How to Invent a Country

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When did countries become countries? Misha Glenny on the borders, the stories and the people of countries worldwide.

BBC Radio 4


    • May 3, 2024 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 29m AVG DURATION
    • 54 EPISODES


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    Search for episodes from How to Invent a Country with a specific topic:

    Latest episodes from How to Invent a Country

    China - the first emperor

    Play Episode Listen Later May 3, 2024 44:20


    Misha Glenny and Miles Warde head east to find out what is China and where it came from?

    china first emperor misha glenny miles warde
    Turkey - Ottoman or Turk

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 20, 2023 27:54


    A bonus episode with Hannah Lucinda Smith, Christopher de Bellaigue and Misha Glenny

    turkey ottoman misha glenny bellaigue hannah lucinda smith
    Turkey - A Delicate Balancing Act

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 27, 2023 38:43


    Ep 3 - How the republic of Turkey emerged from the ruins of World War One

    turkey balancing act world war one delicate
    Turkey - The Military and Decline

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 27, 2023 31:19


    EP 2 - The Invention of Turkey and slow decline of the empire from the siege of Vienna

    turkey military decline invention
    Turkey - The Ottomans: East or West

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 27, 2023 33:27


    Ep1 - Istanbul and Mehmet the Conqueror. Misha Glenny on the birth of the Ottoman empire

    west east turkey conqueror ottoman mehmet ottomans misha glenny
    Russia - the sacred song of war

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 9, 2023 32:20


    Ep 4 - The Invention of Russia, presented by Misha Glenny and produced by Miles Warde

    song russia sacred invention misha glenny miles warde
    Russia - the bear moves west

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 9, 2023 43:29


    Ep 3 - The Invention of Russia and Catherine the Great, presented by Misha Glenny

    west russia bear invention misha glenny
    Russia - the Empire Strikes Back

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 9, 2023 43:36


    Ep 2 - The Invention of Russia and the expansion east to Siberia, west into Ukraine

    russia ukraine invention empire strikes back siberia
    Russia - A Tale of Two Ivans

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 9, 2023 32:04


    Ep 1 The Invention of Russia ... told from a time when it was still very small

    russia tale invention ivans
    Return to Spain

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 6, 2023 21:38


    with Sir John Eliot, plus exciting news

    spain
    Poland - Stalin on one side, Hitler to the left

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 8, 2022 35:59


    Ep 3 - Poland reborn and invaded again. Misha Glenny presents, Miles Warde holds the mic.

    left adolf hitler poland joseph stalin misha glenny miles warde
    Poland - a nation without a state

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 28, 2022 30:24


    EP 2 - Misha Glenny on Poland's 123 year absence from the map, produced by Miles Warde

    poland misha glenny miles warde
    Poland - Obliterated from the map

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 28, 2022 31:56


    Ep 1 - how Europe's largest state was sliced and diced by Russia, Prussia and Austria.

    europe russia poland austria prussia obliterated
    The Birth of Bangladesh

    Play Episode Listen Later May 17, 2021 29:01


    Bangladesh was born in 1971.

    birth bangladesh
    Scandinavia - the narcissism of small differences

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 24, 2020 29:38


    Ep3 Norway and fish, followed by oil

    narcissism scandinavia small differences
    Scandinavia - The Viking Inheritance

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 17, 2020 33:00


    The Swedish Baltic Empire ... why it's not all Abba and social democracy with the Swedes

    inheritance abba viking scandinavia swedes
    Scandinavia - The Bridge

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 10, 2020 35:56


    Ep 1 "Danes talk about Swedes all the time. Swedes don't talk about Danes so much."

    bridge scandinavia swedes danes
    Ireland - escalation!

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 1, 2019 16:37


    "The thing about the border - we've lived it. It doesn't feel like history to us."

    ireland escalation
    Ireland - plantation and conflict

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 19, 2019 18:01


    Dr Joan Redmond talks to Misha Glenny about Ireland, England and the early seeds of war

    england ireland plantation misha glenny
    Ireland - we used the word pagan as kids!

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 9, 2019 24:41


    Fintan O'Toole talks to Misha Glenny about Catholics, Protestants, and Top of the Pops

    kids ireland catholics pops pagan protestants misha glenny fintan o'toole
    The Invention of Britain #4 - so many different little corners!

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 17, 2019 33:49


    Scotland, England, Ireland, Wales - why all these borders, and what do they mean?

    england ireland scotland britain wales invention corners
    The Invention of Britain #3

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 10, 2019 30:38


    Insecurity - from Dover to Dublin, presented by Misha Glenny and produced by Miles Warde

    britain dublin invention insecurity dover misha glenny miles warde
    The Invention of Britain #2

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 4, 2019 31:11


    Anglocentrism .... or why Britons Never Will Be Slaves

    britain invention
    The Invention of Britain #1- like quicksand for the uninitiated

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 24, 2019 30:06


    What is Britain? Who are the Scots, the Welsh, the Irish, the English?

    english irish britain welsh invention scots quicksand uninitiated
    Italy - Garibaldi's Grand Scheme #2

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 7, 2019 28:05


    Are we Italian or not? With Leoluca Orlando, Lucy Riall, Tim Parks, Lucy Hughes-Hallett.

    italy italian grand scheme tim parks lucy hughes hallett
    Italy - Garibaldi's Grand Scheme #1

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 7, 2019 28:05


    Back to Italy with guerrilla numero uno

    italy grand scheme
    The Alps - Did the English invent skiing?

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 20, 2018 29:51


    Misha Glenny on the early alpine visitors who were either very ill, or very rich.

    english skiing alps invent misha glenny
    The Alps - and why Switzerland exists

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 4, 2018 25:31


    Natural borders vs mountain borders

    natural switzerland exists alps
    The Alps - an icy row of teeth

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 24, 2018 27:32


    How the Alps divide Europe in two

    europe teeth alps
    Le petit Napoleon

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 15, 2018 29:09


    The Invention of France #3

    france invention napoleon le petit
    The Terror, the Terror

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 6, 2018 29:19


    The Invention of France #2

    france terror invention
    Joan of Arc and England's role in defining France

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 18, 2018 26:51


    The Invention of France #1

    france defining invention joan of arc
    The Invention of Brazil #3

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 3, 2018 28:15


    Getulio Vargas, inventor of Brazil?

    brazil invention getulio vargas
    The Invention of Brazil #2

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 21, 2018 29:44


    Independence or death!

    brazil independence invention
    The Invention of Brazil #1

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 14, 2018 27:41


    I came by boat

    brazil invention
    The Invention of Spain #3

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 5, 2018 27:34


    A sense of disaster

    spain invention
    The Invention of Spain #2

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 24, 2018 28:22


    The heroic last stand

    spain invention
    The Invention of Spain #1

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 17, 2018 28:49


    What is Catalonia? What's Castille?

    spain invention
    The Invention of Italy #3

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 9, 2018 28:11


    Big appetite, bad teeth

    italy invention
    The Invention of Italy #2

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 3, 2018 27:46


    The man in the red cape

    italy invention
    The Invention of Italy #1

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2018 29:19


    A less than sturdy boot

    italy invention
    The Spectacular Rise and Fall of the Habsburgs #3

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 16, 2018 27:21


    The end of the dynasty

    rise and fall habsburgs

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