We all want the global recovery from the coronavirus pandemic to be swift and painless. But history tells us that isn’t always possible.

When the world has suffered a massive shock to its system before – be that a pandemic, a war, an economic crisis – the rebuilding can take decades. There will be missteps along the way. More people will suffer.

But past recoveries can also offer us lessons about what’s possible. About the choices people make, whether the choices of politicians and their advisers, or people just trying to find their feet in a new reality. And these moments of crisis have also provided opportunities to make a better world.

In a new six-part series called Recovery, The Anthill Podcast will explore key moments of recovery from history. Hosted by Annabel Bligh, in each episode we’ll take one major crisis or shock and speak to a panel of leading academics who have researched its legacy.

This will not be a series about coronavirus. It’s a series about rebuilding. About what works and what doesn’t, and how our world has been shaped by big moments of crisis and the way our ancestors have reacted to them. We’ll be drawing some parallels to what’s going on around us now, but mostly we’ll be telling the stories of past recoveries.

Listen on The Conversation from June 3 or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

The Anthill is produced by Gemma Ware and Annabel Bligh. Sound design by Eloise Stevens.