Empire: World History

What was the origin story of Hergé, the Belgian illustrator who created The Adventures of Tintin? How did an unlikely friendship transform Hergé’s life and lead him to draw Tintin crying in a comic strip for the first and only time? Anita and William navigate the turbulent hot waters of Tintin’s history from anti-Soviet propaganda, to featuring authentic Chinese calligraphy, to becoming one of the...

How did a story made up by a mother for her sick children turn into Babar The Elephant? Why did two immigrants to France create such a patriotically French cartoon in Asterix and Obelix? How should we feel about racist depictions of people of colour in beloved children’s cartoons today? Listen as William and Anita explore the controversial debates about two of the most beloved cartoons from twenti...

What is the true history behind the “madwoman in the attic” in Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre? How was Jane Austen’s aunt deeply connected to slavery in Barbados? Who were the British heiresses who married Caribbean plantation owners and inherited vast wealth made through chattel slavery? William and Anita are joined by Miranda Kauffman, author of Heiresses: Marriage, Inheritance, and Caribbean Slav...

How did a Polish sailor become one of the greatest writers in the English language? Why were Conrad’s parents exiled to the harsh conditions of northern Russia? Should we continue to read The Heart of Darkness in spite of its outdated views? Anita and William are joined by Maya Jasanoff, author of The Dawn Watch, to discuss the adventurous life of Joseph Conrad and how his work shaped readers' und...

Why was Orwell’s wife, Eileen, written out of his story when she co-wrote Animal Farm? How did the CIA twist the novel into anti-communist propaganda? As a writer who was so ahead of his time on imperialism and totalitarianism, why did Orwell fail when it came to the patriarchy? Anita and William are joined by Anna Funder, author of Wifedom: Mrs Orwell’s Invisible Life, to discuss the women who ar...

What was the inspiration behind George Orwell’s most famous works? Why did he move to the remote Scottish island of Jura to finish writing 1984? What was Orwell’s “Snitch List” which he handed over to the government after World War 2?  In Part 3 of this miniseries, Anita and William discuss Orwell’s life during WW2 and deep-dive his two most famous works…Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empir...

Why did George Orwell go to Spain to fight on the Republican side against General Franco? Who saved his life when he was shot in the throat? How did internal feuds on the leftist side of the war influence his writing and his paranoia?  In Part 2 of this miniseries, William and Anita discuss Orwell’s fight against fascism and his experiences in the Spanish Civil War 1936-1939.  Join the Empire Club...

How was George Orwell’s childhood rooted in the British Empire and the opium trade in India? Why did George Orwell become a colonial police officer in Burma? When did Orwell develop his anti-imperialist stance? In the first part of this miniseries, Anita and William explore the early life of Eric Blair - later George Orwell - and his time in India and Burma. Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full E...

How did neighbouring Arab nations respond to the displacement of Palestinians in 1948? Why was the future Egyptian prime minister, General Nasser, stationed in Gaza in 1948? How did the population of Gaza double almost overnight with the influx of refugees, and what conditions did they face? William and Anita are joined once again by Eugene Rogan, Professor of Modern Middle Eastern History at The...

Why did the British decide to end their Mandate in Palestine less than three decades after it began? What was the UN Partition Plan for Palestine and why did the Zionist leadership accept it whilst the Arab Higher Committee rejected it? How did the displacement of thousands of Palestinians during the War of 1948 affect Gaza?  Anita and William are joined once again by Eugene Rogan, Professor of Mo...

When Palestinian Arabs rose up against the British in 1936, what repressive tactics were used to quell the revolt? Who was the WW2 hero “Bomber” Harris, and why did he bomb Palestinians in the 1930s? How did Christians, Muslims and Jews who had once co-existed in the region turn against each other in a divisive civil war?  William and Anita are joined once again by Caroline Elkins, author of Legac...

What was the British Mandate of Palestine that emerged after World War I? Why were the Black and Tans sent to Palestine and what methods did they use to enforce order? How did tensions between Zionist settlers and Arab Palestinians begin to rise in Mandate Palestine in the 1920s and 1930s?  Anita and William are joined by Caroline Elkins, author of Legacy of Violence: A History of the British Empi...

How did British Army General Murray fail to take Gaza in 1917? Who was General Allenby and how did his tactics in the cavalry charge on Gaza City lead to transformation in the region? What are the connections between the Gallipoli campaign and the siege of Gaza? Anita Anand and William Dalrymple are joined once again by Eugene Rogan, author of The Fall of The Ottomans, and Professor of Modern Midd...

