Hard Fried History

You've heard of Russia interfering with the 2016 election, but what of American interference in Russian elections? How did the Mafia fill the power vacuum left by the crumbled Soviet Union? What do you know about Russian stonks? All this and more on this episode of Hard Fried History.

What factors contributed to the collapse of the Soviet Union? How did Russia transition from Communism to Capitalism in the early years of the “Wild 90s?” In the first of a two-part analysis, Henry and Josh take an initial peek behind the Iron Curtain and enter the world of fast money, backroom deals and bad Russian accents.

"Hey buddy...you wanna party?" This week we explore the hidden world of secret government safe-houses and sketchy university laboratories where the CIA conducted their infamous MK-ULTRA program, under which agency-subsidized neurologists and biochemists conducted torturous experiments by bombarding people with electrical shocks and drug cocktails in an effort to turn people into highly-dependent and suggestible sleeper agents ready for deployment. OUR TAX DOLLARS. 

What were the final nails in the coffin of German Democracy? How did the Nazi party gain enough support to transform itself from a fringe movement on the margins of the political spectrum to the dominant party within Germany? What parallels exist between the rise of fascism in Germany and the rise of the alt-right in Western democracies? These questions and many more answered in this episode. 

How exactly did Fascism rise in Germany? What should we be on the lookout for in the modern era? In the first of a two-part series, Josh and Henry take a look at Germany in the aftermath of World War One, the political and social circumstances that aided the rise of Fascism and which types of people found that poisonous ideology appealing and why. 

What's the furthest you've ever gone in search of vengeance? Our subject today is the amazing story of Phoolan Devi, a lower-caste Indian woman who, after being cornered into a life of crime, eventually gained an international reputation as the infamous "Bandit Queen of India." Viewer discretion advised. 

What do you know about the Spanish Civil War? Our subject today is Dolores Ibarruri, a key player in the Spanish Communist Party who served on both the political and military front lines of this struggle. Reading her autobiography against a more general history, Josh and Henry give a condensed overview of the causes of and international responses to this conflict while contextualizing Ibarruri within these broader strokes. Buckle up! No Pasaran! 

Have you ever been falsely accused? Kicking off women's history month, we take a look at the early life and rise of Angela Davis, covering such topics as the activities of domestic terrorists in Birmingham during the 50s, the origins of the black liberation movement in the 60s and the LAPD/FBI's violent attempts to stop this movement.