With the Last Shah’s reforms - known as the White Revolution - starting to take effect, Iran looked to be in a healthy position. Economic growth is strong, Tehran is a thriving cultural centre, and women now had the vote. Before long, however, the economy began to overheat and inflation soars. Criticism of the Shah grows and the man who articulates the discontent of the nation best is an exiled ayatollah, Ruhollah Khomeini. He desires a theocratic future for Iran that has no room for the Shah, and his support is growing. Listen as William and Anita are once again joined by Ali Ansari to discuss Iran as it slides towards revolution.

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Producer: Callum Hill
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120. The Iranian Revolution: The Rise of Ayatollah Khomeini

How do empires rise? Why do they fall? And how have they shaped the world around us today?

William Dalrymple and Anita Anand explore the stories, personalities and events of empire over the course of history.

History

Society & Culture

One of the most famous names in American history, Pocahontas had an extraordinary life. She was the daughter of Powhatan, a great Native American chief, and was born in Werowocomoco, in what we’d now call Virginia. From a young age, she mixed with the initial English settlers and spent time in the first European settlement in America, Jamestown. But, her life was turned upside down when she was lured aboard a ship and taken prisoner by Samuel Argall, an English naval officer. Before long, presumably under a degree of duress, she had converted to christianity, married an Englishman, and was making her way across the Atlantic. Listen as William and Anita are joined by Camilla Townsend to discuss the life and legacy of Pocahontas.

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Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com

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Assistant Producer: Anouska Lewis

Producer: Callum Hill

Exec Producer: Neil Fearn
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149. Pocahontas: Kidnapped in Virginia

The Empire that dare not speak its name. America was born through an explicit rejection of empire as it forced the British from the continent and indeed many of its citizens would baulk at the suggestion their nation is an empire. Yet, over its lifetime the empire of liberty, as Thomas Jefferson himself once called it, has continually flexed its imperial muscles. In our newest series, William and Anita will take you from the great plains of North America to the shores of the Philippines and explore the history of the American Empire. In today’s episode, William and Anita look at the first colonial interactions on the North American continent as the British land in Virginia and establish contact with the Powhatan Native Americans.

Twitter: @Empirepoduk

Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com

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Assistant Producer: Anouska Lewis

Producer: Callum Hill

Exec Producer: Neil Fearn
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148. America: The Empire of Liberty

In 1877 Queen Victoria took on the title Empress of India, a nation which she undoubtedly had close to her heart. Yet, under her reign and that of her successors, India was exploited. At the same time, she takes Abdul Karim, known as the Munshi, into her court. Many of her courtiers despised this Indian man and his influence, but Victoria stuck by him. Undoubtedly, Empire was central to Victoria and she saw it as a force for good, but how do we see that and the rest of her reign now? Listen as William and Anita discuss Victoria’s final years and her legacy.

Twitter: @Empirepoduk

Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com

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Assistant Producer: Anouska Lewis

Producer: Callum Hill

Exec Producer: Neil Fearn
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147. Queen Victoria: Empress of India (Ep 4)

Across 1851, over 6,000,000 people went to London to see the Great Exhibition. Designed to showcase the very best of what Britain and the empire could offer the world, the event was an incontrovertible success which cemented Britain’s status as the nation at the centre of the world economy. But, with the events of 1857 in India and the extreme levels of violence that came with it, followed by the death of Albert in 1861, Victoria’s rule was not plain-sailing even at this point. Listen as William and Anita discuss Victoria and her interactions with the empire on which the sun never sets.

Twitter: @Empirepoduk

Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com

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Assistant Producer: Anouska Lewis

Producer: Callum Hill

Exec Producer: Neil Fearn
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146. Queen Victoria: The Empire on Which the Sun Never Sets (Ep 3)

It is one of the great love affairs of history. Upon meeting again shortly after her 18th birthday, Victoria and Albert became smitten with each other and within 5 days Victoria asked him to marry her. Whilst initially an unpopular match, the spectacle of the Royal Wedding dispelled some of the public’s misgivings about Albert. However, all was not well in the first decade of Victoria’s reign. The turbulence of 1840s Europe is ripping through Victoria’s nation. Listen as William and Anita discuss the first years of Victoria’s reign as she deals with assassination attempts and the Irish famine.

Twitter: @Empirepoduk

Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com

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Assistant Producer: Anouska Lewis

Producer: Callum Hill

Exec Producer: Neil Fearn
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120. The Iranian Revolution: The Rise of Ayatollah Khomeini

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