Robert sits down with Amanda Montell to talk about Alfred Hugenberg, a German industrialist who made Hitler's rise to power possible for some very familiar reasons.

Sources:
The Pan German League by Barry Jackisch
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/02/hitler-oligarchs-hugenberg-nazi/681584/
The Fateful Alliance by Hermann Beck
https://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/modern-world-history-1918-to-1980/weimar-germany/ 
https://corporatecitizen.in/issue3/corporate-history-mercedes-was-hitler%E2%80%99s-idea.html 
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-75512-5_1 
https://www.topfundsoehne.de/ts/en/site/history/index.html 
https://archive.org/details/alfredhugenbergr0000leop/page/11/mode/1up 

Robert sits down with Amanda Montell to talk about Alfred Hugenberg, a German industrialist who made Hitler's rise to power possible for some very familiar reasons.
Sources:
<ol>
<li>The Pan German League by Barry Jackisch</li>
<li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/02/hitler-oligarchs-hugenberg-nazi/681584/">https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/02/hitler-oligarchs-hugenberg-nazi/681584/</a></li>
<li>The Fateful Alliance by Hermann Beck</li>
<li><a href="https://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/modern-world-history-1918-to-1980/weimar-germany/">https://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/modern-world-history-1918-to-1980/weimar-germany/</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li><a href="https://corporatecitizen.in/issue3/corporate-history-mercedes-was-hitler%E2%80%99s-idea.html">https://corporatecitizen.in/issue3/corporate-history-mercedes-was-hitler%E2%80%99s-idea.html</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li><a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-75512-5_1">https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-75512-5_1</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li><a href="https://www.topfundsoehne.de/ts/en/site/history/index.html">https://www.topfundsoehne.de/ts/en/site/history/index.html</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li><a href="https://archive.org/details/alfredhugenbergr0000leop/page/11/mode/1up">https://archive.org/details/alfredhugenbergr0000leop/page/11/mode/1up</a>&nbsp;</li>
</ol>

There’s a reason the History Channel has produced hundreds of documentaries about Hitler but only a few about Dwight D. Eisenhower. Bad guys (and gals) are eternally fascinating. Behind the Bastards dives in past the Cliffs Notes of the worst humans in history and exposes the bizarre realities of their lives. Listeners will learn about the young adult novels that helped Hitler form his monstrous ideology, the founder of Blackwater’s insane quest to build his own Air Force, the bizarre lives of the sons and daughters of dictators and Saddam Hussein’s side career as a trashy romance novelist.

There’s a reason the History Channel has produced hundreds of documentaries about Hitler but only a few about Dwight D. Eisenhower. Bad guys (and gals) are eternally fascinating. Behind the Bastards dives in past the Cliffs Notes of the worst humans in history and exposes the bizarre realities of their lives. Listeners will learn about the young adult novels that helped Hitler form his monstrous ideology, the founder of Blackwater’s insane quest to build his own Air Force, the bizarre lives of the sons and daughters of dictators and Saddam Hussein’s side career as a trashy romance novelist.

Everything you don't know about History's greatest monsters

Behind the Bastards

Part One: Alfred Hugenberg: The Elon Musk of Weimar Germany

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/d89b1ea9-7d4a-47d1-8511-b2b9003dd30f/transcript

There are a few candidates for the title "the real Indiana Jones" but Percy Fawcett is the man whose reputation most inspired our favorite fictional archaeologist. Unfortunately, he was a racist, a murderer and a weirdo occultist who led his own son to a horrific death for reasons of Magic.

There are a few candidates for the title "the real Indiana Jones" but Percy Fawcett is the man whose reputation most inspired our favorite fictional archaeologist. Unfortunately, he was a racist, a murderer and a weirdo occultist who led his own son to a horrific death for reasons of Magic.

Part One: Percy Fawcett: Real-Life Indiana Jones, or Deluded Psychic Racist?

