Reflecting History

Picking up where the last episode left off, this episode looks at some of the core principles and wisdom contained in "The Tao of Pooh." The Taoist concepts of inner nature, yin and yang, wu wei, the uncarved block, simplicity, patience, and compassion are all discussed. It is difficult to read the book and not come away thinking that Taoism is an underrated and useful philosophy in modern times.  Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/reflectinghistory Reflecting History on Twitter: @reflectinghist If you like the podcast and have 30 seconds to spare, consider leaving a review on iTunes/Apple Podcasts...It helps! Try my audio course: Why do 'good' people support evil leaders? What allure does Fascism hold that enables it to garner popular support? And what lessons can history teach us about today?   My audio course 'A Beginners Guide to Understanding & Resisting Fascism: Nazi Germany and the Battle for the Human Heart' explores these massive questions through the lens of Nazi Germany and the ordina

Written in 1982 by Benjamin Hoff, "The Tao of Pooh" gives an overview of the ancient philosophy of Taoism. The book is accessible and full of wisdom, but perhaps its most useful element is how it sheds light on the concerning trends in the modern education system. Intellectual curiosity and the search for meaning seem to be taking a backseat to practicality and career readiness. Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/reflectinghistory Reflecting History on Twitter: @reflectinghist If you like the podcast and have 30 seconds to spare, consider leaving a review on iTunes/Apple Podcasts...It helps! Try my audio course: Why do 'good' people support evil leaders? What allure does Fascism hold that enables it to garner popular support? And what lessons can history teach us about today?   My audio course 'A Beginners Guide to Understanding & Resisting Fascism: Nazi Germany and the Battle for the Human Heart' explores these massive questions through the lens of Nazi Germany and the ordinary people who lived

The Bystander Effect is a psychological term for the tendency for people to be less likely to help victims in need when other people are present. During the Holocaust, a significant number of people around the globe knew about the mass murders, deportations, and concentration camps, and yet did nothing to help the victims. Why? What made people more (or less) likely to step up and help? You can check out materials from Facing History on this subject here. Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/reflectinghistory Reflecting History on Twitter: @reflectinghist If you like the podcast and have 30 seconds to spare, consider leaving a review on iTunes/Apple Podcasts...It helps! Try my audio course: Why do 'good' people support evil leaders? What allure does Fascism hold that enables it to garner popular support? And what lessons can history teach us about today?   My audio course 'A Beginners Guide to Understanding & Resisting Fascism: Nazi Germany and the Battle for the Human Heart' explores these massiv

The fighting may have ended in 1918, but the Treaty of Versailles negotiations in 1919 may have been just as important. Woodrow Wilson’s noble ideas like “self determination” and “fair and lasting peace” didn’t amount to much as the Allied powers sought mainly to punish Germany. A continued naval blockade, the war guilt clause, reparations, and exclusion from the League of Nations helped put Europe on the path to World War II.  Scene from “Rome” on HBO: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9SFsAqqN7fU For more on how the Treaty of Versailles and other factors contributed to the rise of Hitler and Nazi Germany, check out Episode 20.  Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/reflectinghistory Reflecting History on Twitter: @reflectinghist If you like the podcast and have 30 seconds to spare, consider leaving a review on iTunes/Apple Podcasts...It helps! Try my audio course: Why do 'good' people support evil leaders? What allure does Fascism hold that enables it to garner popular support? And what lessons can histo

As the rest of their alliance crumbled around them, Germany kicked off 1918 with Operation Michael-the first in a series of huge offensives designed to win the war. Desperate times call for desperate measures, but in the end exhaustion and futility ruled the day. The offensives backfired and resulted in a decisive military victory for the Allies. World War I was finally over.  Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/reflectinghistory Reflecting History on Twitter: @reflectinghist If you like the podcast and have 30 seconds to spare, consider leaving a review on iTunes/Apple Podcasts...It helps! Try my audio course: Why do 'good' people support evil leaders? What allure does Fascism hold that enables it to garner popular support? And what lessons can history teach us about today?   My audio course 'A Beginners Guide to Understanding & Resisting Fascism: Nazi Germany and the Battle for the Human Heart' explores these massive questions through the lens of Nazi Germany and the ordinary people who lived,

Of all the crazy years during the Great War, 1917 was probably the most eventful. The Russian Revolution, Unrestricted Submarine Warfare, the Zimmerman Telegram, Woodrow Wilson and the United States entering the war, the Nivelle Offensive, and Passchendaele are just some of the momentous events. It can be difficult to make sense of it all without an understanding of one of the key themes of 1917- the increasingly demoralizing impact of World War I on soldiers, civilians, and governments.  Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/reflectinghistory Reflecting History on Twitter: @reflectinghist If you like the podcast and have 30 seconds to spare, consider leaving a review on iTunes/Apple Podcasts...It helps! Try my audio course: Why do 'good' people support evil leaders? What allure does Fascism hold that enables it to garner popular support? And what lessons can history teach us about today?   My audio course 'A Beginners Guide to Understanding & Resisting Fascism: Nazi Germany and the Battle for the

