Historical Thoughts and Interpretations

In this episode we look at the ethics from Ancient Greek philosopher Plato and the 18th-century Prussian thinker Emmanuel Kant.  How did they differ in how they defined right vs. wrong action?  What categories do their ethics fall into?

It is the 50th episode!  In this much shorter, much more "shot out of the cannon" episode, I give my personal impressions of President Yoon Seok Yeol's attempt at a coup in South Korea, as well as the recent fall of the Assad government in Syria.  For the latter, I focus on some of the implications for Russia. Here are some other sources that may give more background information: South Korea: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/south-korea-politics-live-lawmakers-set-vote-president-yoons-impeachment-2024-12-07/ Syria: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5t4AoMuBiE  

In this episode, we will look at the educational changes in British Columbia, which launched a new curriculum in September 2016.  We will look at what changed, the rationales for such changes, criticisms, and how politics can affect education. Sources: “A Framework for Classroom Assessment.” British Columbia Ministry of Education. Accessed November 21, 2023. https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/sites/curriculum.gov.bc.ca/files/pdf/assessment/a-framework-for-classroom-assessment.pdf. “All about the Foundation Skills Assessment.” British Columbia Ministry of Education.  Online brochure.  Accessed November 21, 2023.  https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/sites/curriculum.gov.bc.ca/files/pdf/assessment/fsa/en-foundation-skills-assessment-for-parents-and-caregivers.pdf. “B.C. First Peoples 12.” British Columbia Ministry of Education.  Accessed November 21, 2023.  https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/social-studies/12/bc-first-peoples “BC's Redesigned Curriculum: An Orientation Guide.” British Columbia Ministry of Education. Online brochure. https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/sites/curriculum.gov.bc.ca/files/pdf/supports/curriculum_brochure.pdf. “Core Competencies.” Government of British Columbia.  Accessed November 21, 2023. https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/competencies. “First Peoples Principles of Learning. First Nations Education Steering Committee.  Accessed November 21, 2023.  https://www.fnesc.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/PUB-LFP-POSTER-Principles-of-Learning-First-Peoples-poster-11x17.pdf. “Foundation Skills Assessment.” BC Teachers' Federation.  Accessed November 21, 2023. https://www.bctf.ca/topics/services-information/research-and-education-issues/fsa. “Indigenous Languages of British Columbia.” British Columbia Ministry of Education.  Accessed November 21, 2023. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/teach/resources-for-teachers/curriculum/indigenous-languages. “Introduction to Social Studies.” British Columbia Ministry of Education.  Accessed November 21, 2023. https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/social-studies/introduction. “Program for International Student Assessment (PISA).” National Center for Education Statistics.  Accessed November 21, 2023. https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pisa/. “Request that your child be excused from the FSA.” BC Teachers' Federation.  Printable form. Revised August 2023. https://www.bctf.ca/docs/default-source/advocacy-and-issues/withdraw-your-child-from-the-fsa.pdf. “Social Studies.” British Columbia Ministry of Education.  Accessed November 21, 2023. https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/social-studies. Fu, Hong, Tim Hopper, and Kathy Sanford. “New BC Curriculum and Communicating Student Learning in an Age of Assessment for Learning.” Alberta Journal of Educational Research 64-3, (Fall 2018): 264-86.  https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/ajer/article/view/56425/pdf.  Kachur, Jerrold L. and Trevor W. Harrison. “Introduction: Public Education, Globalization, and Democracy: Whither Alberta?” In Contested Classrooms: Education, Globalization, and Democracy in Alberta.  Edited by Trevor W. Harrison and Jerrold L. Kachur, xiii-xxxv.  Edmonton: The University of Alberta Press, 1999. MacPherson, Paige and Joel Emes.  “Worrying Trends in BC's Testing of Grade 10 Students.” Fraser Institute (January 2022).  https://www.fraserinstitute.org/sites/default/files/worrying-trends-in-bcs-testing-of-grade-10-students.pdf. Peterson, Amelia. “Education Transformation in British Columbia.” Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution (February 2023). https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED626332.pdf. Pocklington, Tom.  “The Marketing of the University.” In Contested Classrooms: Education, Globalization, and Democracy in Alberta.  Edited by Trevor W. Harrison and Jerrold L. Kachur, 45-55.  Edmonton: The University of Alberta Press, 1999. Zwaagstra, Michael. “The Decline of Standardized Testing in Canada.” Fraser Institute.  March 29, 2022. https://www.fraserinstitute.org/studies/decline-of-standardized-testing-in-canada.

