116 | Dan Snow

We talk with the host of Dan Snow's History Hit, the no. 1 history podcast, about some of our favourite subjects.  Does history help us understand the present state of politics, and which history?  Are we closer to the 1890s, the 1930s, or the 1980s? How should we commemorate the aftermath of WWI? Plus we talk about whether Chinese politicians are really able to take the long view. With Helen Thompson. 

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113 | Crashed

Helen and David talk to historian Adam Tooze about his epic new book Crashed: How A Decade of Financial Crises Changed the World. Why did the crash of 2008 take so many people by surprise? How did it spread from the US around the world? Why was Europe so vulnerable? And how do the answers to these questions help explain Brexit, Trump and what's now going on in places from Hungary to China? Plus, as we approach the 10-year anniversary of the event the triggered the crisis, we explore what might have happened if Lehman Brothers had been saved.

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61 | Live Special

This week's episode is a recording of a live Talking Politics event as part of the Cambridge Alumni Festival, with questions from the audience.  We talk about normalising Trump, neglecting Turkey and kicking Brexit down the road.  Plus we ask what counts as a coup and whatever happened to cabinet government.  With Gary Gerstle, Ayse Zarakol, Aaron Rapport and Chris Brooke.  Recorded on Saturday 23rd September.

22 | Is Democracy Failing?

This week we take a step back to ask whether what's happening in the US is a symptom of a wider problem: the failure of democracy. We talk Turkey with Ayse Zarakol, who explains just how bad things have got there over the past year. Is America going to follow Turkey's lead towards authoritarianism? If not, which institutions are going to rescue it? Plus we discuss what Trump's strategy really is in his confrontation with the courts and we talk Calexit. With Helen Thompson, Aaron Rapport and Maha Rafi Atal.