In this episode of the Explaining History Podcast, we're joined by writer Susan Barrett to discuss her new novel, *All Cats Are Grey*—a dark and compelling work of historical fiction set against the backdrop of the London Blitz.

The book tells the story of four very different people, each of whom has committed what might be called a "necessary murder" in their past. They come together during the chaos of the blackout to use their lethal skills against a serial rapist and murderer who is exploiting the wartime disruption to terrorise the bomb-scarred streets of London. This villain is inspired by a real figure: Gordon Cummings, an infamous but largely forgotten serial killer of the Blitz era.

But our conversation ranges far beyond the plot. Susan, whose background is in film and television research, shares fascinating insights into how historical research has changed—and what we lose in the age of the internet. She discusses the serendipity of physical archives, the power of handwritten ledgers and Victorian photographs, and the surprising voices uncovered by the Mass Observation project that challenge our assumptions about "respectable" wartime behaviour.

We also delve into the mythology of the Blitz itself. How does the reality of crime, class division, and social disruption sit alongside the cherished national story of plucky unity? What did people actually think and do when the bombs were falling? And why does Britain have such a peculiar fascination with poisoners and serial killers?

From the tragic case of Timothy Evans and Reginald Christie to the Jack the Ripper industry, from the origins of the welfare state to the echoes of COVID—this is a wide-ranging conversation about history, memory, and the stories we tell ourselves.

*All Cats Are Grey* is published on 24th April by Bathwick Hill Press, a small independent publisher. Please consider supporting independent bookshops and publishers.

**Topics covered:**

- The changing nature of historical research in the internet age

- The Gordon Cummings case and wartime crime

- Mass Observation and authentic voices from the past

- The mythology of the Blitz versus historical reality

- Britain's fascination with serial killers and poisoners

- How COVID helps us understand wartime disruption

- The importance of independent publishing

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Episode Summary:

In this episode of Explaining History, Nick explores the agonizing political and strategic choices faced by Great Britain in the 1930s.

Why did the British government delay rearmament for so long? Drawing on Daniel Todman's Britain's War: Into Battle, we examine how the shadow of the First World War and the Great Depression shaped the policy of appeasement. Nick argues that the "caution" of the Baldwin and Chamberlain governments wasn't just cowardice; it was a desperate attempt to avoid the "total war" that would require the complete subordination of freedom and prosperity to the state.

From the technological leap from biplanes to monoplanes to the "imperial overstretch" that left Singapore and Palestine vulnerable, we delve into the global chessboard of the late 30s. How did the need to defend an empire spanning the globe leave Britain dangerously exposed in Europe? And why was the fall of Singapore written into the strategic compromises of the 1920s?

Plus: Details on our upcoming Nazi Germany Masterclass in March!

Key Topics:

• The Rearmament Debate: Why a "Churchillian" surge in 1935 might have failed.
• Technological Change: The shift from fabric biplanes to the Spitfire and Hurricane.
• Imperial Overstretch: The impossible task of defending the UK, the Mediterranean, and the Far East simultaneously.
• The Palestine Mandate: How the Arab Revolt of 1936 tied down British troops needed elsewhere.

Books Mentioned:

• Britain's War: Into Battle (1937-1941) by Daniel Todman
• English History 1914-1945 by A.J.P. Taylor
• Forgotten Armies by Christopher Bayly and Tim Harper

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In this special episode, we are honoured to be joined by Karen Jennings, a former Booker Prize longlist nominee, to discuss her powerful new novel, The First of December.

Set in South Africa during the final days of November 1838, the book explores the fraught moment of full emancipation for the enslaved. We delve into the brutal reality of the "apprenticeship" system that followed the 1833 Abolition Act, the unique Asian roots of Cape slavery under the Dutch East India Company, and the cynical economics of a system where human beings were mortgaged like property.

Karen shares the deeply personal and unsettling family history that inspired the novel—from ancestors who were French Huguenot settlers to a shocking discovery about a colonial forebear. We also discuss the enduring legacy of these injustices, connecting the dashed hopes of 1838 with the ongoing struggles for equality in South Africa today.

It's a profound conversation about history, memory, and why the fight for liberation is never truly "happy ever after."

The First of December will be available in March but here in the meantime is a selection of Karen's writing

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In this episode of Explaining History, Nick dives into the technical and strategic realities of the Battle of Britain. Moving beyond the "few" narrative of heroic fighter pilots, we explore the structural advantages that allowed the RAF to survive the onslaught of the Luftwaffe in the summer of 1940.