In 1516, the Ottomans defeated the mighty Mamluk Empire in the Middle East, taking control of Gaza. How did Ottoman forces roll out scorched-earth tactics on Gaza City to punish those who had rebelled against them? How did the citrus and cotton industries develop in Ottoman Palestine? What did the rise of nationalism at the turn of the twentieth century mean for Gaza and the surrounding region? An...

Why did Crusaders travel from Western Europe to Gaza and The Levant in the 11th century? Who was Saladin and how did he conquer the Franks? How did the Mamluks defeat the Mongols in the 1200s and usher in an era of prosperity for Gaza? Anita and William are joined by Jonathan Phillips, Professor of Crusading History at Royal Holloway, to discuss the epic era of the Crusades in Gaza, and the lesser...

How did the expansion of Islam out of the Arab peninsular affect Gaza in the seventh century? Who was ‘Amr ibn al-As and how did he ambush the Byzantines in Gaza? Why is the Islamic Conquest described as the “invisible conquest” by some historians?  William and Anita are joined once again by Peter Sarris, Professor of Late Antique, Medieval and Byzantine Studies at the University of Cambridge, to...

How did Gaza become a centre of learning and festivals during the Byzantine era? Who was St. Porphyrius of Gaza, and why did he destroy pagan temples in the city? Why is the Early Christian period considered a Golden Age for Gaza? Anita and William are joined by Peter Sarris, Professor of Late Antique, Medieval and Byzantine Studies at the University of Cambridge, to discuss Byzantine Gaza and the...

Why did the Assyrians spare Philistine port cities like Gaza when they conquered The Levant? How did the Persians overthrow the Babylonians in the region? What did Alexander The Great send back to his tutor after he sieged Gaza City?  William and Anita are joined once again by Josephine Quinn, Professor of Ancient History at the University of Cambridge and author of How The World Made The West, to...

Gaza is one of the oldest urban centres on Earth, and in this series we are exploring its long history. It was first referred to by Pharaoh Thutmose III in the 15th century BC when it was known as Ghazzati. In this episode we ask: Who were the Philistines? Why did Egyptian pharaohs put monopolies on Gazan sweet wine? And what was 'The Bronze Age Collapse'? William and Anita are joined by Josephine...

Who was South India’s equivalent to Alexander The Great? How did the Chola dynasty conquer Southeast Asia? And what was life like for the enslaved “service women” in the Chola court? William and Anita are joined once again by Anirudh Kanisetti, author of Lords of Earth and Sea: A History of the Chola Empire, to discuss Rajaraja I and the development of the Chola dynasty.  Join the Empire Club: Unl...

Who were the Cholas who ruled in South India from the 9th century? How was a Hindu symbol of a Chola queen the inspiration behind the Christian hymn “Lord of The Dance”? What was the Medieval Indian equivalent of the “Iron Bank” in Game of Thrones? William and Anita are joined by Anirudh Kanisetti, author of Lords of Earth and Sea: A History of the Chola Empire, to discuss the beginnings of the Ch...

How did the Suez Crisis end? Why did the Suez Crisis mark the end of the Anglo-American “special relationship”? And was it Egypt or India that marked the nail in the coffin of the British Empire? William and Anita are joined for the final time by Alex Von Tunzelmann, author of Blood and Sand: Suez, Hungary, & The Crisis That Shook The World, to discuss the end of the Suez Crisis, and how its legac...

Who was Dulles Airport named after and why was he instrumental in de-escalating the Suez Crisis? Why did Nasser order cyanide pills for his military generals during the crisis? How did the Egyptians use beer bottles to block the Suez Canal? William and Anita are joined once again by Alex Von Tunzelmann, author of Blood and Sand: Suez, Hungary, & The Crisis That Shook The World, to discuss the heig...

What did the Queen think about Britain’s humiliating failures in Suez in 1956? Why did France and Britain not inform their American allies of the invasion? What was simultaneously going on in Hungary that sent the UN into crisis mode? William and Anita are joined once again by Alex Von Tunzelmann, author of Blood and Sand: Suez, Hungary, & The Crisis That Shook The World, to explore the chaos that...

Why did France & Britain secretly collude with Israel against Egypt? What did America think was going on in Suez? Why did the Soviets think the US was behind an uprising in Hungary? William and Anita are joined once again by Alex Von Tunzelmann, author of Blood and Sand: Suez, Hungary, & The Crisis That Shook The World, to discuss the second chapter in the unfolding Suez Crisis of 1956… Join the E...