In this episode, we look at some of the factors and effects of centralization in pre-modern European states such as England, Spain, and the Ottoman Empire.  We also briefly analyze why the German-centered Holy Roman Empire failed to centralize effectively.

This episode is a little different in that I just introduce a series that I am planning to develop.  In this series, I will look at, compare, and contrast different types of communism.  Communism, like so many other broad topics in history, is not a monolith.  There is variation and change, and there are many different manifestations of communist ideology, with the most well-known ones being Soviet Stalinism and Chinese Maoism.  There are other forms of communism as well, such as Ho Chi Minh Thought, Juche, and the forms of communism that governed Yugoslavia, Cambodia, and Albania.  There are even communist parties in Canada and the United States. I want to look deeper into these ideologies.  While I won't promise to look at all these variations of communist thought, I certainly plan to look into them and see how they were similar to and different from each other.  What were their impacts on history?  What framework should I use to analyze them?  Take a listen to this episode to find out!

In this episode, I interview Professor Natalia Telepneva.  She is a Lecturer in International History at the University of Strathclyde.  Her specialty is the Cold War-era Soviet Union and socialism, with a specific focus on Africa.  And today we will discuss her first book, "Cold War Liberation: The Soviet Union and the Collapse of the Portuguese Empire in Africa, 1961-1975," in which she details the roles of Soviet and even Czechoslovak bureaucrats and spies in the anti-colonialist wars in Portugal's African colonies of Guinea-Bissau, Angola, and Mozambique.  We will talk about what connected the Soviet Union with the local independence movements, how the Communist Soviet government supported Marxism-inspired leaders in Portuguese Africa, and how the anti-colonial wars played out.  You may download Professor Telepneva's book as a free e-book at this link. Image: Portion of a 1987 Soviet stamp remembering the 10th anniversary of a Friendship and Cooperation agreement between the Soviet Union and Mozambique.  The time of this stamp is outside the scope of this podcast, but I thought it was an appropriate image. Credit: Wikipedia. Note: We did experience some connection issues during the interview, so I apologize for that.  Between timestamps 11:49-55, Prof. Telepneva meant to mention the Central Committee (of the USSR's Communist Party) and its International Department.

In this episode we will take a very brief look into the lives of British Empire Loyalists after they moved to what remained of British North America after the Thirteen Colonies won the American Revolutionary War.  What prompted Loyalists to leave the Thirteen Colonies?  What issues did they face in what is modern Canada?  How did the British government respond? Please note: at about 13:13 I said "hypothetical." It should be "hypocritical."

In this episode I give a short review of Catherine Merridale's excellent book "Ivan's War: The Red Army 1939-45."  The book brought the Soviet WWII experience to light in the Western market, which has usually been filled with war stories from Western Allied sides or even the Germans.

[Re-uploaded October 24, 2022]: In this episode, I go a little bit beyond what I discussed in the last entry.  Last time, I used Hayden White's literary framework to try and categorize an old Russian history textbook.  Today I critique White's framework a bit further.  I also talk more broadly about two types of historical works - historical research and historical fiction.  I argue that, contrary to White's position, historians are different from novelists.  I also give some cautions that must be considered when crafting or reading historical fiction. I re-uploaded this episode because in my first upload, I made a mistake at about 26:00-27:00.  I had mentioned a film that I believed was making an anachronism, but I later found out it wasn't.  Hence, I decided to change that part and put the episode up again to correct my mistake. And apologies for another mistake at about timestamp 16:14, where I called a history book "A History of Europe Under Roman Rule." It should have been "A History of Egypt Under Roman Rule."

Today I analyze one of my old Russian history textbooks, A History of Russia, the Soviet Union, and Beyond: Sixth Edition, 2002, written by David MacKenzie and Michael W. Curran.  I use the literary framework of Hayden White to categorize the textbook, and I give some of my thoughts on it.

