The Invention Of... - podcast cover

The Invention Of...

BBC Radio 4•www.bbc.co.uk
History
Government

Misha Glenny investigates the borders, the histories and the people that make different nations what they are.

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Episodes

The birth and death of Yugoslavia

Misha Glenny talks to contributors from Bosnia and Belgrade and Albania too about the history of Yugoslavia from 1918 via Tito until now. Recorded and produced by Miles Warde

Apr 17, 2026•45 min

The Balkans: The Birth and Death of Yugoslavia

Misha Glenny returns to the Balkans to report on the birth and death of Yugoslavia. With contributions from Lea Ypi, Radina Vucetic, Ivan Veyvoda, Tim Heneage, Jelena Dureinovic, plus former soldier turned writer Faruk Sehic in Sarajevo. Includes archive of Fitzroy Maclean and Steed Wickham, plus an interview with the scientific director of the Jewish Museum in Thessaloniki, Xenia Eleftheriou. This is series eighteen of The Invention of ... on Radio 4, following on from previous visits to Taiwan...

Apr 17, 2026•45 min

The Balkans: Episode 2

Churchill may have said that the Balkans produce more history than it can consume, but in this episode Misha Glenny and Miles Warde head out to discover if it's true. This is a road trip through Bosnia, Belgrade and northern Greece. The aim? To explore the collapse of the Ottoman empire and see how it fed into the start of World War One. There's also a also pause for sausage in Serbia, while they find themselves in a massive street protest in Thessaloniki. This is history from the ground, and fe...

Apr 17, 2026•42 min

What are the Balkans?

June 28 1914 - a young Bosnian in Sarajevo fired the shot that triggered World War One. Why is this region so unstable? Misha Glenny returns to a region he's known for years

Apr 03, 2026•42 min

The Balkans: What Are the Balkans?

June 28 1914 - a young Bosnian on a street corner in Sarajevo fired a shot that triggered World War One. Why is this region so unstable, and what lessons can we learn from that event. Misha Glenny was a famous reporter during the wars of the 1990s, well-placed to find answers in a region he's travelled for years. Is the violence the fault of the people who live here, or are there bigger, outside forces at work? This is the latest from the team behind The Invention of ... series which has recentl...

Apr 03, 2026•42 min
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