In this episode of Underground History, we examine the CFA Franc — a currency born of empire and sustained through decades of debate over stability, sovereignty, and control. Created in 1945 as a tool of French colonial finance, the CFA Franc still binds 14 African nations to a system pegged to the Euro and backed by the French Treasury. Supporters hail it as a source of price stability and investor confidence; critics condemn it as a relic of monetary imperialism that limits economic independence and perpetuates dependence on Europe.
We trace its evolution from colonial instrument to the modern-day reform movements — from West Africa’s planned “Eco” currency to the radical break of the Alliance of Sahel States. The episode explores how the CFA Franc has shaped Africa’s political economy, the tensions between stability and sovereignty, and the emerging struggle to redefine what true monetary freedom means in the 21st century.

An exploration of currency, colonial legacy, and the cost of control in a globalized world.

In this episode of Underground History, we unravel the legacy of Lee Atwater - the political strategist who transformed American campaigning through the art of the “dog whistle.” From his role in refining the Republican Party’s Southern Strategy to his orchestration of the infamous Willie Horton ad, Atwater weaponized coded racial language to reshape national politics around fear, crime, and cultural resentment. We trace how his tactics evolved from subtle racial cues to the open xenophobia of the modern era, linking his influence to today’s political climate. Finally, we examine Atwater’s late-life reckoning, his public repentance, and the haunting moral cost of the ruthless system he helped create.

Featuring archival sources, historical analysis, and a look at how Atwater’s “blueprint” continues to shape America’s political soul.

The state of Sudan is defined by an accelerating, externally-fueled civil war that has generated the world’s most catastrophic humanitarian emergency. Now in its third year, the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), commanded by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), has fundamentally reshaped the geopolitical, economic, and social fabric of the nation. The conflict has moved beyond a contest for the capital into a protracted war of regional consolidation, resulting in the functional splitting of the country and unprecedented levels of civilian suffering.

On March 16, 1968, during the Vietnam War, soldiers of the U.S. Army’s Charlie Company entered the hamlet of My Lai (Son My village) and carried out a brutal massacre of unarmed Vietnamese civilians. The atrocity, which claimed the lives of over 300 villagers including women, children, and elderly, remained hidden from the public for over a year.

The period known historically as the “Red Summer” of 1919 stands as a pivotal and brutal climax in the history of American racial violence. This era was characterized not by a single, isolated event, but by a coordinated series of white supremacist terrorist attacks, race riots, lynchings, and murders targeting African Americans across the United States. The moniker “Red Summer” was consciously applied by James Weldon Johnson, the influential field secretary for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), specifically to acknowledge and highlight the intense bloodshed that stained the nation.

The global economic order is undergoing a profound structural realignment, accelerated by two major systemic forces: the imposition of escalating protectionist tariffs by the United States and acute sovereign debt distress across the Global South. These pressures are serving as powerful catalysts, driving emerging and developing economies toward the expanded BRICS+ coalition. This shift is translating into durable, non-reversible changes in global supply chains, financial architecture, and geopolitical alignment, fundamentally challenging the dominance of Western-led institutions.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), serves as the cornerstone of federal anti-hunger efforts in the United States. Its mission is to alleviate hunger and improve the nutrition and health of low-income households by providing financial assistance specifically designated for the purchase of food.Understanding SNAP requires recognizing its origins, its evolution through major legislative acts, and the complex mechanics that govern its modern operation.

The United States military leadership was prompted to send the “Secret Information Concerning Black American Troops” memo to the French by a combination of factors rooted in deep-seated American racism, the enforcement of Jim Crow segregation, and fear that the French environment would undermine the U.S. racial hierarchy.

While neighboring states saw negotiated transitions, Romania’s revolution exploded in a matter of days—culminating in the overthrow and execution of Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu, whose regime had become synonymous with repression, economic decline, and a suffocating cult of personality.