In the podcast's second episode with a guest, we sit down with CJ Leung, who hosts the "Cool History Bros" Channel on YouTube.  "Cool History Bros" presents deep topics in Chinese and East Asian history and literature in a lighthearted way, and it is a great resource for learning about the region's history.  Today on the podcast, CJ talks with us about Confucianism, which is more commonly known as Ruism in Asia.  We discuss the philosophy's origins, misconceptions about it that have been transmitted since Jesuit missionaries' encounters with it, and how Ruism was historically applied in China, Korea, and elsewhere. The Cool History Bros Channel can be visited via this link: https://www.youtube.com/c/coolhistorybros Thanks also go to my wife Patricia, who helped me plan the podcast's content. Note: Apologies for some of the technical issues.  There were some network timing issues, and my voice is a little slower than usual.  We also unfortunately lost a bit of CJ's voice between 47:16-20.  However, the recording otherwise went very well, and we had a great time during the interview.

Welcome to the 40th episode of the podcast!  Thank you for all of your listening and support.  It has been great, and I look forward to producing many more episodes for your listening. In this episode, we will look into Russian-Serb relations during the Breakup of Yugoslavia.  We will look into some shared history and memory, but we'll especially see how the common faith of Orthodox Christianity played a role in how these societies saw the Yugoslavian War.  

In this (very short) episode, we will look into Leo Tolstoy's thoughts about what makes a "good civilization" as he expressed in Hadji Murad, which was his short novel about the Imperial-era Russian wars in Chechnya.

In this episode we will look at Soviet filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein's "Ivan the Terrible."  Here I detail three different interpretations of the film: the Stalinist view, the "subversive affirmation" opinion, and the Renaissance perspective.  And I will describe my thoughts on which interpretation makes the most sense.

What were some of the contemporary concerns around Ronald Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) proposed missile defense system?  In this episode we will take a broad look at attitudes towards the "Star Wars" program, both in support and against.  What did some Americans think of it?  Why did it concern the Soviet Union as well as some among America's allies?

In March 1964, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert McNamara sent a memorandum to President Johnson, reporting on the situation in South Vietnam, which at the time was contending with the Viet Cong, a Communist, North Vietnam-supported insurgency.  Though McNamara's memorandum put the option of American escalation against North Vietnam on the table, it recommended against it at the time.  Then a few months later, the Gulf of Tonkin Incident happened.  Soon later, Johnson committed America to an intense intervention in the war.  Was Johnson justified in this?  While considering hindsight and information available at the time, this podcast attempts to answer that question. An article by Lieutenant Commander Pat Paterson about the Gulf of Tonkin incident can be found here.  McNamara's Memorandum to Johnson can be read here. Much of this podcast was recorded in mid-December 2021.

What tools can be used to analyze an historical question?  In this episode we take a brief look at some texts and scholarly work on the idea of a “work ethic” in the Russian Orthodox faith.  What has motivated Orthodox Russians to work?  What is the essence of such an idea?  Is there anything to which it may be compared?  To answer these questions, we may look at theological texts but also historical statistical data and comparative analysis.

First being used mere weeks after Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, the "Katyusha" Multiple-Rocket Launcher (MRL) system became a famous symbol of Soviet firepower. Effective against massed targets, the Katyusha was especially devastating to enemy morale. It was also a relatively simple weapon, capable of being installed on virtually all kinds of vehicles. In this episode, we will go over some of the multiple Katyusha variants, the system's advantages, and disadvantages. We will also briefly go over its importance to the Soviet central command, which in October 1941 issued a directive on how to use the weapon effectively. Intro song credit: "Katyusha" by Varvara Katyusha rocket sound: "Stalin's organ - BM 13" YouTube video by Mikele2200 Thumbnail photo: BM-13-16 launcher on Palace Square in St. Petersburg by Christian Basar, 2016

