Empire: World History

By GoalhangerHistory

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48 min
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Empire: World History episodes

March 20 Christiane Amanpour On Iran & Trump’s Miscalculations
William and Anita are joined by renowned British-Iranian journalist, Christiane Amanpour, to discuss the war in Iran, and how it has echoes of the events she has covered since leaving Tehran in 1979.
How did the Iran-Iraq War of 1980 shape the military tactics of today’s Islamic Regime? What is the endgame for the US-Israeli strikes? Is the war strengthening Iranian nationalism?
Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at empirepoduk.com
For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com.
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @empirepoduk
Blue Sky: @empirepoduk
X: @empirepoduk
Assistant Producer: Alfie Norris
Editor: James Clayden
Producer: Anouska Lewis
Executive Producer: Dom Johnson

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35 min
March 19 343. Lebanon: Hezbollah, Israel, & Fifty Years As A Battleground
What is the long history behind the current Israeli strikes on Lebanon? Why did Israel sell weapons to Iran in the 1980s? How was the Lebanon’s map drawn by European powers after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire?
Lebanese historian and author of Black Wave, Kim Ghattas, joins William to discuss the historical view of the current attacks on Lebanon.
**To listen to the rest of the Mao series today, join the Empire Club at empirepoduk.com**
Listen to Kim’s previous Empire episode on Hezbollah by finding Episode 123 on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at empirepoduk.com
For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com.
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @empirepoduk
Blue Sky: @empirepoduk
X: @empirepoduk
Assistant Producer: Alfie Norris
Editor: Bruno Di Castri
Producer: Anouska Lewis
Executive Producer: Dom Johnson

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52 min
March 17 342. Iran: The Three Ayatollahs – From Revolution to Dynasty
How did Ayatollah Khamenei ensure his son, Mojtaba, would take over after his death? How is this war a product of deep historical trends? What internal crises have been plaguing Iran’s government in recent years? Is there hope for Iran after this war?
**To listen to the rest of the Mao series today, join the Empire Club at empirepoduk.com**
In light of the war in Iran, we disrupt our current series to bring you the vital historical view of a region we have often covered on Empire. William is joined by Ali Ansari, author of Iran (Polity Histories), to discuss the decades of history that have led to this war in 2026.
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Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at empirepoduk.com
For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com.
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @empirepoduk
Blue Sky: @empirepoduk
X: @empirepoduk
Assistant Producer: Alfie Norris
Producer: Anouska Lewis
Executive Producer: Dom Johnson

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42 min
March 12 341. Chairman Mao: The Clash With Stalin (Ep 4)
Mao has declared that China is a communist republic. How did life change for ordinary people living in this new nation? To what extent was Mao’s China modelled on the USSR, and how did Mao and Stalin feel about each other? And how did Mao destroy the pillars of traditional culture and violently purge “class enemies”?
William and Anita are joined once again by Rana Mitter, author of A Bitter Revolution: China’s Struggle with the Modern World, and Modern China: A Very Short Introduction, to discuss The Great Leap Forward and its consequences.
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Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at empirepoduk.com
For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com.
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @empirepoduk
Blue Sky: @empirepoduk
X: @empirepoduk
Editor: Bruno Di Castri
Researcher: Imogen Marriott
Assistant Producer: Alfie Norris
Producer: Anouska Lewis
Executive Producer: Dom Johnson

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49 min
March 10 340. Chairman Mao: World War II, Japanese Invasion, & Massacre in Nanjing (Ep 3)
How did World War II break out in Asia in 1937? Why did Mao Zedong and his fellow communists live in caves after the Long March? How did the notorious Nanjing Massacre occur?
** Binge all six episodes of the series on Chairman Mao by joining the Empire Club today at ⁠empirepoduk.com⁠. **
Anita and William are joined once again by Rana Mitter, author of China’s War with Japan 1937-1945, The Struggle for Survival (or Forgotten Ally, China’s World War II), and Modern China: A Very Short Introduction.
Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at empirepoduk.com
For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com.

Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @empirepoduk
Blue Sky: @empirepoduk
X: @empirepoduk
Editor: Adam Thornton
Researcher: Imogen Marriott
Assistant Producer: Alfie Norris
Producer: Anouska Lewis

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57 min
March 05 339. Chairman Mao: China's Communist Uprising (Ep 2)
Why did the communists and nationalists join forces with the USSR during the Chinese Civil War? When did the nationalists purge communists in what is known as the “White Terror”? Why did 80,000 communists walk across the country in the “Long March”, and how is this retreat reframed in Chinese political memory today?
** Binge all six episodes of the series on Chairman Mao by joining the Empire Club today at ⁠empirepoduk.com⁠. **
William and Anita are joined once again by Rana Mitter, author of A Bitter Revolution: China’s Struggle with the Modern World, and Modern China: A Very Short Introduction, to discuss the Chinese Civil War and the Long March.
Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at empirepoduk.com
For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com.
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @empirepoduk
Blue Sky: @empirepoduk
X: @empirepoduk
Editor: James Clayden
Researcher: Imogen Marriott
Assistant Producer: Alfie Norris
Producer: Anouska Lewis
Executive Producer: Dom Johnson

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52 min
March 03 338.Chairman Mao: Birth of A Dictator (Ep 1)
A revolutionary hero or a brutal despot? Mao Zedong has one of the most recognisable portraits on Earth. How did he rise to become the founder of the People’s Republic of China?
** Binge all six episodes of the series on Chairman Mao by joining the Empire Club today at empirepoduk.com. **
A child born in a rural village, Mao hated the Confucian traditions he grew up with. He read profusely and rebelled against his father. But how did his early life shape him into the dictator he would become?
William and Anita are joined by the brilliant Rana Mitter, author of A Bitter Revolution: China’s Struggle with the Modern World, Modern China: A Very Short Introduction and China’s War with Japan 1937-1945, The Struggle for Survival (or Forgotten Ally, China’s World War II) to discuss the origin story of Mao Zedong.
Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at empirepoduk.com
For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com.
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @empirepoduk
Blue Sky: @empirepoduk
X: @empirepoduk
Editor: James Clayden
Researcher: Imogen Marriott
Assistant Producer: Alfie Norris
Producer: Anouska Lewis
Executive Producer: Dom Johnson

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48 min
February 26 337. Bronze Age Apocalypse: Philistines, Israelites, & Rebuilding The Ruins (Ep 6)
How did the Phoenicians create the alphabet we still use today? Was the Bronze Age collapse comparable to the fall of Rome? What does DNA evidence tell us about the origins of the Philistines and Israelites?
William is joined by Professor Eric Cline, author of 1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed and After 1177 B.C.: The Survival Of Civilizations, to explore the era of recovery that followed the Bronze Age collapse and the new world which emerged from its ashes.
Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at empirepoduk.com
For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com.
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @empirepoduk
Blue Sky: @empirepoduk
X: @empirepoduk
Editor: Adam Thornton
Producer: Anouska Lewis
Executive Producer: Dom Johnson

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57 min
February 24 336. Bronze Age Apocalypse: How To Survive The End of The World (Ep 5)
Which ancient civilisation was the best at surviving the Apocalypse, and which was the worst? Who were the Hittites, and what did they actually call themselves? Does the Bronze Age collapse serve as a warning to the modern world?
William and Anita are joined by Professor Eric Cline, author of 1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed and After 1177 B.C.: The Survival Of Civilizations, to discuss how the end of the ancient "globalised" system serves as a chilling warning for our own interconnected world.
Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at empirepoduk.com
For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com.

Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @empirepoduk
Blue Sky: @empirepoduk
X: @empirepoduk
Editor: Charlie Rodwell
Producer: Anouska Lewis
Executive Producer: Dom Johnson

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49 min
February 19 335. Bronze Age Apocalypse: Solving The Mystery of The Collapse (Ep 4)
Who were the ‘Sea Peoples’? Was the Bronze Age Collapse caused by a single catastrophic event? How did the Egyptians try to adapt to the changing climate? From the scientific evidence hidden in ancient pollen to the first historical mention of "Israel" and the rise of the Philistines, this episode uncovers how a global systemic collapse redrew the map of the ancient world.

William and Anita are joined by Professor Eric Cline, author of 1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed, and After 1177 B.C.: The Survival Of Civilizations, to explore how a series of catastrophes shattered the interconnected superpowers of the Pharaohs, Hittites, and Mycenaeans…
Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at empirepoduk.com
For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com.

Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @empirepoduk
Blue Sky: @empirepoduk
X: @empirepoduk
Editors: Bruno Di Castri and Jack Meek
Producer: Anouska Lewis
Executive Producer: Dom Johnson

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1 hr 1 min