History Book Club

"The Freedom to Achieve Freedom". Michael Collins

This week's episode is with journalist and author Gretchen Friemann discussing the Irish Revloution. We discuss the whole shebang, from the Act of Union in 1801, through the Home Rule crisis, Curragh Mutiny, Easter Rising, War of Independence, the Anglo-Irish Treaty and the Irish Civil War. Gretchen is the author of The Treaty.

Gretchen Friemann Links

Gretchen's Book: The Treaty: The Gripping Story of the Negotiations that brought about Irish Independence and led to the Civil War

Podcast series: The Irish Revolution Podcast on History Hub.IE

Twitter: @G_Friemann

Aspects of History Links

The Assassination of Sir Henry Wilson

Ollie on Twitter: @olliewcq

Aspects of History Website

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In this week's episode, Antony Beevor discusses the subject of his latest book, Russia: Revolution & Civil War 1917-1921. Antony is interviewed by a hot new signing for Aspects of History, Robert Lyman, author of A War of Empires and my guest in earlier episodes.

The two historians discuss the brutality of the conflicts, and how Russia deposed the Tsar and transformed into the USSR under the leadership of a small number of ruthless leaders, Lenin among them.

Antony Beevor Links

Russia: Revolution & Civil War 1917-1921

Robert Lyman Links

A War of Empires

Aspects of History Links

Issue 10 of Aspects of History

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This week's chat is one of the most successful authors writing historical fiction, Conn Iggulden. He's written series on Julius Caesar and Genghis Khan, and more recently on Ancient Greece. Conn and I discuss his latest novel Lion, the Greeks and the Persians, Pericles and the beginnings of the Athenian Empire and Conn's approach to historical fiction.

Conn Iggulden Links

Lion following on from Protector

David Gemmell's Lion of Macedon

Plutarch's Nine Greek Lives

Thucydides The History of the Peloponnesian War

Aeschylus The Persians

Herodotus The Histories

Aspects of History Links

Jessie Childs on the English Civil War

Adam Zamoyski on Kissinger and Ukraine

Ronan McGreevy on the assassination that sparked the Irish Civil War

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This week's episode is with bestselling author Damien Lewis, talking about the wonderful Josephine Baker, spy during the Second World War, but also an entertainer loved by so many in Europe. It's a story well told by Damien, and Josephine's awe-inspiring antics led her to be entered into the French Pantheon in November 2021.

Damien Lewis Links

Flame of Resistance: American Beauty. French Hero. British Spy

Pictures of Josephine

Twitter: @authordlewis

Aspects of History Links

Homepage

Twitter: @aspectshistory

Twitter: @olliewcq

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On this week's show, my guest is Gavin Mortimer, author of The Phoney Major, a revision on the revision which exposes Stirling not as the founder of the SAS, but instead as a fraud, a bungling special forces soldier and a narcissistic man who excelled at creating the image that is maintained today. Instead his brother founded the SAS, and Paddy Mayne was the true leader.

Gavin Mortimer Links

The Phoney Major

Winged Dagger

Who Dares Wins movie with Lewis Collins

Aspects of History Links

Aspects of History Home

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Tessa Dunlop joins me to discuss the Queen, or Princess Elizabeth as she was, and her wartime service in the ATS. This is the subject of her new paperback, Army Girls.

She also chats about Elizabeth and Philip's courtship during the war, and what she got up to in the army.

There is a Jubilee Special offer for pod listeners - use voucher code HISTORY50% to get half price annual subscriptions on the Aspects of History magazine. Head to the website and use the code at checkout.

Tessa Dunlop Links

Army Girls

Century Girls

Bletchley Girls

Links Discussed

Atonement

Windsor Castle to Camberley

Aspects of History

Voucher Code: HISTORY50%

Aspects of History Website

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In the 2nd part of my chat with Giles Milton on Berlin after the war, we talk about some of the characters involved in the story, and then the main event in the period, the Berlin Airlift. We also touch on the terrible events of Smyrna 1922.

You can get hold of Giles' book, Checkmate in Berlin here.

Timings

Ernest Bevin and NATO: 2m13s

Parallels with Ukraine: 5m10s

German socialists and and the Information war: 9m24s

The Berlin Airlift: 12m46s

Smyrna 1922: 24m52s

Giles Milton Links

Book: Checkmate in Berlin

Map: The Divided Germany

Map: West and East Berlin

Book: Paradise Lost: Smyrna 1922

Giles on Twitter @GilesMilton1

Aspects of History Links

Website: Aspects of History

Me on Twitter: @olliewcq

You can email us [email protected]

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In May 1945 Soviet troops had captured Berlin, and they proceeded to loot the city, and carry out the most horrific abuse of German women. American, British and French troops arrived two months later, and found a desperate and starving population.

Giles Milton has written a brilliant new book, Checkmate in Berlin, about the German capital in the aftermath of the Second World War. In Part One, we discuss that abuse, de-nazification, the Allies and the Soviets in the city, and Churchill's defining Iron Curtain speech.

Timings

Soviet and allied behaviour: 2m07s

DeNazification 7m0s

Soviets and Allies: 11m43s

The Iron Curtain Speech: 25m02s

Giles Milton Links

Book: Checkmate in Berlin

Map: The Divided Germany

Map: West and East Berlin

Film: Churchill's Iron Curtain Speech

Giles on Twitter @GilesMilton1

Aspects of History Links

Website: Aspects of History

Me on Twitter: @olliewcq

You can email us [email protected]

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Douglas Murray is a bestselling writer and broadcaster who has written a new book, The War on the West. In it he argues that those in the West are fortunate, that the West's history is not all shameful, and that we need face up to those that are seeking to traduce the education system with their strange new ideas. We must remember the past is a foreign country, they do things differently there.

We chat Winston Churchill, racist gardens, Critical Race Theory, suggested changes to education and right at the start, the Bloody Sunday Inquiry.

Timings

Bloody Sunday 5m14s

Churchill 21m20s

Reparations 33m20s

Douglas Murray Links

The War on the West: How to Prevail in the Age of Unreason

Bloody Sunday: Truth, Lies and the Saville Inquiry

The Times (London) Article on Reparations (£)

Douglas on Twitter

Links Mentioned in the Show

Glenn Loury v. Christopher Hitchens on Reparations

Britain's War Against the Slave Trade by Anthony Sullivan

Aspects of History Links

Voucher code: HISTORY50%

Simon Sebag Montefiore on Voices of History

Interview with Titanic Historian Simon Medhurst

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Continuing our chat, Gordon argues that had Stalingrad gone the other way, we'd be looking at a completely different Europe. He sets the scene and describes relations between Germany and Russia before and at the start of WW2 and then discusses the battle itself.

We also briefly mention Ukraine so I hope you can indulge us.

Intro - 0.15secs

Gordon on Barbarossa and Stalingrad - 3m54s

Gordon on Ukraine - 34m36s

Concl. - 40m10s

Gordon Links

Tipping Points of History: The Battle of Stalingrad - Available for free on Kindle Unlimited

Gordon's View on Ukraine

Aspects of History Links

Titanic - A Night to Remember, by Simon Medhurst

Drunk on Titanic, by Giles Milton

The Women of SOE, by Kate Vigurs

Ollie on Twitter

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