As with many of its relations with other Western countries, Russia's relationship with Canada took a turn for the worse after the Euromaidan protests in 2013-14 and the subsequent change in Ukraine's government.  As a result of Russian reactions to the situation, Canada imposed sanctions on Russian officials and reiterated its support of the NATO alliance and its Eastern European members.  In turn, Russia sanctioned some Canadian officials.  Yet cooperation continued between the two northern countries in some aspects, such as through the Open Skies Treaty and in regards to issues surrounding the Arctic. This episode will survey Canadian-Russian relations since 2014, when Canada has been under the leadership of two Prime Minsters - Conservative leader Stephen Harper (2006-2015) and Liberal leader Justin Trudeau (2015-present). Note: I recorded most of this episode in January 2021, and I uploaded it in late February. As noted in the episode, the New START treaty had been extended in early February, after I started recording.   Music from https://filmmusic.io "Deliberate Thought" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Footnote jingle: "DrivingRockBeat 131BPM" by pbdlugoss of Freesound.org

Before Russia intervened in the Syrian Civil War in 2015, the Soviet Union was involved in Syria.  In the context of the Cold War, the USSR sent weapons, anti-air crews, and gave rhetorical support to the Syrian Arab Republic during its protracted conflict with American ally Israel.  Comparing this relationship to Soviet-Egyptian diplomacy, this podcast details why the Soviet Union supported non-communist, anti-colonialist Syria.  It also discusses Soviet naval maneuvers in the Mediterranean Sea and gives an overall analysis of Syria's strategic importance to the communist superpower in its Cold War struggle against the American-led capitalist world. Music from https://filmmusic.io"Deliberate Thought" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Footnote jingle: "DrivingRockBeat 131BPM" by pbdlugoss of Freesound.org

Russia has been actively involved in the Syrian Civil War since September 2015. During its campaign there, the Russian military has reportedly been able to improve old weapons systems and test new ones. How much has the mission affected Russia's arms sales to other countries? Here is a quick analysis and some "hot takes" on this question. Music from https://filmmusic.io"Deliberate Thought" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Image credit: Maxim Maximov on Wikipedia.

The Christianization of Scandinavia did not happen quickly.  This was a process rather than a quick event.  And during this process, the old traditional Norse religion and new faith interacted in ways that blurred the many differences between them.  “Pure Christianity” had a hard time spreading in this environment, and the Christians took a number of actions to help their faith grow.  These actions included legislation and putting Christian beliefs into a Norse context.  In addition to looking at these conversion methods, we will also talk about how Christianity appeared in the Norse sagas after conversion. The thumbnail image shows a soapstone mould that could help create both cross and Thor's Hammer pendants. From Wikipedia page.  Credit: Ktp72. Music from https://filmmusic.io"Deliberate Thought" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

In this final episode of our "Psychology of Faith" series, we will be talking about definitions of faith but also about how faith is manifested in a believer. Is faith part of "nature" or "nurture?" How is faith "lived?" Building upon previous episodes' points about Christianity, this episode shows that the Christian concept of faith is more than just a "belief in something." It also encourages action and change in a believer. Music from https://filmmusic.io"Deliberate Thought" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Picture credit: WomansDay.com

How does humankind respond to revelation or the idea of a divine being? In this, the third part of our "Psychology of Faith" series, we focus on the views of Christianity to explain the possible responses to the idea of God: atheism, the worship of nature, and a life of faith on God. Ideas from theologians Augustine and Thomas Aquinas about man's choice between a Creator and Creation will be used to explain these responses. Music from https://filmmusic.io"Deliberate Thought" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

What relationship does faith have with the intellect? Does religion truly try to engage with the rational mind as Thomas Aquinas, John Calvin, and Alvin Plantinga would suggest? Or is the "F&M Complaint" from Sigmund Freud and Karl Marx correct in asserting that faith needs a "badly aimed intellect?" We will look at some of these views in this podcast, as well as the consequences of the faith-intellect relationship. This is the second episode of a four-part miniseries about the Psychology of Faith. --------------- Music from https://filmmusic.io"Deliberate Thought" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

This episode is the first of a four-episode miniseries about the psychology of faith. In this first installment, we will look at the relationship between psychology and faith. Are they compatible? Can psychology answer every question? To help answer this, we will look at the work of 13th-century theologian Thomas Aquinas as well as modern psychologists such as W.W. Meissner.

