Western Civ

Episode 526: The Seven Days Battles

18 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Two ironclads face off to change the shape of naval warfare while Robert E. Lee emerges from the Seven Days Battles as the lead Confederate commander....

Episode 525: Shiloh

16 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The Battle of Shiloh starts as an apparent Confederate victory, but the loss of General Johnston and the resulting chaos dooms the South. Meanwhile, i...

Episode 524: Bull Run

15 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

When the American Civil War begins, everyone expects a picnic. The Battle of Bull Run erases those false expectations.Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial

Episode 523: A House Divided

13 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

From Nat Turner's Rebellion to the Compromise of 1850, Americans did everything they could to avoid the Civil War.... and failed. Western Civ Podcast...

Episode 522: The Sun Never Sets

06 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In the 19th Century, Europeans carved up the globe with devastating consequences.Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial

Chosen Land: How Christianity Made America and Americans Remade Christianity

03 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In the United States today, there is no faith more dominant than Christianity. In Chosen Land, historian Matthew Avery Sutton chronicles Christians’...

Episode 521: The Irish Potato Famine

27 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

When the potato crop failed in 1845 in Ireland, no one at the time knew just how momentous it was. By the close of 1847, Ireland's population, through...

Episode 520: The Revolutions of 1848

22 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

From Paris to Vienna, 1848 rocked Europe. While the revolutions themselves failed, they set the stage for dramatic changes to come. Western Civ 2.0 F...

Episode 519: Do You Hear The People Sing?

20 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Political, economic, and social currents sweep Europe, bringing massive change and setting the stage for the Revolutions of 1848.Western Civ 2.0 Free ...

Episode 518: The Age of Jackson

13 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The presidency of Andrew Jackson was instrumental in reshaping America politically, socially, and economically. Today we cover the Bank War, Nullifica...

Episode 517: Greek Independence and the Revolutions of 1830

08 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The Congress of Vienna was supposed to freeze the map of Europe in time. It did not take long for it to thaw.Western Civ 2.0

Episode 516: The Industrial Revolution

06 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Before we move on to more political history, I want to broadly discuss some of the changes sweeping Great Britain and then ultimately the rest of Euro...

Episode 515: The Liberator

03 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Bolívar drives the Spanish out of South and Central America. His vision for what came afterwards, however, did not last.Western Civ Podcast 2.0...

Episode 514: The Mexican War of Independence

30 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The Cry of Dolores sparks the Mexican Independence Movement ending in victory over Spain in 1821. Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial

Episode 513: Slavery's Long Shadow

23 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

There is no issue that dominated American politics like chattel slavery between the American War of Independence and the American Civil War. Today we ...

Worlds of Islam: A Global History

20 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Today I sit down with author and historian James McDougall and talk about his most recent book: Worlds of Islam: A Global History. From its birth in...

Episode 512: The Congress of Vienna

18 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The Congress of Vienna sought to put Europe back together after the Napoleonic Wars. It was not an easy task. But, by and large, the delegates were su...

Episode 511: The Hundred Days

17 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Napoleon returns from exile for one last chance at empire. His defeat at Waterloo, however, seals his fate.Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial

Episode 510: The March to Moscow

16 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Desperate to enforce his Continental System, Napoleon invades Russia. But Tsar Alexander will not fight and, instead, Napoleon finds himself cornered ...

Episode 509: The War of 1812

14 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

James Madison watches as Washington DC burns. But America emerges from the War of 1812 more united and confident than ever before.Western Civ 2.0 Free...

Episode 508: The Jefferson Administration

11 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Thomas Jefferson's administration was full of contradictions and sweeping successes. Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial

Episode 507: France Ascendant

09 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

France, under Napoleon, reaches the apex of its power. But, within the empire, the Spanish Ulcer and Continental System begin to unravel everything he...

