Posts Tagged ‘History Myth’
Hitler in World War II
Professor Philip Nash joins us to dispel myths about Hitler during World War II. We talk about strategic and operational blunders (especially Operation Barbarossa), harsh occupation policies, declaration of war against the US, and imperial overstretch. We also examine the Holocaust and Holocaust deniers, Hitler’s micromanagement, his declining health, the plots to kill him, and…
Read MoreCold War Trading Cards!
Yes, you read that correctly, Buzzkillers! Trading cards sets like “Fight the Red Menace” were popular in the west, and were regularly purchased by young people (especially boys) during the Cold War. Historian Harriette Kevill-Davies explains the roles these cards played in American and Allied culture during those extremely tense times! Episode 425.
Read MoreHousehold Gods: the Religious Lives of the Adams Family
Reflecting on his past, President John Adams mused that it was religion that had shaped his family’s fortunes and young America’s future. For the nineteenth century’s first family, the Adamses of Massachusetts, the history of how they lived religion was dynamic and well-documented. Christianity supplied the language that Abigail used to interpret husband John’s political…
Read MoreCharlie Brown’s America: the Popular Politics of Peanuts
Professor Blake Scott Ball discusses his new book on the history of the Peanuts comic strip! Despite–or perhaps because of–its huge popular culture status, Peanuts enabled cartoonist Charles Schulz to offer political commentary on the most controversial topics of postwar American culture through the voices of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the whole Peanuts gang. Episode…
Read MoreHistory of the Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian Trail has a long and winding place in American history and culture. Professor Philip D’Anieri takes us on a hike through the significant aspects of its history and explains what the trail’s construction and development have meant for the country. Episode 422 Link to the Appalachian Trail Conference: https://appalachiantrail.org/ —Buzzkill Bookshelf Philip D’Anieri,…
Read MoreThe Filibuster in the United States Senate
The filibuster, and the practice of filibustering in the United States Senate, is a raging topic in American politics these days. And, of course, the abuse of history has been rampant when current politicians attack or defend the filibuster. Professor Sarah Binder (_the_ expert!) explains it to you Buzzkillers! Episode 421 — Buzzkill Bookshelf Sarah…
Read MoreAbraham Lincoln “Government of the people, by the people, and for the people…” Quote or No Quote?
Voting rights are being taken away in 2021. So we should listen again to Honest Abe. Right? But did he actually say, “…government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth”? Was it his phrase originally? The background of the quote will fascinate you. Listen and learn, Buzzkillers!…
Read More“Nazi” “Socialist”: What’s in a Name?
Marjorie Taylor Greene has brought up the Nazi-Socialist thing to defame certain left-wing American politicians in 2021. Obviously, she doesn’t know history. But why was Hitler’s fascist party named the “National-Socialist German Workers’ Party”? “Socialist” and “Fascist” usually have totally different, indeed opposite, meanings. How did they get combined and what did the “National Socialist”…
Read MoreNewt Gingrich and the Burning Down of American Politics
There’s so much talk these days about the radicalism of the Republican Party. Politics has often been nasty in American history, but when did this particular style of Republican extremism start? Professor Julian Zelizer from Princeton University shows us how Newt Gingrich helped create the new Republican party, and in the process, burned down American…
Read MoreEvangelical Influence on Human Rights and U.S. Foreign Relations
Dr. Lauren Turek gives us the history of American Christian evangelical influence on foreign affairs, as well as their direct efforts to change American foreign policy. It’s all so much deeper and more interesting than most people think! Listen to her explain their “evangelizing” in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe in the late…
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