History That Matters Now Archives - KDA Keeping Democracy Alive Podcast & Radio Show

In a democracy, we have a right to our own say over how we are governed: that’s what history shows is the impetus behind populism, both right and left. It says: we are experiencing economic injustice; how do we get

The post Heather Cox Richardson: Yes, Democracy Is Awakening appeared first on KDA Keeping Democracy Alive Podcast & Radio Show.

Democracy and oligarchy: since our founding it’s been a long balancing act. In his new book Realigners: Partisan Hacks, Political Visionaries, and the Struggle to Rule American Democracy, author historian Timothy Shenk tells of how such incredibly diverse people as

The post The Useful Struggle for American Democracy appeared first on KDA Keeping Democracy Alive Podcast & Radio Show.

Authoritarianism. Anti-Immigrant. White men fearful of losing control.   Books banned, free press shut down. Widespread domestic spying. Dissent criminalized and many jailed tortured and killed. In his new book, American Midnight: The Great War, A Violent Peace, and Democracy’s

The post American Midnight: The Early 20th Century Model for Trump? appeared first on KDA Keeping Democracy Alive Podcast & Radio Show.

Republicans determined to replace democracy with authoritarian tyranny. No it’s not 2023, it’s 1973 when they succeeded. Duly elected democratic socialist Salvador Allende is overthrown and replaced with dictator Augusto Pinochet. It’s not well known today, but listen in as,

The post The First September 11th: 50 Years Ago appeared first on KDA Keeping Democracy Alive Podcast & Radio Show.

This book changed my view of US History. He posits that the standard story is not the truth: The surprising reality of America’s founding shows we were created for insider rule, a stable hierarchy but not justice. On this show

The post Get Back to America’s Founding Ideals? No; Leave the Standard Story Behind appeared first on KDA Keeping Democracy Alive Podcast & Radio Show.

It’s not just blue vs red, North vs South. There’s us here in Yankeedom, Then there’s New Netherlands, The Midlands, Tidewater, Greater Appalachia, The Deep South (of course), New France, The Far West, El Norte, The Left Coast, and First

The post One Nation Indivisible: Oh Really? appeared first on KDA Keeping Democracy Alive Podcast & Radio Show.

In short, it was not about individual rights but about protecting the institution of slavery. It created militias as slave patrols. And despite conventional wisdom, militias were useless in the war for independence. Historian Carl Bogus’s new book Madison’s Militia,

The post Madison’s Intent for the Second Amendment appeared first on KDA Keeping Democracy Alive Podcast & Radio Show.

It was a crime to even be a member of the “One Big Union.” But even Helen Keller was a member of the IWW, the Industrial Workers of the World. On this show, Ahmed White talks about his new book

The post “Courage Unexcelled in US History” appeared first on KDA Keeping Democracy Alive Podcast & Radio Show.

Bradley Onishi is himself a “deconverted” Christian nationalist. His new book is titled Preparing for War; The Extremist History of White Christian Nationalism–And What Comes Next. On this show, he answers the puzzling question of why so many who consider

The post Christian Nationalism 2023: Power Not Piety appeared first on KDA Keeping Democracy Alive Podcast & Radio Show.

You’ve heard of the famous Christmas Truce of 1914 between the trenches of the British and German soldiers. These were indeed brave men. But that was not the only such event: there were desertions, mutinies, and fraternizations. Today it seems

The post The Christmas Truce of 1914: Not So Isolated appeared first on KDA Keeping Democracy Alive Podcast & Radio Show.