Episode 506: Austerlitz

05 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Napoleon reaches the height of his powers on the frozen fields of Moravia.Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial

Episode 505: Consul for Life

01 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

It does not take long for Napoleon to consolidate power. But reversals in the Caribbean require the First Consul to rethink his North American strateg...

Episode 504: The Revolution of 1800

25 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We catch up on the fledgling United States. George Washington becomes the first President of the United States (obviously...) and then the Election of...

Episode 503: The End of the Revolution

24 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Napoleon Bonaparte becomes First Consul in what will be, thankfully, our final coup of the French Revolution. Western Civ 2.0

A Brief History of Financial Bubbles

21 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This one is a bit different and I admit that. But I like opportunities to speak with incredibly intelligent people so I took it. I sit down with Arma...

Episode 502: To Egypt

19 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Napoleon and Talleyrand move the French armies to the east to pressure Britain and the Directory starts to run out of steam.Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial

Episode 501: Napoleon's Northern Italian Campaign

12 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The French Revolution begins to end with the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte.Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial

Episode 500: A Whiff of Grapeshot

09 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It is about time to introduce the man who will change it all: Napoleon Bonaparte.Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial

Episode 499: The Rise of Louverture

08 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Toussaint Louverture changes the situation in Haiti from a rebellion to a full-on revolution.Support Western Civ

Episode 498: The Terror

05 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Maximilien Robespierre leads France into the maw of violence and blood. His death ends this period of the French Revolution.Western Civ 2.0 Support

Episode 497: The Terror Begins

29 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

France sleepwalks into one of the vicious periods of the French Revolution as the countryside erupts in revolt.Western Civ Podcast 2.0 Support

Episode 496: The Trial of Louis XVI

28 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The trial of Louis XVI ends with the last Bourbon monarch being led to the guillotine. The reaction of the rest of Europe is not good. Hence, the War ...

Episode 495: The Fall of the King

27 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Europe finally reacts to the French Revolution, and a startling discovery sets in motion events which will condemn Louis XVI to death.Western Civ 2.0

Episode 494: Saint-Dominque

24 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Saint-Dominque, soon to be Haiti, erupts in its own revolution.Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial

Episode 493: The Flight of the Royals

21 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Louis XVI makes a break for it. France passes a new Constitution into law. And the storm clouds continue to grow around the French Revolution.Western ...

Episode 492: Bread and the Church

14 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Riots in Paris provoke unrest, while in the countryside French peasants recoil at attacks upon the Catholic Church.Western Civ Podcast 2.0

Diogenes: The Rebellious Life and Revolutionary Philosophy of the Original Cynic

11 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Buy The BookIn his own day, the ancient philosopher Diogenes the Cynic had a reputation for eccentricity, heckling his fellow philosophers in the mark...

Episode 491: The Women's March

07 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Bread shortages force the Revolution's hand.Western Civ Podcast 2.0

Episode 490: The Fall of the Bastille

31 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The French Revolution gets serious as the people of Paris rise up and storm the Bastille. Western Civ Podcast 2.0

War and Power: Who Wins Wars—and Why

28 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this bonus interview, I sit down with Phillips Payson O'Brien and we discuss his latest book: War and Power: Who Wins Wars—and Why. For nearly t...

Episode 489: The Estates-General

26 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

An oath on a tennis court, of all things, sparks the French Revolution.Western Civ Podcast 2.0

Episode 488: The Flood

24 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Efforts to reform France under Louis XV and Louis XVI fail, plunging the kingdom into the flood of revolution. Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial

Bloody Crowns: A New History of the Hundred Years War

21 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today I sit down with historian Michael Livingston and talk about one of my favorite subjects: the Hundred Years War.Henry V at Agincourt. Edward III ...

Episode 487: The Old Regime

17 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Also known as the Ancien Regimé, the system of France going into the revolution was maddeningly complex and, seemingly, designed to fail. Western Ci...