Chetwynd is a town of about 3,000 people in the British Columbia Rockies. Over the town's history, the area has been a base for fur, lumber, oil, and other industries. Known as Little Prairie until the 1959, Chetwynd has also acted as a hub for nearby communities and projects in the B.C. Peace Region. This project was a personal interest to me, as I grew up a half away from Chetwynd. CHET TV's documentary "Chetwynd International Chainsaw Carving Championship The Carving Dream:" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3zIWqSaAV0 Intro music from https://filmmusic.io"Deliberate Thought" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Photo by Christian Basar, 2019

The Teutonic Knights took part in crusades against pagan Prussia and Lithuania in the 13th and 14th centuries. After Lithuania converted to Catholicism and made an alliance with Poland, the German crusader order eventually fell to insignificance. However, the Teutonic Knights' legacy lived on in the German imagination, being envisioned in the 18th century as a proto-German empire and gaining a place in Adolf Hitler's Nazi ideology in the 20th. This brief survey will look at how the German crusaders left their mark on the Baltic region. Music from https://filmmusic.io"Deliberate Thought" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Episode Thumbnail: "Coat of arms of the Teutonic Order" uploaded to Wikipedia by Madboy74

The "Holy Russia" ideology developed over the centuries since Rus' conversion to Byzantine Christianity in the year 988. Various factors were responsible for the imagination of Russia as a holy place, which was eventually centered around Muscovy. These factors included a strong church-state codependency in the Byzantine tradition, Constantinople's adherence to the Florentine Union with the Catholic Church (and thus perceived apostasy), and Byzantium's fall to the Ottoman Turks very shortly after. The "Third Rome" was a related moniker for Russia, which suggested that Muscovy was the final true Christian realm. This podcast will look at "Holy Russia" in action at various points in Russian history, including the "raskol'," during which Russian Orthodox Christianity split into two religious factions. Special thanks go to Professor Andrew Gow, for whose course I originally wrote a paper on which this podcast was based. His advice was very helpful during the research portion of that work. Music from https://filmmusic.io"Deliberate Thought" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Russia's military intervention in the Syrian Civil War since September 2015 has been one of the most important turning points in that conflict.  In this episode we will look at some of the history behind Russo-Syrian relations, the Kremlin's reasons for getting involved in the Syrian Civil War, and some of the benefits that Russia has gained from the first major military deployment outside of the former Soviet Union's territory. -------Music from https://filmmusic.io"Deliberate Thought" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Masada was an ancient fortress in which, during the First Jewish Revolt against the Roman Empire, "Sicarii" rebels committed suicide in 73 A.D. Though Masada's defenders did not defeat their Roman besiegers, the fort became a great force in Jewish memory, especially in the context of Zionism and the creation of the state of Israel. In this podcast I will talk about the background of this memory, some of its uses in modern times, and also perceived problems with the narrative of Masada. Intro/outro music from https://filmmusic.io"Deliberate Thought" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

In this, the 20th episode of the podcast, I give an introduction to the first city in the Russian Cities History Project series.  Kazan' is the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan, but in the past it was the centre of the Kazan' Khanate until Ivan the Terrible conquered it in 1552.  Kazan' is a very interesting city, most notably due to its mix of Russian Muslim and Russian European cultures.  This has caused some to describe Kazan' as a bridge "between East and West." Music credits: 1) Introduction: Music from https://filmmusic.io; "Deliberate Thought" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com);License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)2) Гузель Уразова - Килче Килче (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdEHUeMievc)

This episode continues my series about the history of Russian cities which I have visited.  Here I introduce the Russian Federation's territorial structure, including its constituent "subjects" - republics, oblasts, krais, okrugs, and so on. This subject is important because when I discuss Russian cities in this series, I will also talk about the subjects of which they are part.  Thus, it will be helpful to understand how these subjects fit into the Russian system. Update June 13, 2019: I wish to clarify something that I might not had made clear in this episode.  This point is about the former Russian Soviet Federal Socialist Republic's (RSFSR) federal structure during the Soviet era.  In the episode I mentioned that the RSFSR contained within it some Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republics (ASSRs), such as the Tatar ASSR.  I will clarify by adding the fact that this was not the only type of federal subject within the RSFSR.  Just like in the modern Russian Federation, the RSFSR also contained oblasts, in addition to the ASSRs. 