Drawing on Richard Overy's The Bombing War, we examine the genius of Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding and his integrated air defense system. How did radar, the Observer Corps, and telephone networks combine to give British pilots a critical edge? And why did the German high command consistently underestimate the resilience of Fighter Command while simultaneously asking too much of its own exhausted pilots?

From the muddle-headed strategy of Hermann Göring to the sheer physical limits of aerial warfare, this episode unpacks why Hitler's plan to knock Britain out of the war was doomed from the start.

Plus: Information on our upcoming Nazi Germany Masterclass in March and how to access the recordings of our previous sessions!

Key Topics:

• The Dowding System: How radar and communication saved Britain.
• German Intelligence Failures: Why the Luftwaffe underestimated the RAF.
• Attrition: The physical and mental exhaustion of pilots on both sides.
• Strategic Confusion: Hitler’s lack of focus and Göring’s incompetence.

Books Mentioned:

• The Bombing War by Richard Overy
• Forgotten Armies by Christopher Bayly and Tim Harper

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Here is the complete package for this episode, which includes the podcast description, a detailed blog post, and the tidied transcript.

Title: The Last Aztec Empress: Survival, Conquest, and the Life of Isabel Moctezuma

Episode Summary:

In this episode of Explaining History, Nick talks to author Sofía Robleda about her new historical novel, The Other Moctezuma Girls.

We delve into the extraordinary and often overlooked life of Isabel Moctezuma (born Tecuichpoch), the daughter of the last Aztec Emperor. Surviving the Spanish conquest, the smallpox epidemic, and six marriages, Isabel navigated a world collapsing around her to become one of the wealthiest landowners in New Spain.

Sofía and Nick explore the brutal realities of the conquest, the complex racial hierarchies of colonial Mexico, and the strategic marriages that allowed the Spanish to legitimize their rule. From the role of Malintzin as Cortés' translator to the legacy of the silver mines, this episode uncovers the resilience of indigenous women in the face of imperial destruction.

Key Topics:

• Isabel Moctezuma: The "last Aztec Empress" who sued the Spanish crown and won.
• The Conquest: How Cortés exploited internal divisions and disease to topple the Mexica empire.
• Caste and Colorism: The casta paintings and the racial stratification of colonial Mexico.
• Strategic Marriage: How Spanish conquistadors married indigenous nobility to secure land rights.

Books Mentioned:

• The Other Moctezuma Girls by Sofía Robleda
• Imagined Communities by Benedict Anderson

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Episode Summary:

In this episode of Explaining History, Nick explores the historical processes of anti-colonial struggle in the 20th century and how they illuminate the geopolitical crises of 2026.

We examine the "imperial boomerang"—how the techniques of colonial violence return to the metropole—and the shift from the age of imperial civil war (1914-1945) to the age of imperial decline. Nick discusses the recent, shocking speech by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Munich Security Conference, where he urged European leaders to reclaim their "civilizational confidence" and reject the "global welfare state."

From the Indian National Army to the Viet Minh, we look at how national liberation movements shattered the old empires. Nick argues that the current attempts by the US to reassert hegemony through force—in Venezuela and Nigeria—are doomed to fail against a Global South that has fundamentally changed. Is the West trying to fight 19th-century colonial wars in a 21st-century world?

Key Topics:

• The Munich Speech: Marco Rubio’s call for a return to "civilizational" power.
• National Liberation: How India and Vietnam broke the British and French empires.
• The American Empire: From the "Pax Americana" to the transactional gangster state.
• The Global South: Why the new non-aligned world will not submit to neocolonialism.

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Episode Summary:

In this episode of Explaining History, Nick returns to the grim realities of the Vietnam War through the eyes of one of the 20th century's most formidable journalists: Martha Gellhorn.

Drawing on Philip Knightley's The First Casualty, we explore how Gellhorn—a veteran of the Spanish Civil War and D-Day—exposed the "hearts and minds" strategy as a hollow lie. While American generals bragged about "zapping Charlie Cong," Gellhorn visited the hospitals and refugee camps, documenting the civilian carnage inflicted by US firepower.

Nick delves into the racialized hatred that fueled the war, examining how the dehumanization of the Vietnamese people ("dinks," "gooks") led to a culture of normalized depravity where ears were taken as trophies and massacres were dismissed as "turkey shoots." We also discuss how the US military learned from the PR disasters of Vietnam to create the sanitized "embedded" journalism of the Gulf Wars.