Episode 486: The Young Republic

10 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Americans won their independence, but what would they do with it?Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial

The Romans: A 2,000 Year History

07 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today I sit down with historian Edward J. Watts and talk about his latest book: The Romans.When we think of “ancient Romans” today, many picture t...

The History of the Peloponnesian War

06 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Thucydides called his work a “possession for all time,” and his History of the Peloponnesian War has been essential reading for generals and pol...

Episode 485: The American Revolution Part Three

03 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Washington's victory at Yorktown effectively ends the war and costs Great Britain her colonies.Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial

Episode 484: The American Revolution Part Two

01 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Battle of Saratoga turns the tide while Washington builds resilience in Valley Forge.Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial

Episode 483: The American Revolution Part One

26 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The American colonists vote for independence and Washington crosses the Delaware. Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial

1942: When World War II Engulfed the Globe

23 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

By the end of the Second World War, more than seventy million people across the globe had been killed, most of them civilians. Cities from Warsaw to T...

Episode 482: The Boiling Pot

19 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In the span of one decade, Great Britain went from winning a war against France to fighting a war with its own colonies. This is that story.Western Ci...

Episode 481: The Partition of Poland

17 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Over the course of roughly three decades, Lithuania-Poland ceased to exist. Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial

Episode 480: The Seven Years War

12 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

AKA the French and Indian War for those of you who ever took US History...Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial

Episode 479: Storm on the Horizon

05 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A number of factors led into the Seven Years War. Here I break them down.Western Civ 2.0

Episode 478: Pirates!

01 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Plus the Russo-Turkish War of 1710 and the founding of New Orleans.Support the Show!

Episode 477: Prussia

25 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Frederick I founds the Kingdom of Prussia and the Great Frost of 1709 grips Europe.Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial

Episode 476: Peter the Great

22 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Russia enters our story as a major power player under Peter the Great.Support the Show

Episode 475: Europe and North America at the Turn of the Century

16 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

I cover a few remaining issues from the year 1700 including the rise of Russian and the formation of Great Britain.Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial

Episode 474: The Sun King

15 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

"I am the State." - Louis XIVSupport the show and become a MEMBER.

Episode 473: The English Civil War (Part Ten)

13 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

William of Orange supplants James II, the Stuart line ends, and with it, the English Civil War.Western Civ 2.0

Episode 472: The English Civil War (Part Nine)

12 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The restored monarchy ends, but not with a bang. Charles II's death, however, thrusts the question of the succession front and center.Western Civ 2.0

Episode 471: The English Civil War (Part Eight)

11 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We introduce Louis XIV. The French King quickly bribes his way into controlling Charles II.Western Civ 2.0

Episode 470: The English Civil War (Part Seven)

10 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Enter stage left: the Restoration. Spoiler alert, it won't last long.Western Civ 2.0

Episode 469: The English Civil War (Part Six)

09 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Oliver Cromwell dies. His son is NOT a chip off the old block. And Charles II sees the Stuart line restored.Western Civ 2.0

Episode 468: The English Civil War (Part Five)

08 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Oliver Cromwell refuses the crown but agrees to become the Lord Protector of the Commonwealth. Western Civ 2.0

Episode 467: The English Civil War (Part Four)

07 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Charles II is dead. England has no king. So now what?Western Civ 2.0

Episode 466: The English Civil War (Part Three)

06 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Charles II becomes the only king in English history to be executed by the state.Western Civ 2.0

Episode 465: The English Civil War (Part Two)

05 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Charles' inability to raise men and capital finally dooms his cause and he surrenders to the Scottish army rather than fall into the hands of Parliame...

Episode 464: The English Civil War (Part One)

04 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The King begins the war with a run of successes. Arguably, Charles squanders them.Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial

Episode 463: The War Begins

03 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For the first time terms Cavalier and Roundhead come into the vernacular. Charles decides the time for negotiation is over. And the English Civil War ...