In this episode I talk about my travels in Russia.  I will discuss some of my impressions, experiences, and the things I saw while I was taking a voyage to the "Motherland."  This episode is meant to create a context for the upcoming Russian City History Series I will be posting.  Listen to hear about my interactions with Russian people, train travel, and summaries of how I felt about each city I visited.

Canada focused most of its war effort in the European Theatre of the Second World War.  However, Canadian troops, pilots, naval personnel, and even fishermen also served in the Pacific Theatre against the Japanese Empire.  This episode gives a summary of Canada's contributions to the Battle of Hong Kong, the Alaska campaign, West Coast patrols, and the closing days of World War II. Photo: This is a picture of the HMS Uganda, which was eventually transferred from British to Canadian service, when its prefix was changed to HMCS.  Photo from the Imperial War Museum, via Wikipedia.

In 1630, during the Thirty Years' War, Sweden's King Gustavus Adolphus sent his new army into modern Germany to save the Protestant religion.  In addition to discussing some of the background to Adolphus' campaign, this episode will focus on the reforms that made Sweden's military of the time a formidable fighting force.

For this, the podcast's first interview episode, I sat down with my friend Kamal Takieddine. Kamal is originally from Lebanon, and he kindly shared his insights into the tradition and history of his people, the Druze. In this episode he talks about the Druze presence in the Levant, their culture, their contacts with Europe, and he also tells us where one can go to learn more.Apologies for the changes in sound quality throughout the episode. The changes occur at the following times:- 1:31- 2:07- 3:05 (at this point I had asked Kamal about his interest in Druze history)- 39:45Episode thumbnail shows the Druze flag, courtesy of World Atlas.

In this episode I announce on a long-term project that will be appearing on the podcast.  This project will discuss the histories of Russian cities which I have visited.  The list of cities is (alphabetically): - Kazan- Kirov- Moscow- Penza- Tambov- More! Listen to the episode for the full list.  And stay tuned as the episodes in this series are provided!

Despite previous anti-religious persecution, the Russian Orthodox Church became a valuable support for the Soviet state during the Great Patriotic War against Hitler's Germany.  Though the Soviet Union and its atheistic system of government no longer exists, the modern Church memorializes the War as a fight for "Holy Russia."  This memory of the war may seemingly contradict the legacy of Soviet oppression against Christians, but the idea of "Holy Russia" makes these memories compatible.  The Orthodox remembrance of the war also involves politics, considering the faith's importance in Russia and the use of the Great Patriotic War as a politically legitimizing idea. For a longer and more detailed episode on this same topic, please listen to Episode #8: "Holy War: Memory of the Great Patriotic War in the Russian Orthodox Church."

In this installment of the Strategic Studies series, we will look at the Battle of Iwo Jima.  The Battle of Iwo Jima was fought from February 16 to March 26, 1945. One of the last battles of the Pacific Campaign between the United States and Japanese Empire, it was unique thanks to the Japanese commander's insistence on a non-traditional inland defense. In this podcast episode, Operation Detachment, which was the American plan to seize the island, will also be evaluated from a strategic point of view. Episode thumbnail via Pinterest.

In this episode we will look at the incident that occurred between Russian and Ukrainian ships in the Kerch Strait on November 25, 2018. Here I will analyze the strategic situation surrounding this clash. Key factors leading to this incident were the legal status of Crimea, the Sea of Azov, Russian-Ukrainian maritime interactions in the region, and Russia's attempts to consolidate control over the area. I will also provide some commentary on possible motivations or thoughts (on the parts of both the Russian and Ukrainian leadership) which caused the Russian and Ukrainian ships to confront each other. Episode thumbnail courtesy of European Space Agency via Wikipedia.

This episode examines the role of the "Red Guards" - early communist workers' militias in the creation of the Soviet Red Army.  The Guards' numbers, military experience, and ideological importance will be examined. Episode thumbnail courtesy of Viktor Bulla via Wikipedia.

