Western Civ
Adam Walsh
A fast-moving history of the western world from the ancient world to the present day. Examine how the emergence of the western world as a global dominant power was not something that should ever have been taken for granted. This podcast traces the development of western civilization starting in the ancient Near East, through Greece and Rome, past the collapse of the Western Roman Empire into the Dark Ages, and then follows European and, ultimately, American history as the western world moved into a dominant world position.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Apr 3, 2026 • 39min
Episode 530: Russia Awakens
Here I quickly cover Russian history from Peter the Great, through Catherine the Great, and then down to the beginning of the Crimean War. Western Civ 2.0
Mar 27, 2026 • 39min
Episode 529: We Hold These Truths
After Gettysburg and Vicksburg, the Confederacy slowly fades. Despite Lee's efforts, Grant grinds his army down through murderous battles such as the Wilderness and Cold Harbor. Ultimately, the resouces of the Union are simply too much. But even as America ultimately wins its civil war, its greatest president falls to an assassin's bullet. Western Civ 2.0
Mar 24, 2026 • 20min
Episode 528: Gettysburg
In three days in Pennsylvania in 1863, the American Civil War turns forever. Western Civ 2.0
Mar 20, 2026 • 33min
Episode 527: The War Goes North
The Battle of Antietam drives President Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. But Robert Lee wins two dramatic victories in this aftermath at the battles of Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. Western Civ 2.0
Mar 18, 2026 • 24min
Episode 526: The Seven Days Battles
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.Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial
Mar 16, 2026 • 18min
Episode 525: Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh starts as an apparent Confederate victory, but the loss of General Johnston and the resulting chaos dooms the South. Meanwhile, in New Orleans, the Anaconda Plan takes hold.Western Civ. 2.0 Free Trial
Mar 15, 2026 • 19min
Episode 524: Bull Run
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
Mar 13, 2026 • 40min
Episode 523: A House Divided
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 2.0 Free Trial
Mar 6, 2026 • 29min
Episode 522: The Sun Never Sets
In the 19th Century, Europeans carved up the globe with devastating consequences.Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial
Mar 3, 2026 • 42min
Chosen Land: How Christianity Made America and Americans Remade Christianity
Matthew Avery Sutton, historian and author who studies American religious history, traces five centuries of Christianity shaping North America. He explores revivalist campaigns, political figures navigating faith, missionary and evangelical threads, new religious movements, and how competition and law transformed belief. Short, lively tour of how religion and politics have continually remade each other.
