Bro History

On today’s episode, we discuss the lies told by the government that pushed the U.S into the Vietnam War. Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/brohistory #199 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode, we discuss what would happen if China invaded Taiwan. Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/brohistory #198 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode, we discuss far right neo-Nazi groups in Ukraine. Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/brohistory #197 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On todays episode we discuss how Hamas, the militant Palestinian nationalist and Islamist movement, was created. Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/brohistory #196 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Israel/Palestine 101 – On todays episode we discuss early Zionism, Jewish immigration to Palestine, and the lead up to the 1948 Arab Israeli War. Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/brohistory #195 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Today’s episode, we discuss the controversial history of the first Slavic state, the Kievan Rus’. Article discussed THE PLACE OF THE KIEVAN RUS IN HISTORY: Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/brohistory #194 \ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vladimir Putin is building a clone army of “Ancient Scythian Warriors” to invade Ukraine! Well.. according to the internet he is… In the Russian Republic of Tuva (Southern Siberia), archeologists found the DNA of a Scythian warrior frozen in permafrost. The Russian government hinted they would be interested in using that DNA in a “Dolly the Sheep” type cloning experiment. The Scythians were a grou...

The “Nuclear Sponge” refers to the hundreds of nuclear missiles spread across Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Wyoming. These ICBMs, are not meant to be launched, but to “absorb” a nuclear attack and spare major population centers. Today we discuss the logic of the “Nuclear Sponge” policy along with the history of nuclear weapons in the U.S. Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.co...

On today’s episode, we explain how the circumstances set by the end of Cold War led up to the current crises between Russia and Ukraine. Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/brohistory #191 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Government by Assassination” was a term used to describe the tumultuous political situation in Japan in the early 20th century. The rise of fanatic nationalism led to a huge of influx of political murders in Pre-WWII Japan. Perhaps the strangest thing about this period was that Japanese society would often venerate the patriotic intent of these assassins. On todays’ episode we discuss the origins...

“Gunboat diplomacy” refers to the pursuit of foreign policy objectives through the threat of force. One of the most notorious case studies of “Gunboat diplomacy” is when Matthew C. Perry forced Japan to dismiss their 200 year policy of isolation and start trading with the U.S. On todays’ episode we dive into early U.S. relations with Japan, and what led America to taking a more aggressive foreign...

The standard narrative when it comes to Japanese nationalism is that they rapidly modernized out of fear of being colonized by the west. One issue with this narrative is that it assumes that nation states arise via diffusion, rather than through a countries own internal societal circumstances. On today’s episode we dive into pre-modern Japan looking for traces of national unity. We discuss shoguns...

On today’s episode we discuss how the “way of the samurai” or bushido, fueled the creation of the imperial Japanese nation state. Bushido is supposedly the value system that governed the behavior of Samurai in feudal Japan. It encouraged them to be loyal, courageous , polite, etc. What’s interesting is that the term “bushido” wasn’t really a thing prior to the 1800s. It was an invented concept use...

Today we dive into Classical Japan’s transition from a strong central government to feudalism. During the Heian period, Japan created a court system mimicking the Tang Dynasty of China. Due to high levels of corruption and crony land politics, the Japanese court system gradually deteriorated into a country ruled by powerful private land owners. Today we discuss how this transition applies to Japan...

Today we kickoff our series on the creation of the Japanese nation state. On this episode we discuss the first “peoples” of Japan such as the Jōmon and the Yayoi. In addition, we dive into the origins of the first Japanese kingdoms. Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/brohistory Episode #185 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode we discuss how the Chinese Communist Party seized state power during the first half the 20th century. The CCP’s rise as the sole political structure in China was a long and brutal process. In fact, the Chinese Communist Movement was almost completely wiped out on multiple occasions. On this episode, we explore the friction between the CCP and the Chinese Nationalist Party, along...

On today’s episode we discuss the first imperial dynasty of ancient China, the Qin Dynasty. It was founded by Shi Huangdi who operated according to the precepts of Legalism, a political philosophy that called for a strong central government and authoritarian state control. We explore how Shi Huangdi, or Emperor Qin, used Machiavellian principles to consolidate power. We also ask the question – how...

Today we discuss the development of civilization in the Yellow River region of Northern China and the emergence of the Han Chinese. China is a multi-ethnic nation with a population of 1.4 Billion people. The Han Chinese are over 90% of the population. Some anthropologist have described the Han as an amalgamation of many ancient ethnicities that share a cohesive culture. On this episode we explore...

Today we discuss the history of the Uyghur people and the creepy Xinjiang re-education camps. Most people think of China as an ethnically homogenous nation-state, however, they would be wrong. There are fifty-six official “nationalities” of China, some with culture values diametrically obsessed with the CCP. This has caused China to go through extreme measures to assimilate some of these groups. I...

The Yemeni Civil War has led to the worst humanitarian crises in the world. According the the UN, 233,000 people have been killed and 7 million more are at risk of famine. In addition, the conflict is incredibly difficult to wrap your head around due to Yemen’s complex history. Today we break down the basics: Yemeni colonial history in the 19th and 20th century How the modern state of Yemen was cr...

Alexander III is venerated as one of history’s greatest figures, forging an empire stretching over three continents in just 13 years. However, the man known as “Alexander the Great” showed many dark tendencies thought-out his life time. Some historians suggest that Alexander was a rage-filled, paranoid, alcoholic who potentially suffered from PTSD and possible brain damage. On today’s show, we div...

In the 19th & 20th century, many German academics idolized Sparta’s rigorous martial education and state structures. In addition, Adolf Hitler once called Sparta “the purest racial State in history” (He would have loved the movie 300). Therefore, it should come at no surprise that Sparta was seen as an ancient prototype of the Nazi state. On todays episode, we explore how the Third Reich built upo...

The Greco-Persian Wars refer to the series of conflicts between allied Greek City-States and the Persian Empire in the 5th century BC. In popular culture, it’s painted as the war to that saved “Western Civilization” from the decadence of the east. Despite being outnumbered, the Greek Hoplites outperformed the Persians on the battlefield due to their discipline and superior fighting skills. The pro...

The Assyrian War Machine created the world’s first great empire, held together by brutality and terror. For example, they would implement horrific physical punishments such as skinning people alive, mutilating body parts and burning down entire cities. In addition, they would deport entire populations in order to destroy the national identity of their subjects. This has led many historians to like...

One of the luxuries of living in Ancient Egypt was that you were surrounded by massive deserts, protecting you from people who wanted to cut your head off. Well, at some point between 1650 – 1550 BC (who knows really), the Kingdom is invaded by barbarian hill people. The occupation of their homeland led to a massive shift in mentality. The paranoia of being surrounded led to the rise of the “Warri...