S8 Ep120: HEADLINE: GAIUS & GERMANICUS IN LONDINIUM 91 AD: Reclaiming James I as the True Founding Father. Preparing to see a mock battle staged by centurions in Londinium, Gaius and Germanicus discuss the unappreciated legacy of James I (James VI of Scotland), ass

S8 Ep120: HEADLINE: GAIUS & GERMANICUS IN LONDINIUM 91 AD: The "When Russia Wins" War Game and NATO's Empty Shell. Gaius and Germanicus continue their discussion, reflecting on how Woodrow Wilson's 14 points led to catastrophe. They then play the "paranoid NATO dre

S8 Ep120: HEADLINE: GAIUS & GERMANICUS IN LONDINIUM 91 AD: Discussing the Pragmatic 28-Point Plan for Ukraine. Broadcasting live from Londinium, where the Thames is too rough for boatmen due to the grim weather, Gaius and Germanicus analyze the 28-point plan aimed

S8 Ep119: HEADLINE: Khrushchev, Hard Power, and Gorbachev's Doomed Reform GUEST AUTHOR: Professor Sean McMeekin 50-WORD SUMMARY: Despite Khrushchev's denunciation of Stalin's crimes (1956), the Soviets pursued hard power politics, motivated by proving their system'

S8 Ep119: HEADLINE: Khrushchev, Hard Power, and Gorbachev's Doomed Reform GUEST AUTHOR: Professor Sean McMeekin 50-WORD SUMMARY: Despite Khrushchev's denunciation of Stalin's crimes (1956), the Soviets pursued hard power politics, motivated by proving their system'

S8 Ep119: HEADLINE: The Cultural Revolution and the Nihilistic Cult of Youth GUEST AUTHOR: Professor Sean McMeekin 50-WORD SUMMARY: The Cultural Revolution, spearheaded by the Red Guards, was a nihilistic, xenophobic cult of youth. Mao used this violent anarchy to

S8 Ep119: HEADLINE: Mao Zedong, Xenophobia, and the Failure of the Great Leap Forward GUEST AUTHOR: Professor Sean McMeekin 50-WORD SUMMARY: Mao Zedong blended Marxism with fierce anti-imperialism and xenophobia, targeting the "global imperialistic system" and fore

S8 Ep119: HEADLINE: Lenin's Violent Innovation: Vanguardism and Revolutionary Defeatism GUEST AUTHOR: Professor Sean McMeekin 50-WORD SUMMARY: Vladimir Lenin, inspired by Marx's violence, adopted vanguardism (professional revolutionaries guiding workers). His innov

S8 Ep119: HEADLINE: Lenin's Violent Innovation: Vanguardism and Revolutionary Defeatism GUEST AUTHOR: Professor Sean McMeekin 50-WORD SUMMARY: Vladimir Lenin, inspired by Marx's violence, adopted vanguardism (professional revolutionaries guiding workers). His innov

S8 Ep119: HEADLINE: The Centrality of Violence: Babeuf, Marx, and the Paris Commune GUEST AUTHOR: Professor Sean McMeekin 50-WORD SUMMARY: Communism relies exclusively on extreme political violence and the disintegration of governance norms, never the ballot box. E

S8 Ep119: HEADLINE: The Philosophical Roots of Communism and the Unmasking at Tiananmen Square GUEST AUTHOR: Professor Sean McMeekin 50-WORD SUMMARY: The Tiananmen Square massacre (1989) unmasked the brutal core of communism, akin to Kronstadt. Karl Marx derived th

S8 Ep118: Last Decades, Persistent Pain, and Final Rest — Ronald White — In his later years, the severity of Chamberlain's Civil War wound, which he largely concealed, became public through a newspaper account of his surgery. He attempted business ventures withou

S8 Ep118: The Battle of Augusta: Chamberlain's Finest Peacemaking Moment — Ronald White — In 1880, Maine faced a political crisis—the "great countout"—threatening a peaceful transfer of power. Chamberlain was called upon to confront an armed insurrectionist mob app

S8 Ep118: Chamberlain's Progressive Presidency at Bowdoin College — Ronald White — Chamberlain returned to Bowdoin College as president, respected by figures like Ulysses S. Grant. He immediately advocated for bold institutional changes, declaring the college had "

S8 Ep118: Governor of Maine and Advocate for Reconciliation — Ronald White — Returning home wounded, Chamberlain became a prominent public speaker advocating for national reconciliation rather than continued punishment of the South. He was elected Governor of Maine

S8 Ep118: The Mortal Wound at Petersburg and the Appomattox Salute — Ronald White — Despite his Gettysburg fame, Chamberlain returned to combat, leading a brigade. At Petersburg in 1864, he sustained a near-mortal wound from a minié ball; two surgeons declared it w

S8 Ep118: The Reality of War and the Defense of Little Round Top — Ronald White — Chamberlain's 20th Maine faced the horrors of war at Antietam and Fredericksburg, suffering severe casualties and effects from a defective smallpox inoculation. During the forced marc

S8 Ep117: Professor Chamberlain Goes to War and Takes Command of the 20th Maine — Ronald White — After marrying Fanny in 1855, Chamberlain joined the Bowdoin faculty, where he promoted critical thinking among students and witnessed key historical moments, including

S8 Ep117: The Classical Education and Early Life of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain — Ronald White — Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain's early life in Maine was shaped by hardy Congregationalist parents who promoted intellectual curiosity and deep faith. He excelled at memor

S8 Ep116: Appomattox: Lee's Surrender and the Legacy of Mosby — Patrick K. O'Donnell — At Appomattox, Robert E. Lee rejected guerrilla warfare, disobeying Jefferson Davis's orders in favor of reconciliation and statesmanship. Grant offered generous terms. The surre