Episode 462: Brave New World

02 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Charles begins to rule without his key advisor. It doesn't go well...Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial

Episode 461: The Fall of the Earl

01 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The first casualty of the English Civil War could be said to be the Earl of Strafford. Western Civ 2.0

Episode 460: The Bishops War

28 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The dam finally breaks in Scotland where discontent over Charles' religious policies ends his period of personal rule.Support the Show!

Episode 459: Personal Rule

25 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Charles continues his period of personal rule. He successfully demands ship money from England, but unsuccessfully tries to rein in the Scottish churc...

Episode 458: Charles Alone

23 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After the death of Buckingham, Charles I would begin a period of personal rule that would last just over a decade. Western Civ 2.0

Episode 457: The Death of the Duke

18 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After two more military debacles, the Duke of Buckingham is ingloriously assassinated, leaving Charles alone.Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial

Episode 456: Charles I

11 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Charles I ascends the English throne and almost immediately things turn south. Support the show!

Episode 455: Salem

04 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In what is perhaps one of the most infamous episodes in all of American history, in the winter of 1692 the tiny village of Salem, Massachusettes desce...

Episode 454: Bacon's Rebellion

27 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Virginia finds itself torn apart by the first rebellion in North America by colonists against their own government. Spoiler alert, it won't be the las...

Native American History and Culture 4

23 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We finish our coverage of the First Nations of North America (for now) with the Great Lakes and upstate New York. Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial

Native American History and Culture 3

20 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today we turn our attention to the tribes of the southeast and southwest United States.Western Civ 20 Free Trial

Native American Culture and History 2

18 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

European farms are not the only kind... In this episode, I explore Native American farming in general and hunting.Western Civ 2.0

Native American Culture and History 1

13 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today I begin a short series on pre-Columbian North American Indian history and culture. In this episode, I give a broad overview of several aspects o...

Episode 453: The Land of Dissent

06 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson found Rhode Island.Western Civ Podcast 2.0 Free Trial

Air Battles Before D-Day: How Allied Airmen Crippled the Luftwaffe and German Army in France

04 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this bonus author interview, I sit down with Colonel Joseph Molyson Jr and discuss the second book in his series on World War Two: Air Battles Befo...

And Housing for All

03 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today I sit down with advocate and author Maria Foscarinis and discuss her latest book: And Housing for All: The fight to End Homelessness in America....

Episode 452: A City Upon A Hill

30 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

John Winthrop and others found the Massachusetts Bay Company.Western Civ 2.0 Podcast Free Trial

Episode 451: The Voyage of the Mayflower

23 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Jamestown was not the only English colony. Enter stage left: the Pilgrims. (Well, really Separatists but you get the point...)Western Civ Podcast 2.0

Jamestown Part Five

16 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The English at Jamestown finally find a savior. It just turns out that savior is tobacco...Western Civ Podcast 2.0

Jamestown Part Three

02 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Jamestown survives as James Smith guides the colony. Meanwhile, in London, new plans are hatched to turn Jamestown profitable.Western Civ 2.0

Jamestown Episode Reminder

25 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A reminder that every other episode of the series on Jamestown will be available only to patrons. To try a free membership for a week or to support th...

The Year That Made America

22 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today, I sit down with Tom McMillan and discuss his most recent book: The Year That Made America: From Rebellion to Independence, 1775-1776.This gripp...

The Pathfinder and the President

20 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today I interview Historian John Bicknell about his newest book: The Pathfinder and the President.In 1856, John C. Frémont—the famed "Pathfinder" o...

Jamestown Part One

18 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today we begin an in-depth look at Jamestown - England's first successful colony in North America. I will examine the situation in England and along t...

Episode 450: Dutch Colonization

11 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

I briefly cover the Dutch East and West Indies Companies plus Dutch colonization efforts in the Americas.Western Civ 2.0

Episode 449: New France and Roanoke

04 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

France and England finally get into the colonization game.Western Civ 2.0

Episode 448: Portuguese colonization

28 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, I give a quick refresher on Portuguese colonization. Western Civ 2.0