In August 1991, hardline Communists took power in Moscow.  They claimed that the actual Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, was ill and unfit for work.  They were upset with Gorbachev's attempts to accomodate the Soviet Union's consituent republics in new treaty negotations, and they feared that his weak response to communism's fracturing control over Eastern Europe would lead to a similar situtation within the USSR.  But the coup had failed within four days.  This was the time of Gorbachev's famous "perestroika" (restructuring) and "glasnost" (openness) reforms, which were meant to reform the Soviet Union's economy and allow for increased freedom of expression.  Though many were skeptical of these reforms, they had had some effect on Soviet society, and the coup plotters did not have a sufficient answer to them.  Nor did they establish effective political or military command over the situation, and people openly resisted the seizure of power.  Gorbachev was very soon restored to his position as head of the USSR.  But by the time of the coup, the Soviet Union was riddled with economic problems.  There also remained the burning question of how to reorganize the relationship between the center in Moscow and the constituent republics.  Under such circumstances, the putsch not only failed, but it is also arguable that the Soviet Union would have soon collapsed, with or without the August Coup. Episode thumbnail courtesy of BBC News.

Because the Russian Orthodox Church is such a vital part of Russian culture, its views can be an important influence upon the society in which it operates.  During the Great Patriotic War (1941-5) against Nazi Germany, the Church encouraged Christians to resist the enemy and pray for victory.  The Church's memory of the conflict fits with the modern Russian government's remembrance, which upholds the war's Soviet fighters as moral role models.  This dynamic also creates a somewhat ironic memory of the Soviet Union itself, especially considering the Communist government’s persecution of religious believers.  Through the religious historical documents, modern statements, and media productions studied in this podcast, the non-religious Soviet Union is somewhat turned into a "basically Christian" nation that fought the evils of fascism. Photo by Christian Basar.  Taken in Volgograd, showing a small church and the statue known as "The Motherland Calls."

During their rule in Germany, the Nazis tried to provide religious justification for their anti-Semitic ideology. A large Christian population and tenets such as neighbourly love presented the Nazis with a potentially large hurdle. But due to the defeat in World War I and fears of social "corruption," Nazism had some Christian support. Some scholars even modified Scriptures to suit Adolf Hitler's agenda, creating a new "Nazi Christianity." Episode thumbnail courtesy of Das Bundesarchiv via Wikipedia, showing "Deutsche Christen" celebrating Luther Day in 1933.

During World War II, the Empire of Japan captured some islands in the Aleutian chain off the Alaskan coast.  In theory, it might have looked like the Japanese had dealt a true blow against their American enemy.  But not all ideas that appear good on paper work well in reality.  The Japanese hoped to bolster their defenses with the capture of these islands, but this plan was ultimately fruitless due to mistaken ideas, impracticalities, and the disaster at the Battle of Midway. Episode thumbnail courtesy of Australian War Memorial website via Wikipedia.

In the Orthodox Christian school of hesychasm, the Holy Spirit’s energies, or actions, can act within and sanctify a Christian’s life and heart.  Internal, constant prayer is an important practice for allowing this to happen, and it involves the body as well as the soul.  In this summary of the subject, I will look at internal prayer’s theological background as well as its spiritual effects, as described in such works as The Way of a Pilgrim. Episode thumbnail courtesy of Nioras.com.

In the 13th century, the Mamluks established a dynasty in Egypt. Warriors of renown, they defeated Mongols and Crusaders. They also amassed great wealth through the collection of taxes. Yet the mighty Mamluks could not survive a war with the Ottoman Empire in the early 16th century. They had grown accustomed to their wealth, and they lost their initial warrior spirit. They also did not change their combat techniques, making them obsolete by the time of the Ottoman war. Episode thumbnail courtesy of Unknown artist, but uploaded to Wikipedia by Davids Samling.

In Episode #2, I talked about how ideas are powerful. In this episode, I will give a short answer as to why ideas have power. Episode thumbnail courtesy of Freepik.com

In this episode I introduce the power which ideas can have, specifically using Patriarch Nikon's reforms of the Russian Orthodox Church in the 17th century as an example.

Here I talk about how understanding interactions between regions can lead to a more complete "world history." I also discuss changes to the "History Vice Video Blog," which this blog was originally called. Episode thumbnail from Janet L. Abu-Lughod, "Before European Hegemony," page 34.