History Does You

The United States and Mexico's relationship has often been overlooked in history despite the fact that the two countries have been as closely tied as any in the world. In today's episode we focus on the relations between the Cold War to now which has changed drastically from than to now. I has the opportunity to sit down and talk to Dr. Ana Covarrubias who is a professor in the Center for International Studies at El Colegio de México and is considered to be one of the leading scholars on U.S.-Mexico relations. We had a in depth conversation about economics, immigration, and foreign policy within Mexico and in relation to the United States. Overall, a great episode from a perspective that is overlooked by many Americans and informative about the roots and what has led to where U.S.-Mexico relations now.

In today's episode we talk about the Battle of Iwo Jima whose 75th Anniversary was this past Wednesday. The battle produced arguably the most iconic image of the war with 6 US Marines raising the American Flag on Mount Suribachi. I had the honor of interviewing James Bradley who wrote the #1 New York Times Bestseller Flags of our Fathers , based off the raising of the flag. His father John Bradley was apart of the event and served with the 5th Marine Division during the battle. His other work includes Bestsellers, Flyboys: A True Story of Courage,  The Imperial Cruise, and The China Mirage: The Hidden History of American Disaster in Asia. A Great Interview about one of the most important and costliest battles of World War II.

The Congress for Cultural Freedom was anti-communist advocacy group started in 1950 to project western Democratic values in philosophy, art, and culture. Contrary to popular belief, the Cold War was not limited to economic and military supremacy between the U.S. and Soviet Union, but also in values and the systems that were polar opposites in every way. In today's interview with fellow DU student Dylan Fox, we cover the Congress for Cultural Freedom and its impact on the Cold War. Super cool interview and episode about a topic in the Cold War that often gets overlooked.

Under the Reign of Augustus, the Roman empire shifts from a republic to an empire with a more centralized government under the leadership of an Emperor. Its from this period of about 27 BC to 200 AD that the empire reaches its greatest extent stretching from Britannia all the way to the Persian Gulf. This is more of an overview of the era and the emperors who led the empire. None the less, a super interesting period in history and one of the greatest empires in history!

In this first part of a three part series. We look at the rise of the Roman Republic which began in its earliest days to expand beyond its borders. However, Rome was not built overnight and faced extensive campaigns against regional foes. These led to wars against Regional powers such as Carthage and the Greek Kingdoms. After years of War, Rome ascended as the premier power in the Mediterranean and began to expand rapidly, however with this came much change and the first civil war. It was after this that Strongmen such as Pompey the Great and Julius Caesar emerged where military victories translated directly to political influence. The destruction of the alliances between these men led to more civil war and the Assassination of Julius Caesar marking the end of the Republic and transition to Empire. This episode goes very heavily into the timeline of expansion, not so much into culture, religion, or economics, I hope to eventually do another episode on that in the future. Regardless it is interesting to learn how Rome was built and how the die was cast. Next week well dive into the Empire and the Pax Romana. 

30:00: Rise of the Roman Republic and the Punic Wars

47:00: The Macedonian wars and expansion into Greece

1:00:00: Social Unrest and the First Civil Wars

1:11:00: Pompey the Great

1:18:00: Julius Caesar and the end of the Republic

1:32:00: Summary and Conclusion  

Who I am?

Why I’m doing this?

Podcasts are cool

History hasn’t kept up with the times

Why History Matters?

Where I want to go from here?

Adding guests, all parts of history

Tribute to MLK

Gerald R Ford Class Carrier to be named after Doris Miller

Conclusion

Next Episodes 3 part series on the Roman Empire

Republic to Caesar

The Empire and Pax Romana,

The Fall and the Eastern Roman Empire