Plus: A reminder for history students! Our American History Masterclass (1945-74) is this Sunday, February 15th. Join us for a deep dive into the Cold War, Civil Rights, and Vietnam.

Key Topics:

• Martha Gellhorn: The reporter who refused to look away from civilian suffering.
• Dehumanization: How racism became a "patriotic virtue" in Vietnam.
• The Myth of Hearts and Minds: The disconnect between official rhetoric and the reality of napalm.
• Managing the Media: Why newspapers refused to print the truth about American atrocities.

Books Mentioned:

• The First Casualty by Philip Knightley
• Dispatches by Michael Herr
• Maoism: A Global History by Julia Lovell

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Episode Summary:

In this episode of Explaining History, Nick delves into the cataclysmic events of 1912-1913 that shattered the Ottoman Empire and set the stage for the First World War.

Following the humiliating loss of Libya to Italy, the Balkan states—Serbia, Greece, Montenegro, and Bulgaria—sensed weakness and struck. We explore how this coalition of former subjects mobilized a massive army of over 700,000 men to drive the Ottomans out of Europe.

Drawing on Eugene Rogan's The Fall of the Ottomans, Nick examines the internal chaos of the empire, from the violent coup led by Enver Pasha at the Sublime Porte to the desperate siege of Edirne. Why did the "Sick Man of Europe" fight so poorly in the Balkans but so fiercely later at Gallipoli? And how did the loss of its European heartland radicalize the Young Turk regime?

Plus: Important announcements about our upcoming live masterclasses for history students in February, March, and April!

Key Topics:

• The First Balkan War: How a coalition of small states defeated an empire.
• The Raid on the Sublime Porte: Enver Pasha’s violent seizure of power.
• The Loss of Europe: The economic and psychological blow of losing Macedonia, Albania, and Thrace.
• Schrödinger's Empire: The paradox of Ottoman weakness in 1912 vs. resilience in 1915.

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Episode Summary:

In this episode of Explaining History, Nick continues his exploration of Eric Hobsbawm’s seminal work, The Age of Extremes.

We focus on the first part of Hobsbawm's "historical triptych"—the Age of Catastrophe (1914–1945). Nick argues that this period was essentially a European Civil War, where the violent techniques of imperialism—gas, machine guns, and racial extermination—boomeranged back onto the continent itself.

From the collapse of the liberal order in 1914 to the rise of totalitarian regimes in the 1930s, we examine how the certainties of the 19th century were shattered. We also critique Hobsbawm’s Eurocentric view, asking: Was the post-war "Golden Age" truly golden for the colonized peoples of Vietnam, Kenya, or Algeria? Or was the Second World War merely the moment when the violence of empire finally came home?

Plus: A final call for history students! Our Russian Revolution Masterclass is on Sunday, January 25th. Book your spot now for a deep dive into essay technique and historical argument.

Key Topics:

• The European Civil War: Viewing 1914-1945 as a single, devastating conflict.
• The Imperial Boomerang: How colonial violence returned to Europe.
• The Collapse of Liberalism: Why democracy nearly vanished from the map between the wars.
• Hobsbawm’s Blind Spot: Critiquing the Eurocentric view of the "Golden Age."

Books Mentioned:

• The Age of Extremes by Eric Hobsbawm
• Blood and Ruins by Richard Overy
• The Origins of Totalitarianism by Hannah Arendt (referenced via the "boomerang" thesis)

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In this episode of Explaining History, Nick continues his exploration of the Chinese Cultural Revolution through the lens of Tania Branigan's Red Memory. We examine Mao Zedong's complex relationship with the youth of China—how he mobilized them as revolutionary shock troops, only to discard them when they became a threat to order.

We delve into the "Down to the Countryside" movement, where 17 million urban teenagers were sent to remote villages to "learn from the peasants." Nick explores the ideological motivations behind this mass displacement: Mao's belief that the younger generation was being softened by "sugar-coated bullets" of bourgeois comfort and needed to be re-forged through hard labour.

From the boredom that followed the initial revolutionary fervour to the lasting trauma (and surprising nostalgia) of the "sent-down youth," this episode unpacks the human cost of Mao's permanent revolution.

Plus: A recap of our first masterclass and details on the upcoming session on Post-War America (1945-74) on February 15th!

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Key Topics:

• The Red Guards: From revolutionary zeal to boredom and disillusionment.
• Down to the Countryside: Why Mao sent 17 million teenagers to live with peasants.
• Ideological purity: The fear of "revisionism" and the need for constant struggle.
• Memory and Trauma: How the "lost generation" reconciles their past with modern China.

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