Ministry of History Podcast

In the fourth episode of Ukraine's Story, we're going to cover the Polish-Lithuanian era of Ukraine's history. From the late 14th century until the mid-17th century, Ukraine was under the rule of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, a powerful union of Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, that existed until the end of the 18th century. This era witnessed a complex interplay of cultur...

The History Buff (now The Ministry of History) is back after a long break! Thanks for bearing with me, I was very busy over the summer with tours and then I spent the last few months getting heaps of new episodes together before I go travelling in January! We're starting off with some more episodes of the Ukraine's Story series, where we trace Ukraine's fascinating national story, all the way from...

In the second episode of Ukraine's Story, we'll cover the Mongol era, which lasted from the Mongol invasion in the early 13th century and lasted until the end of the 15th century. It was also known as the "Tatar Yoke" and oversaw significant political, social, and economic changes to the region, including the imposition of tribute, the introduction of Mongol administrative systems, and the integra...

Not many people know that India got its first female prime minister in 1966, over ten years before Margaret Thatcher came to power in 1979 in Britain. Indira Gandhi is a towering if controversial figure of Indian political history. Whilst being remembered as a strong leader and someone who helped India develop in a positive way, she is also known for her authoritarian style and centralisation of p...

Given the current situation in Ukraine, I wanted to do a miniseries on Ukraine's story. So here it is. Follow me as I chart Ukrainian history from the first major Eastern Slavic state (the Kyivan Rus) all the way up until Ukrainian independence and beyond. Kyivan Rus existed from around 882 until about 1240, and was Eastern Europe's first regional power. It had a huge influence on the forming of p...

In The History Buff's first interview, I am joined by retired army officer-turned historian/author Sir Barney White-Spunner. The book we discuss in this episode is his latest, called Berlin: The Story of a City. The book offers a fantastic oversight of Berlin's rich history, all the way from the thirteenth century, when it was a sleepy fishing and trading post on the banks of the River Spree, all...

On The History Buff's first co-hosted discussion, I am joined by friend, fellow history buff and half-Austrian Anna Morris. Listen to us talk about one of the most famous royals of European history: Empress Elisabeth of Austria (more commonly known as "Sissi"). Why is she so famous? Why do Austrians remember her so fondly? Follow us as we dive into her interesting and, ultimately, tragic life. The...

Willy Brandt was famous for being the West German Chancellor that introduced a policy of rapprochement with East Germany and the Eastern Bloc in general - known as "Ostpolitik". He is remembered as a great statesman, who led the Federal Republic from 1969 until 1974 - when his premiership came to an abrupt end. The reason: one of his closest aides, Günter Guillaume, was discovered to be an East Ge...

In this episode, I will be breaking down for you the reasons why Europe collapsed into the most catastrophic war in history (up until that point). Many people say it was caused by the shots from a gun belonging to a Serbian nationalist, but this is far too simplistic. Whilst this may have triggered the events that led to the final descent into war, there were plenty of other factors that had creat...

In this episode, we will discuss the monarchs of the three most powerful monarchies of the early twentieth century: King George V of Great Britain Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany Tsar Nicholas II of Russia They were all related, but this didn't stop them from going to war with one another. The Ministry of History offers more than just podcast episodes! Check out our blog for engaging historical insig...

In this episode, we'll be looking at two of the South American dictatorships of the twentieth century, Argentina and Chile. Both countries had their dictatorships installed with US support (to help stop the spread of communism) and both were marked with state-sponsored brutality and repression. I would like to delve into both of these dictatorships more deeply and also to cover other periods and c...

In this episode we look at one of the Soviet Union's greatest atrocities: the mass starvation of millions of Ukrainians from 1933-1934. Widely considered as a genocide, this event has had a crucial impact on the forming of Ukraine's national identity today, especially after Russia's brutal, unprovoked invasion in February 2022 (which is still going on today). The Ministry of History offers more th...

So I might be a little bit biased as a tour guide that lives here, but Berlin has a pretty incredible story. In this first episode of The History Buff (now The Ministry of History) , you will be taken through Berlin's tumultuous history from when it was the Prussian and then Imperial German capital, through the good times of the Golden Twenties, over the ruins of the Nazi capital, tracing the Wall...