Historiansplaining: A historian tells you why everything you know is wrong

In the age of absolutism, France had towered over European life and politics -- the only nation that was a major land power on the Continent and a colonial metropole with an overseas empire at the same time. Yet by 1900, tossed about by repeated revolutions and coups and torn asunder by often petty internal culture wars, France was falling behind its rivals to become almost a second-rate power. Once the Radical Party rode the Dreyfus Affair into government, they had to rush to reposition France to try to take advantage of the tensions and instability in the Balkans, and prepare the nation to possibly face off once more against their archrival across the Rhine -- Germany. Image: illustration of the "degradation" ceremony of Capt. Alfred Dreyfus, in Le Petit Journal, 1895. Christopher Clark's lecture on "France and the Origins of the Great War": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dx_V4NAUuW8 Suggested further reading: Romier, "A History of France," Norwich, "A History of France," Maurois, "A History of France." Please sign on as a patron to hear patron-only lectures, including the earlier lecture on Germany -- https://www.patreon.com/user?u=5530632

Exploring the controversial topic of UFOs from a historical perspective, separate from debunking. Examining UFOs as a modern myth and the difficulties in understanding them. World War II encounters with UFOs and the Foo Fighters. Historical UFO sightings in Germany and the context of the gunpowder revolution. Analyzing Diana Walsh Passalca's book on UFOs and the contradictory nature of beliefs. Investigative projects and government cover-ups in UFO sightings. Limitations of UFO evidence and the importance of documents and eyewitness testimony. Government use of UFOs as a distraction and the power struggle involved. The influence of social factors on perceived truth. Parallels between microbes and unresolved UFO mystery.

Unlocked after one year for patrons only: A silver beaker engraved with figures of Satan, the Pope, and the "Young Pretender" (also known as "Bonnie Prince Charlie") shows how French, Dutch, German, and English colonists in colonial New York united around fear of Catholicism and the Jacobite menace. Special thanks to the Collections Team at Museum of the City of New York. Sign on as a patron to hear all patron-only lectures when they are completed: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=5530632 For non-patrons, to hear all installments in this series on the history of the United States in 100 objects, you can purchase access through a single small payment: https://www.patreon.com/collection/2070759?view=condensed

Although more often remembered only as a bloody battleground, Belgium -- along with its smaller neighbor, Luxembourg -- was critical to the strategic landscape of Europe, and played a pivotal role in spreading the war in 1914 beyond the European Continent, making it into a true World War. Both created as independent states in the nineteenth century, Belgium and Luxembourg were linchpins in the delicate balance of power, as well as crucibles of the new social divides in a secularizing and industrializing Europe. Image: Painting of the Citadel of St. Esprit, Luxembourg, by JMW Turner, 1839. Please sign on as a patron to hear all lectures, including Part 6, on Germany -- https://www.patreon.com/user?u=5530632

In an extended lecture for patrons -- We consider the turbulent history and politics of the country most often blamed for the outbreak of the First World War -- Germany. The youngest of all the combatant nations in World War I, The German Reich's deep class, regional, and religious divides drove Kaiser Wilhelm and his inner circle to seek national aggrandizement abroad as a source of unity at home--which inadvertently led them to unite their rivals against them and dragged them into a war not of their making. Suggested further reading: Clark, "Iron Kingdom: The Rise and Downfall of Prussia"; Mary Fulbrook, "A Concise History of Germany." Image: Hand-Colored Photograph of Kaiser Wilhelm II in Tangier, Morocco, 1905 Please sign up in order to hear this entire lecture and support his podcast! -- https://www.patreon.com/posts/90207746

In the third installment of our Survey of Western Architecture, we will follow the rise of Renaissance geniuses like Alberti, Bramante, & Michelangelo, their efforts to recover Roman grandeur and dignity in the basilica, the church, and the urban palazzo, followed by the outbreak of baroque extravagance from the streets of Palermo to the halls of Versailles, and then the gradual return to classical balance and understatement in the English country house. Please sign on as a patron to support this podcast, and to hear the next lecture on the origins of the First World War, examining Germany: www.patreon.com/user?u=5530632 See the first part of the series here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwCuQLuajn8 See this lecture on youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19F9ur-SAR8

