Why did the West dominate all rivals on Earth? How did a group of states that were nearly wiped out in the late Middle Ages by enemies to the south and east grow to conquer the globe by the 16th century? To answer that question, we need to go back to its beginning and see what made Europe, Europe. As good a point as any is the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC, when Athens preserved democracy from Persian conquest. It consolidated further in 146 BC when Rome began continental integration, and more so under Charlemagne when it became defined as wherever Christian rulers governed rather than by Hadrian's fixed borders six centuries earlier. Overall, it’s a mix of Greek political systems, Roman law, Christianity's moral architecture, and Niall Ferguson's "killer app" of competition where states and merchants constantly vied to outdo each other in ways China's unified empire never experienced.

Today's guest is Roderick Beaton, author of Europe: A New History. We discuss why the Scientific Revolution happened in Europe and not Asia or China (the reintroduction of Greek scholarship into universities combined with the printing press allowing radical ideas to bypass censorship), how representative government emerged when Dutch and English merchant classes traded tax revenue for permanent voice in state policy, and why the European Union's visionary supranational system with open borders under rule of law did not mark the end of history as America celebrated in 1991. Beaton explains that while Princeton dropped even the language requirement for Classics majors in recent years, Europe as an idea and collective identity cannot simply be deconstructed without offering any replacement for the framework we all still use.

Why did the West dominate all rivals on Earth? How did a group of states that were nearly wiped out in the late Middle Ages by enemies to the south and east grow to conquer the globe by the 16th century? To answer that question, we need to go back to its beginning and see what made Europe, Europe. As good a point as any is the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC, when Athens preserved democracy from Persian conquest. It consolidated further in 146 BC when Rome began continental integration, and more so under Charlemagne when it became defined as wherever Christian rulers governed rather than by Hadrian's fixed borders six centuries earlier. Overall, it&rsquo;s a mix of Greek political systems, Roman law, Christianity's moral architecture, and Niall Ferguson's "killer app" of competition where states and merchants constantly vied to outdo each other in ways China's unified empire never experienced.
Today's guest is Roderick Beaton, author of Europe: A New History. We discuss why the Scientific Revolution happened in Europe and not Asia or China (the reintroduction of Greek scholarship into universities combined with the printing press allowing radical ideas to bypass censorship), how representative government emerged when Dutch and English merchant classes traded tax revenue for permanent voice in state policy, and why the European Union's visionary supranational system with open borders under rule of law did not mark the end of history as America celebrated in 1991. Beaton explains that while Princeton dropped even the language requirement for Classics majors in recent years, Europe as an idea and collective identity cannot simply be deconstructed without offering any replacement for the framework we all still use.

For history lovers who listen to podcasts, History Unplugged is the most comprehensive show of its kind. It's the only show that dedicates episodes to both interviewing experts and answering questions from its audience. First, it features a call-in show where you can ask our resident historian (Scott Rank, PhD) absolutely anything (What was it like to be a Turkish sultan with four wives and twelve concubines? If you were sent back in time, how would you kill Hitler?). Second, it features long-form interviews with best-selling authors who have written about everything. Topics include gruff World War II generals who flew with airmen on bombing raids, a war horse who gained the rank of sergeant, and presidents who gave their best speeches while drunk.

A show about American history, world history, World Wars 1 & 2, the Civil War, and much more.

History Unplugged Podcast

History Unplugged is one of the longest-running history podcasts of its kind, with over 1,000 episodes covering everything from Alexander the Great's plans for European colonization to the untold story of Alabamians who fought for Sherman deep inside Confederate territory. Topics range from the Bronze Age Collapse to the naval campaigns of the Barbary Wars to Daniel Boone's forced adoption by a Shawnee chief. Guests on the show include history professors, Pulitzer Prize winners, consultants for historical films, and outsiders like Joakim Brodén from Sabaton. The show is hosted by Scott Rank, a history professor specializing in the Ottoman Empire and author of 12 books. And for those who love to spin the wheel of what-if, the show regularly ventures into alternate history, exploring questions like what the USSR's victory in the Cold War would have meant for the modern world, or how our current map might look if the Confederacy had survived the Civil War.

 

History Unplugged is one of the longest-running history podcasts of its kind, with over 1,000 episodes covering everything from Alexander the Great's plans for European colonization to the untold story of Alabamians who fought for Sherman deep inside Confederate territory. Topics range from the Bronze Age Collapse to the naval campaigns of the Barbary Wars to Daniel Boone's forced adoption by a Shawnee chief. Guests on the show include history professors, Pulitzer Prize winners, consultants for historical films, and outsiders like Joakim Brod&eacute;n from Sabaton. The show is hosted by Scott Rank, a history professor specializing in the Ottoman Empire and author of 12 books. And for those who love to spin the wheel of what-if, the show regularly ventures into alternate history, exploring questions like what the USSR's victory in the Cold War would have meant for the modern world, or how our current map might look if the Confederacy had survived the Civil War.
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