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/d885896c-68e0-414d-9d1d-b4b0016ea6c6/transcript

Robert continues telling James Stout about the story of the worst military leader in human history: Francisco Solano Lopez. Also known as 'El supremo', he nearly annihilated his own country through sheer incompetence.

Sources:

https://www.jstor.org/stable/26494384?googleloggedin=true&seq=22

https://www.historyisnowmagazine.com/blog/2021/11/22/the-paraguayan-president-who-brought-his-country-to-military-catastrophe-part-1-francisco-solano-lopezs-earlier-life

https://www.historyisnowmagazine.com/blog/2021/12/8/the-paraguayan-president-who-brought-his-country-to-military-catastrophe-part-2-the-start-of-the-war-of-the-triple-alliance#.YcJFwy2cZAY=

https://www.historyisnowmagazine.com/blog/2021/12/23/the-paraguayan-president-who-brought-his-country-to-military-catastrophe-part-3-devastating-battles-for-both-sides#.Yd9N0i2cZAY=

https://www.historyisnowmagazine.com/blog/2022/1/12/the-paraguayan-president-who-brought-his-country-to-military-catastrophe-part-4-how-the-war-ended#.Yd9N0i2cZAY=

https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/war-of-the-triple-alliance-bloodbath-in-paraguay/

https://www.thecollector.com/francisco-solano-lopez-paraguayan-war/

https://countrystudies.us/paraguay/10.htm

https://mitpressbookstore.mit.edu/book/9780742537552

 

Robert continues telling James Stout about the story of the worst military leader in human history: Francisco Solano Lopez. Also known as 'El supremo', he nearly annihilated his own country through sheer incompetence.
Sources:
<a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/26494384?googleloggedin=true&amp;seq=22" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.jstor.org/stable/26494384?googleloggedin%3Dtrue%26seq%3D22&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1787021922984000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3Slajk37QV7TM2UlDawZYR">https://www.jstor.org/stable/26494384?googleloggedin=true&amp;seq=22</a>
<a href="https://www.historyisnowmagazine.com/blog/2021/11/22/the-paraguayan-president-who-brought-his-country-to-military-catastrophe-part-1-francisco-solano-lopezs-earlier-life" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.historyisnowmagazine.com/blog/2021/11/22/the-paraguayan-president-who-brought-his-country-to-military-catastrophe-part-1-francisco-solano-lopezs-earlier-life&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1787021922984000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3B6JjyfSAbQdjTnt1-msja">https://www.historyisnowmagazine.com/blog/2021/11/22/the-paraguayan-president-who-brought-his-country-to-military-catastrophe-part-1-francisco-solano-lopezs-earlier-life</a>
<a href="https://www.historyisnowmagazine.com/blog/2021/12/8/the-paraguayan-president-who-brought-his-country-to-military-catastrophe-part-2-the-start-of-the-war-of-the-triple-alliance#.YcJFwy2cZAY=" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.historyisnowmagazine.com/blog/2021/12/8/the-paraguayan-president-who-brought-his-country-to-military-catastrophe-part-2-the-start-of-the-war-of-the-triple-alliance%23.YcJFwy2cZAY%3D&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1787021922984000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2PrG_m2N1ey19kDd_WzFz0">https://www.historyisnowmagazine.com/blog/2021/12/8/the-paraguayan-president-who-brought-his-country-to-military-catastrophe-part-2-the-start-of-the-war-of-the-triple-alliance#.YcJFwy2cZAY=</a>
<a href="https://www.historyisnowmagazine.com/blog/2021/12/23/the-paraguayan-president-who-brought-his-country-to-military-catastrophe-part-3-devastating-battles-for-both-sides#.Yd9N0i2cZAY=" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.historyisnowmagazine.com/blog/2021/12/23/the-paraguayan-president-who-brought-his-country-to-military-catastrophe-part-3-devastating-battles-for-both-sides%23.Yd9N0i2cZAY%3D&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1787021922984000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2LFFFNOfmvXD3QglpF4jUI">https://www.historyisnowmagazine.com/blog/2021/12/23/the-paraguayan-president-who-brought-his-country-to-military-catastrophe-part-3-devastating-battles-for-both-sides#.Yd9N0i2cZAY=</a>
<a href="https://www.historyisnowmagazine.com/blog/2022/1/12/the-paraguayan-president-who-brought-his-country-to-military-catastrophe-part-4-how-the-war-ended#.Yd9N0i2cZAY=" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.historyisnowmagazine.com/blog/2022/1/12/the-paraguayan-president-who-brought-his-country-to-military-catastrophe-part-4-how-the-war-ended%23.Yd9N0i2cZAY%3D&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1787021922984000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0b6pSeSOxXvsCbOHIm-60x">https://www.historyisnowmagazine.com/blog/2022/1/12/the-paraguayan-president-who-brought-his-country-to-military-catastrophe-part-4-how-the-war-ended#.Yd9N0i2cZAY=</a>
<a href="https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/war-of-the-triple-alliance-bloodbath-in-paraguay/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/war-of-the-triple-alliance-bloodbath-in-paraguay/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1787021922984000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2q6RwdRAW1D3a1TJTCxKo4">https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/war-of-the-triple-alliance-bloodbath-in-paraguay/</a>
<a href="https://www.thecollector.com/francisco-solano-lopez-paraguayan-war/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.thecollector.com/francisco-solano-lopez-paraguayan-war/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1787021922984000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1aD5GeZfeJ2Qu8lab6e3nf">https://www.thecollector.com/francisco-solano-lopez-paraguayan-war/</a>
<a href="https://countrystudies.us/paraguay/10.htm" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://countrystudies.us/paraguay/10.htm&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1787021922984000&amp;usg=AOvVaw26Zb3au0yoEloHnrJl0mnc">https://countrystudies.us/paraguay/10.htm</a>
<a href="https://mitpressbookstore.mit.edu/book/9780742537552" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://mitpressbookstore.mit.edu/book/9780742537552&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1787021922984000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1y_K4wsFHgy-mFcz26j3sM">https://mitpressbookstore.mit.edu/book/9780742537552</a>
&nbsp;