We examine the significance of a kilo pohaku, or "stone mirror" -- a small volcanic stone disk used for viewing reflections -- discovered deep inside the ancient Makauwahi Cave on the island of Kaua'i. This extremely rare specimen encapsulates the great mystery of Hawaiian archaeology, which relies on reconstruction from rare stone, bone, and shell objects, and also the threats facing the historical sites and artifacts of ancient Hawaii in a time of natural disaster and rapid development. Special thanks to: Maui Historical Society, the National Tropical Botanical Garden, Makauwahi Cave Preserve, Kaua'i Community College, Kaua'i Historical Society (particularly Mona), Dr. David Burney, and Jason Ford. Suggested further reading: David Burney, "Back to the Future in the Caves of Kaua'i." Image: Kilo pohaku, cowry beads, & bone bead found at Makauwahi Cave; image courtesy of David Burney. An image illustrating the immersion method of using a kilo pohaku can be seen on the website of Papahana Kuaola here: https://papahanakuaola.org/kukulu-kahua-2/kukulu-kahua-types-and-uses-of-pohaku/ Suggested historical preservation organizations for donations: --Makauwahi Cave Reserve: http://www.cavereserve.org/donate.php --Maui Historical Society: https://mauimuseum.org/donate --Lahaina Restoration Foundation: https://lahainarestoration.org/donate/ --Kaua'i Historical Society: https://kauaihistoricalsociety.org/donate/ Please sign on as a patron to hear the next lecture on the origins of the First World War: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=5530632 For non-patrons, to hear all installments in this series on the history of the United States in 100 objects, you can purchase access through a single small payment: https://www.patreon.com/collection/2070759?view=condensed

We examine the geography and history of Russia, from the origins of the Kievan Rus in the Early Middle Ages, to the tumultuous time of industrialization, emancipation, and radical subversion at the start of the Twentieth Century. We try reconstruct the circumstances and mindsets that led the Russian state to back up their allies in Serbia, in order to maintain their tenuous foothold in the Balkans and their pretenses of leading and protecting the Slavic world. image: Luzhetsky Monastery, Mozhaysk, Russia Suggested further reading: Braithwaite, "Russia: Myths and Realities"; Kort, "A Brief History of Russia"; Riasanovsky, "A History of Russia" Please sign up as a patron to hear the previous installment on Bosnia! -- https://www.patreon.com/user?u=5530632

Where do conspiracy theories come from? Why do people believe them? What do they mean? Did the CIA drug people with LSD against their will? Is Queen Elizabeth a reptilian? We consider the merits and pitfalls of conspiracy theories, trace the history and evolution of the conspiratorial tradition from rumors about lepers in the 1300s to Alex Jones and Q-Anon, and examine the biases and double standards built into the very concept of “conspiracy theories.” This is it: the most thorough, fair, and impartial examination of conspiracy theories that you will ever find anywhere. Suggested Further Reading: Uscinski & Parent, "American Conspiracy Theories"; Kathryn Olmsted, "Real Enemies"; Jesse Walker, "United States of Paranoia"; Machiavelli, The Discourses, Book III; David Coady, "Conspiracy theory as heresy," in "Educational Philosophy and Psychology," 2021 Become a patron at any level in order to hear patron-only lectures as soon as they post (https://www.patreon.com/c/u5530632), or alternatively, non-patrons can buy the entire playlist of Myths of the Month, including “The Enlightenment,” “Race,” & “Capitalism,” among others: https://www.patreon.com/collection/2031535?view=condensed

A stunningly complex piece of mathematical craftsmanship, the world's earliest known analogue computer, and the so-called "scientific wonder of the ancient world" -- the Antikythera mechanism was discovered by chance in 1900, by Greek sponge divers who stumbled upon the wreckage of an ancient ship that foundered on its way from Greece to Rome. An object of bafflement, controversy, and misrepresentation for more than a century, thought to be an astrolabe or a planetarium, the Antikythera mechamism has only recently been proved by x-ray analysis to be a calendrical computing machine intended, for the purposes of astrology, to forecast heavenly events, especially eclipses, into the indefinite future. Suggested further reading: Alexander Jones, "A Portable Cosmos." Image: reconstruction of the Antikythera's "back" panel, with Metonic and Saros dials, by Tony Freeth & the AMRP My previous lecture on astrology: https://soundcloud.com/historiansplaining/unlocked-myth-of-the-month-14-astrology Please join as a patron to support this podcast, and to hear all the patron-only lectures! -- https://www.patreon.com/user?u=5530632