Western Civ

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.

Last refreshed: March 9th, 2026 at 6:35 PM ⓘ

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Episodes

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 06, 2026•29 min•Season 1Ep. 522

Chosen Land: How Christianity Made America and Americans Remade Christianity

In the United States today, there is no faith more dominant than Christianity. In Chosen Land , historian Matthew Avery Sutton chronicles Christians’ five-hundred-year endeavor to turn North America into their version of the kingdom of God, revealing the fruitful and dynamic entanglement between the history of America and the history of American Christianity. In the centuries after Christianity first arrived on American shores, colonizers and colonized from New England to Spanish California prac...

Mar 03, 2026•42 min

Episode 521: The Irish Potato Famine

When the potato crop failed in 1845 in Ireland, no one at the time knew just how momentous it was. By the close of 1847, Ireland's population, through death and emigration, had fallen by nearly three million souls. It still has not recovered. Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial

Feb 27, 2026•19 min•Season 1Ep. 521

Episode 520: The Revolutions of 1848

From Paris to Vienna, 1848 rocked Europe. While the revolutions themselves failed, they set the stage for dramatic changes to come. Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial

Feb 22, 2026•23 min•Season 1Ep. 520

Episode 519: Do You Hear The People Sing?

Political, economic, and social currents sweep Europe, bringing massive change and setting the stage for the Revolutions of 1848. Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial

Feb 20, 2026•34 min•Ep. 519

Episode 518: The Age of Jackson

The presidency of Andrew Jackson was instrumental in reshaping America politically, socially, and economically. Today we cover the Bank War, Nullification Crisis, and Indian Removal. Western Civ 2.0

Feb 13, 2026•27 min•Season 1Ep. 518

Episode 517: Greek Independence and the Revolutions of 1830

The Congress of Vienna was supposed to freeze the map of Europe in time. It did not take long for it to thaw. Western Civ 2.0

Feb 08, 2026•14 min•Season 1Ep. 517

Episode 516: The Industrial Revolution

Before we move on to more political history, I want to broadly discuss some of the changes sweeping Great Britain and then ultimately the rest of Europe driven by the Industrial Revolution. Today we focus in on "Cottonopolis" - otherwise known as Manchester. Western Civ 2.0

Feb 06, 2026•29 min•Season 1Ep. 516

Episode 515: The Liberator

Simon Bolívar drives the Spanish out of South and Central America. His vision for what came afterwards, however, did not last. Western Civ Podcast 2.0 Free Trial

Feb 03, 2026•28 min•Ep. 515

Episode 514: The Mexican War of Independence

The Cry of Dolores sparks the Mexican Independence Movement ending in victory over Spain in 1821. Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial

Jan 30, 2026•34 min•Season 1Ep. 514

Episode 513: Slavery's Long Shadow

There is no issue that dominated American politics like chattel slavery between the American War of Independence and the American Civil War. Today we go back to Bacon's Rebellion to try and explain why and then work our way all the way through the administration of John Quincy Adams. Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial

Jan 23, 2026•44 min•Season 1Ep. 513

Worlds of Islam: A Global History

Today I sit down with author and historian James McDougall and talk about his most recent book: Worlds of Islam: A Global History. From its birth in seventh-century Arabia, Islam has been a faith on the move. Over the span of a thousand years, armies, missionaries, and merchants carried it to the edges of Europe, the coasts of Southeast Asia, and the remote interior of China. By the nineteenth century, Islam encompassed a world of great diversity, from Muslim-ruled empires to new nations where M...

Jan 20, 2026•51 min

Episode 512: The Congress of Vienna

The Congress of Vienna sought to put Europe back together after the Napoleonic Wars. It was not an easy task. But, by and large, the delegates were successful and peace prevailed for 99 years until the outbreak of World War One. Western Civ 2.0

Jan 18, 2026•21 min•Season 1Ep. 512

Episode 511: The Hundred Days

Napoleon returns from exile for one last chance at empire. His defeat at Waterloo, however, seals his fate. Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial

Jan 17, 2026•21 min•Season 1Ep. 511

Episode 510: The March to Moscow

Desperate to enforce his Continental System, Napoleon invades Russia. But Tsar Alexander will not fight and, instead, Napoleon finds himself cornered and finally beaten. Western Civ 2.0

Jan 16, 2026•30 min•Season 1Ep. 510

Episode 509: The War of 1812

James Madison watches as Washington DC burns. But America emerges from the War of 1812 more united and confident than ever before. Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial

Jan 14, 2026•25 min•Season 1Ep. 509

Episode 508: The Jefferson Administration

Thomas Jefferson's administration was full of contradictions and sweeping successes. Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial

Jan 11, 2026•27 min•Season 1Ep. 508

Episode 507: France Ascendant

France, under Napoleon, reaches the apex of its power. But, within the empire, the Spanish Ulcer and Continental System begin to unravel everything he had built. Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial

Jan 09, 2026•28 min•Season 1Ep. 507

Episode 506: Austerlitz

Napoleon reaches the height of his powers on the frozen fields of Moravia. Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial

Jan 05, 2026•20 min•Season 1Ep. 506

Episode 505: Consul for Life

It does not take long for Napoleon to consolidate power. But reversals in the Caribbean require the First Consul to rethink his North American strategy resulting in the Louisiana Purchase. Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial

Jan 01, 2026•27 min•Season 1Ep. 505

Episode 504: The Revolution of 1800

We catch up on the fledgling United States. George Washington becomes the first President of the United States (obviously...) and then the Election of 1800 secures the first peaceful transition of power in American history. Well, peaceful unless your name is Alexander Hamilton or Aaron Burr, that is... Western Civ Podcast 2.0 Free Trial

Dec 25, 2025•31 min•Season 1Ep. 504

Episode 503: The End of the Revolution

Napoleon Bonaparte becomes First Consul in what will be, thankfully, our final coup of the French Revolution. Western Civ 2.0

Dec 24, 2025•25 min•Season 1Ep. 503

A Brief History of Financial Bubbles

This one is a bit different and I admit that. But I like opportunities to speak with incredibly intelligent people so I took it. I sit down with Arman Verjee today and discuss a book he is finishing up: A Brief History of Financial Bubbles . The conversation is much more of a back and forth than an interview. But I think our discussion of the Dotcom Bubble and its application to the present AI circumstances is worth the listen. You can preorder Aman's book HERE . Western Civ 2.0...

Dec 21, 2025•46 min

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