Grappling With a Post-Soviet Identity

Host of a Russian history program says his series, titled Kto my? (Who Are We?), is about Russians understanding themselves.

American Activists and the Birth of Bangladesh

Looking back 40 years to a civil war in Pakistan and a group of American peace activists whose weapons blockade helped end the war and aided the independence of Bangladesh.

Nostalgia for the Soviet Union

The Soviet Union dissolved 20 years ago this Sunday. More than half of all Russians now regret that demise, according to a recent poll. Brigid McCarthy visited a restaurant in Moscow that lets nostalgic customers pretend they’re back in the USSR.

The End of the USSR

Twenty years ago on Christmas Day, the Soviet Union ceased to exist. Brigid McCarthy takes a look back at why the USSR came crashing down.

Saving Bletchley Park

Marco Werman talks with Sue Black, who has waged a campaign to save Bletchley Park. The British site was the location of an important message decoding center during World War II, and also played an important role in the development of modern computers.

British Army Museum Exhibit Features War Horses

A new exhibition at the British Army museum highlights the hidden heroes of war – the 100′s of thousands of horses who were sent to the frontlines.

20 Years After the Soviet Collapse

Twenty years ago, residents of Moscow awoke to the sound of tanks in the streets. There was a coup in the USSR.

Looking Back on Holbrooke’s Legacy

Richard Holbrooke was the Obama administration’s pointman for the civilian side of the Afghanistan war. He died suddenly in December 2010, leaving some successes that are sometimes overlooked, and they have to do with Pakistan.

Women in Afghanistan 10 Years After US Invasion

Kabul resident Sultana Parvanta discusses the changing situation of women in Afghanistan 10 years after the US invasion.

Afghanistan’s History of War on Display

Afghanistan’s long history as a battleground is documented in a small museum on the outskirts of Kabul.

Gorbachev, Yeltsin and the Demise of the USSR

There are many Russians who say a critical factor in the demise of the USSR was the power struggle that broke out between Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin.

Civil War, 1896 Tsunami, Mau Mau, Yuri Gagarin, Bay of Pigs

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In the last week alone we’ve had at least three big anniversaries: 150th anniversary of the start of the (American) Civil War; 50th anniversary of the first human being into space; 50th anniversary of the Bay of Pigs. So we’ll look back at each of those moments. Plus Lisa Mullins interviews an archivist at National Geographic about an American writer and photographer, Eliza Scidmore, who documented the aftermath of a tsunami in northeast Japan more than a century ago. And we have two segments on the history behind the trial unfolding in London right now over alleged British atrocities in Kenya during the counterinsurgency campaign against Mau Mau rebels in the 1950′s. Download MP3

The Fear by Peter Godwin

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This is the long version of Marco’s interview with Peter Godwin, author of The Fear: Robert Mugabe and the Martyrdom of Zimbabwe. Godwin is a journalist and writer who grew up in Zimbabwe when it was still Rhodesia. He returned once more in 2008 expecting to celebrate the end of Mugabe’s rule. Instead he witnessed an orchestrated campaign of terror that allowed Mugabe to cling to power. The Fear is Godwin’s account of that time. It is both a catalogue of human rights abuses and a lyrical, angry, deeply personal narrative about going home to a shattered dream. Download MP3

Chernobyl, Abd-El Krim, Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

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This week’s history podcast showcases three unrelated but timely radio features. In light of the nuclear crisis in Japan, Brigid McCarthy reminds us what happened at Chernobyl in 1986. Gerry Hadden introduces us to a Berber hero in Morocco and explains where he fits in the contemporary political landscape. And Jason Margolis retells the story of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire a century ago and explains why it’s still relevant today.Download MP3

The Italian Occupation of Libya

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The World’s Marco Werman interviews historian Ronald Bruce St John about the Italian occupation of Libya in the first half of the 20th century and its ramifications today. St John is the author of Libya: From Colony to Independence and Libya: Continuity and Change. Download MP3