History Books Review

In this unscripted episode I speculate about why the Holy Roman Empire tends to be written out of European history, and suggest it is time to take it a bit more seriously.

In the Victorian world women were subservient to men.  It sounds great in thery, but how did it actually work? 

A view from inside the Blair government in the years leading up to the war in Iraq.

The private life of Belisarius is revealed in the Secret History.  Or is it?

Mary Beard sums up the Roman Empire for the general reader.

Belisarius is recalled after almost completely defeating the Goths in Italy.

Belisarius invades Italy and captures Rome.  But the Goths soon regroup and lay siege to him.

Belisarius recaptures Africa from the Vandals in a risky but brilliant campaign.

Radical threats led to radical changes to the way the Romans fought.

The basic thesis of the book is that post war governments have used the emergency war powers to issue state funded Propaganda to win support for their political objectives.