likely that the American arsenal would be used against the Soviet Union? Or was it created solely to prevent nuclear war? If the latter is true, how does a country create the false impression that it is ...
On 15 August 1944, the Allies landed in Southern France. The operation was a success, nearly cutting off an entire German Army group, which perhaps explains why it doesn't hold the same position in our history as the invasions of Normandy and Italy. Operation Dragoon was, however, the main French...
