A COLD WAR

In this episode we talk about the non-aggression pact signed between Nazi Germany and the USSR in 1939, known as the Ribbentrop - Molotov Pact, and then how Hitler decided to terminate it in 1941 when he launched a surprise invasion on the USSR, known as "Operation Barbarossa". We also talk a little of the history of Poland, The Munich Agreement, and Stalin's fondness for a good tune.

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Today's episode starts off with part 4 of our series on economics, where we look at the role of the media, and then launches into Stalin's "Great Terror". And we finish answering a question from a listener about Brexit.

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Our first guest on the Cold War series is Doug La Follette, Secretary of State of Wisconsin!

Here's some background.

- Doug is the Secretary of State of Wisconsin a position to which he was first elected in 1974!

- And he’s been the SoS pretty much ever since then, with a short break for a few years in the late 70s.

- Doug’s a member of the La Follette political dynasty.

- He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Marietta College, a Master of Science in chemistry from Stanford University, and a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Columbia University.

- Doug was known as an environmentalist before running for public office, and was an organizer of the first Earth Day in 1970.

- He is the author of the book The Survival Handbook: A Strategy for Saving Planet Earth.

- He has also served on the board of directors of Friends of the Earth and the Union of Concerned Scientists and the Sierra Club.

- And he was a Fulbright Distinguished American Scholar in 2003.

- And finally - he’s a very old friend of Sir J. David Markham.

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Part 3 of our three-part series on economics and war, where we drill down into the various ways companies profiteer from war and how it stimulates the economy via “Military Keynesianism”. On the suggestion of my wise friend Tony Kynaston, we're making this episode available to non-subscribers, because the subject we're talking about is that important.

To summarise the last three episodes, here are some of the main ways war is good for business:

1. It's good for companies selling weapons, both to their own country and to other countries, funded by tax dollars.

2. It's good for companies selling other goods required during and after a war, including everything from food and clothing to reconstruction efforts - also funded by tax dollars.

3. It's good for companies who want to gain access to undeveloped markets with new sources of natural resources and cheap labour.

4. It's good for companies who want to lock up control of export markets that they can sell their goods and services to.

5. It's good for companies who use war to get primary technological research done (and paid for by the taxpayers) that then makes its way into the hands of corporations.

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Part 2 of our three-part series on economics and war. Still talking about trade and access to foreign markets. We look at the CIA's overthrow of the Iranian government in 1953, the Marshall Plan and the Open Door policy.

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This is going to be the first in a series of episodes where we talk about economics and war. I know - economics is a scary boring subject, but it's really just the study of how people make and spend money. In this episode we're going to argue that economics (money) was a significant factor in the genesis of the Cold War (and pretty much every other war in history too). We'll talk about imperialism, gunboat diplomacy, big stick diplomacy, dollar diplomacy, propaganda, Edward Bernays, Walter Lippman, economic hit men, and the Monroe Doctrine. As Major General Smedley Butler wrote: "War is a racket".

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Okay so we're still talking about IDEOLOGY.

On our last episode we didn't get time to get into talking about CAPITALISM, so that's what we're doing on this episode. We talk a little about the history of capitalism, try to define it, and discuss how the United Kingdom's imperialist control over 25% of the world's economy wasn't something that FDR was willing to tolerate. If the UK wanted US support in WWII, they were going to have to bend over and take it up the English Channel.

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On this episode, our first premium episode, we continue talking about IDEOLOGY.

SOCIALISM v CAPITALISM.

TWO IDEOLOGIES ENTER, ONE IDEOLOGY LEAVES.

Or something like that.

What are they? How are they different?

This episode is a very quick overview of SOCIALISM. If you want to know more, we suggest you read a fucking book.

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This is part one of a few episodes that will explain the military, ideological and economic conflicts and tensions between the US, UK and USSR before the Cold War. In this episode, we look at the "Polar Bear Expedition" and the first "Red Scare" in the US.

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Part Two of our mini-biography of FDR.

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