Myths
Immigration and “The Deportation Machine” in the United States
Professor Adam Goodman explains the unknown history of deportation and the fear that shapes immigrants’ lives in the modern United States. He explains how federal, state, and local officials have targeted various groups for expulsion, from Chinese and Europeans at the turn of the twentieth century to Central Americans and Muslims today. A very timely…
Read MoreWarfare, Technology, Constitutions, and the Making of the Modern World
Professor Linda Colley gives us the first full integrative, as well as literary, examination of the written constitution globally. Tracing their rise to the mid-eighteenth century and the emergence of hybrid warfare (cross-continental battles waged on land and at sea), constitutions addressed a growing concern for rulers during the Enlightenment: popular support. Episode #409. Read…
Read MoreThe Munich Crisis, 1938
The Munich Crisis of 1938 had major diplomatic and political effects. It was also a “people’s crisis,” and an event that gripped the world. Join Professors Richard Toye, Julie Gottlieb, and Daniel Hucker as they present new research and findings about this prelude to World War II. Episode #408 —Buzzkill Bookshelf The Munich Crisis, politics…
Read MoreThe History of Concentration Camps
The development of concentration camps in world history is both compelling and distressing. Award-winning author and journalist, Andrea Pitzer, explains how and why human societies have come to use them so frequently. From 1890s Cuba to the detention camps in the 21st century USA, concentration camps have exposed the “savage practicality” used by governments and…
Read More“The Deviant’s War”: the Homosexual vs. the United States of America
Professor Eric Cervini tells us the secret history of the fight for gay rights that began a generation before Stonewall. Above all, it is a story of America (and Washington) at a cultural and sexual crossroads; of shocking, byzantine public battles with Congress; of FBI informants; murder; betrayal; sex; love; and ultimately victory. Episode #406—…
Read MoreAppeasement and “Guilty Women” in Inter-War Britain
Professor Julie Gottlieb deepens our understanding of the crisis between World War I and World War 2 in Britain. She shows us how crucial female public opinion was to the development of foreign policy during this period. Chamberlain, Churchill, Munich, and appeasement are better-illuminated light by her new research and interpretations. Join us for a…
Read MoreDaughters of Yalta: the Churchills, the Roosevelts, and the Harrimans in 1945
Catherine Grace Katz joins us to tell the story of three intelligent and glamorous young women (Sarah Churchill, Anna Roosevelt, and Kathleen Harriman) who accompanied their famous fathers to the Yalta Conference in February 1945, and how they affected the conference and its fateful reverberations in the waning days of World War II. Episode #404.…
Read More“Robert E. Lee and Me” – General Ty Seidule
General Ty Seidule returns to the Buzzkill Institute to talk about his wonderful new book, “Robert E. Lee and Me: a Southerner’s Reckoning with the Myth of the Lost Cause.” This is required listening for every American, and all those interested in why our country continually struggles with racism, white supremacy, and false and ahistorical…
Read MorePresidential Transitions in American History
Even though nothing tops the 2020-2021 Trump-Biden “transition,” presidential transitions have not always been smooth and stable in American history. Professor Philip Nash explains all and puts historical transitions in the context of what’s happening now. Episode #402 Buzzkillers can enjoy free membership at Hark Audio, the coolest new thing in the podcast world. Go…
Read MoreGirls to the Rescue: Young Heroines in American Series Fiction of World War I
During World War I, many young American women longed to be part of a larger, more glorious war effort. A new genre of young adult books entered the market, written specifically with the young girls of the war period in mind, and demonstrating the wartime activities of women and girls all over the world. Professors…
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