Part Two: Francisco Solano Lopez: The Worst Military Leader In Human History

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/cdec9ba9-a62a-47dc-b768-b4ab015d0e6f/transcript

Natural Causes is a podcast about the politics and practicalities of going outside in a world on fire, hosted by Dr. James Stout. It approaches the outdoors, conservation, agriculture, food sovereignty, and Indigenous land rights as interconnected issues. We want to combine unflinching journalism with unabashed advocacy for the land we all share, and welcome everyone into the outdoors and the fight for our public lands. Our shared wild spaces are under threat like never before, from climate change, the Trump administration, and extractive capitalism. Now, more than ever, we need serious journalism and serious solidarity that engages people with the struggle to protect these spaces for generations to come. New episodes weekly.
Listen here and subscribe to Natural Causes on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts!

Natural Causes is a podcast about the politics and practicalities of going outside in a world on fire, hosted by Dr. James Stout. It approaches the outdoors, conservation, agriculture, food sovereignty, and Indigenous land rights as interconnected issues. We want to combine unflinching journalism with unabashed advocacy for the land we all share, and welcome everyone into the outdoors and the fight for our public lands. Our shared wild spaces are under threat like never before, from climate change, the Trump administration, and extractive capitalism. Now, more than ever, we need serious journalism and serious solidarity that engages people with the struggle to protect these spaces for generations to come. New episodes weekly. Listen <a href="https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-natural-causes-340763248">here</a> and subscribe to Natural Causes on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts!

Introducing: Natural Causes

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/39d55442-c742-4613-81f0-b4aa015f46ae/transcript

Part One: Alfred Hugenberg: The Elon Musk of Weimar Germany

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Behind the Bastards

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