The Budget: Britain's Financial Crisis Explained
17 November 2022 - 37 minsRising interest, cost of living crisis, energy prices at an all-time high- is Britain's precarious financial situation the fault of policymakers or global forces? On the day the chancellor reveals the Autumn budget Dan and Dr Charles Read, economic historian and fellow at the University of Cambridge make sense of how Britain got here. They break down gilts, bonds and interest rates, how voters swing toward extreme parties in the wake of the financial crisis, and what lessons Kwasi Kwarteng should have taken from the Whig party's mistakes during the Great Potato Famine in the 1840s, as he made his disastrous mini-budget.
Dr Charles Read's new books are called 'The Great Famine in Ireland and...
Series Episodes
Nostradamus
For centuries, Nostradamus has been hailed as the man who saw the future—his cryptic quatrains allegedly foretelling everything from the French Revolution and the rise of Hitler to the 9/11 attacks and the Covid-19 pandemic. But how much is true, and how much is myth? Joining Dan in this episode to unravel the true history of the French soothsayer is John Hogue, a renowned Nostradamus scholar. Together they explore Nostradamus' life as a plague doctor, the occult during the Renaissance, his most famous predictions and why they still captivate us today. You can learn more on John's website here: http://www.hogueprophecy.com/ With special thanks to listener Tamarah Palmer. Produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Dougal Patmore. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. We'd love to hear from you. You can email the podcast at ds.hh@historyhit.com.
30 mins
7 February Finished
2. The English Civil War: Roundheads vs Cavaliers
Episode 2/2. This week, we have a two-part series on the catastrophic English Civil War in the 17th century. We trace the twists and turns of this tumultuous period from the perspective of Bulstrode Whitelocke and Edward Hyde, two close friends who reluctantly found themselves on opposing sides of the conflict that split England in two. For this, Dan is joined by Minoo Dinshaw, author of 'Friends in Youth: Choosing Sides in the English Civil War'. In this second episode, we hear about some of the bloodiest battles between Roundheads and Cavaliers, the leaders who came to the fore during these trying years and how the two sides eventually arrived at a shaky truce. Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Max Carrey. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. We'd love to hear from you. You can email the podcast at ds.hh@historyhit.com.
48 mins
5 February Finished
1. The English Civil War: Rising Tensions
Episode 1/2. This week, we have a two-part series on the catastrophic English Civil War in the 17th century. We trace the twists and turns of this tumultuous period from the perspective of Bulstrode Whitelocke and Edward Hyde, two close friends who reluctantly found themselves on opposing sides of the conflict that split England in two. For this, Dan is joined by Minoo Dinshaw, author of 'Friends in Youth: Choosing Sides in the English Civil War'. In this first episode, we learn how subtle religious and political differences upset the balance of power in England, and plunged the kingdom into chaos. Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Max Carrey. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. We'd love to hear from you. You can email the podcast at ds.hh@historyhit.com.
50 mins
3 February Finished
Auschwitz Commandant: Rudolf Höss
Every day Rudolf Höss oversaw the killing of thousands of people at the death camp and then went home and acted like a doting father to his family. Höss was brought in by top Nazis to pioneer the industrialisation of the mass murder of Europe's Jews and others. He lived in a house that shared a wall with Auschwitz, metres from the crematorium, where he and his family enjoyed a happy domestic life - his wife once described their life at the house as 'paradise'. The house was home to a Polish family until last year when it was taken over by the Counter Extremism Project who invited History Hit to explore the house, which is largely as it was when the Hoss family lived there. Dan travels to Poland with historian and best-selling author Thomas Harding to discover more about Höss' role in the Holocaust and what the house teaches us about 'the banality of evil'. They learn about what went on there, what Holocaust artefacts were recently found in the attic and the future of the house as a centre to combat hate. Warning: this episode contains descriptions of human suffering and genocide which some listeners may find upsetting. With special thanks to the Counter Extremism Project, Dr Hans-Jakob Schindler, Keith Burnet and Thomas Harding. You can see the History Hit film about the house here: You can find out more in Thomas' book 'Hanns and Rudolf: The German Jew and the Hunt for the Kommandant of Auschwitz'. He also has a new book out for children. It's called 'The House on the Canal: The Story of the House that Hid Anne Frank.' Produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Max Carrey and Dougal Patmore
1 hour 4 mins
31 January Finished
The Hunt for Pablo Escobar
By the early 1990s, the Colombian city of MedellĂn was at the centre of the world's largest drug empire. The fearsome MedellĂn Cartel, led by the notorious drug lord and narcoterrorist Pablo Escobar, brought murder and mayhem to the city and the world for nearly two decades. In this episode, Dan is joined by the men portrayed in the critically acclaimed series Narcos, ex-DEA agents Javier Peña and Steve Murphy. They tell us the true story behind the rise and fall of the infamous Pablo Escobar. Produced by Freddy Chick and James Hickmann, and edited by Dougal Patmore. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.
29 mins
29 January Finished
A History of Auschwitz
On January 27th 1945, the Red Army liberated the concentration camp at Auschwitz unveiling its almost unspeakable horrors to the world. The concentration camp system began almost immediately after Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in 1933. It was an integral part of the Nazi regime's rapid dismantling of German democracy. Within weeks, the first concentration camp, Dachau, was opened to imprison political opponents, marking the start of a vast and brutal system of camps across Germany and later in the occupied territories. The camps began as places to imprison political enemies and people the Nazis deemed to be “undesirables”. But, as the Second World War progressed, these camps became centres of industrial-scale genocide, with Auschwitz becoming perhaps the most infamous. In this episode, Dan is joined by Nikolaus Wachsmann, Professor of Modern European History at Birkbeck University of London. They discuss the historical context and horrors of Auschwitz, marking Holocaust Memorial Day on the 80th anniversary of its liberation by the Red Army. Warning: This episode contains a detailed discussion of the Holocaust and genocide which some listeners may find upsetting. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.
58 mins
27 January Finished