Fake News and propaganda have been around as long as civilization itself. The modern epidemic of lies and deception as a means to influence public opinion can draw some interesting parallels to World War I. What can we learn from the efforts of both governments and private citizens to control the narrative of war? Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/reflectinghistory Reflecting History on Twitter: @reflectinghist If you like the podcast and have 30 seconds to spare, consider leaving a review on iTunes/Apple Podcasts...It helps! Try my audio course: Why do 'good' people support evil leaders? What allure does Fascism hold that enables it to garner popular support? And what lessons can history teach us about today?   My audio course 'A Beginners Guide to Understanding & Resisting Fascism: Nazi Germany and the Battle for the Human Heart' explores these massive questions through the lens of Nazi Germany and the ordinary people who lived, loved, collaborated and even resisted during those times.   Thro

In 1916, World War I continued to corrupt and destroy everything it came into contact with. The rates of death and destruction at Verdun and the Somme were unlike anything ever seen before. Soldiers, governments, and civilians were decimated by the tragedy and the "lost generation" was born. Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/reflectinghistory Reflecting History on Twitter: @reflectinghist If you like the podcast and have 30 seconds to spare, consider leaving a review on iTunes/Apple Podcasts...It helps! Try my audio course: Why do 'good' people support evil leaders? What allure does Fascism hold that enables it to garner popular support? And what lessons can history teach us about today?   My audio course 'A Beginners Guide to Understanding & Resisting Fascism: Nazi Germany and the Battle for the Human Heart' explores these massive questions through the lens of Nazi Germany and the ordinary people who lived, loved, collaborated and even resisted during those times.   Through exploring the past,

During 1915, it was apparent that World War I was becoming something truly malevolent. With the carnage and the devastation continuing on the Western and Eastern Front, new innovations and tactics had to be used in order to have any measure of success. With the horror show continuing to get worse, political and military leaders took part in a "search for elsewhere" looking for any other strategy that might work. As a result, 1915 managed to add the Gallipoli Campaign and the Armenian Genocide to an already horrifying list of tragedies during the Great War. Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/reflectinghistory  Reflecting History on Twitter: @reflectinghist If you like the podcast and have 30 seconds to spare, consider leaving a review on iTunes/Apple Podcasts...It helps! Try my audio course: Why do 'good' people support evil leaders? What allure does Fascism hold that enables it to garner popular support? And what lessons can history teach us about today?   My audio course 'A Beginners Guide to Under

The first year of World War I set the tone for the rest of the war. Violence, brutality, and chaos ruled the day as huge armies clashed in what many see as the first truly modern war. But could things have turned out differently? Should the Germans have won the war in 1914? What role did poor leadership play in the disaster that was to come? Why did the war become a self-perpetuating tragedy? This episode will look at questions like this and some of the other human themes that become apparent when you look at the first year of World War I.  Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/reflectinghistory Reflecting History on Twitter: @reflectinghist If you like the podcast and have 30 seconds to spare, consider leaving a review on iTunes/Apple Podcasts...It helps! Try my audio course: Why do 'good' people support evil leaders? What allure does Fascism hold that enables it to garner popular support? And what lessons can history teach us about today?   My audio course 'A Beginners Guide to Understanding & Re

It is amazing how misinformed the general public is regarding the origins of World War I. Even historians debate the causes of the Great War. Who or what is to blame for one of the greatest tragedies in history? Like most things that are complicated and nuanced, it turns out there is a mix of factors that led Europe down a path of terrible destruction.  Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/reflectinghistory Reflecting History on Twitter: @reflectinghist If you like the podcast and have 30 seconds to spare, consider leaving a review on iTunes/Apple Podcasts...It helps! Try my audio course: Why do 'good' people support evil leaders? What allure does Fascism hold that enables it to garner popular support? And what lessons can history teach us about today?   My audio course 'A Beginners Guide to Understanding & Resisting Fascism: Nazi Germany and the Battle for the Human Heart' explores these massive questions through the lens of Nazi Germany and the ordinary people who lived, loved, collaborated and

"Terror can be endured so long as a man simply ducks; but it kills, if a man thinks about it." Published by Erich Maria Remarque in 1929, "All Quiet on the Western Front" is one of the most important war novels of all time. This episode is a discussion of the novel and some of the themes it portrays, such as war, dehumanization, and the lost generation.  Link to Paul Bloom's alternative take on Dehumanization as discussed around 17:40 mark: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/11/27/the-root-of-all-cruelty Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/reflectinghistory Reflecting History on Twitter: @reflectinghist If you like the podcast and have 30 seconds to spare, consider leaving a review on iTunes/Apple Podcasts...It helps! Try my audio course: Why do 'good' people support evil leaders? What allure does Fascism hold that enables it to garner popular support? And what lessons can history teach us about today?   My audio course 'A Beginners Guide to Understanding & Resisting Fascism: Nazi Germany an

The Great War has it's share of amazing stories, but the Christmas Truce of 1914 stands out as one of the greatest. In a spontaneous outburst of humanity, soldiers on the Western Front put down their weapons and met the enemy in no-man's-land to exchange drinks and cigars, sing carols, and take a break from killing each other. But what did it all mean? Was this an example of moral goodness shining through in the darkest moments of World War I, or simply something much more practical? Much of the material and first hand accounts from this episode come from Peter Hart's book "Fire and Movement." Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/reflectinghistory Reflecting History on Twitter: @reflectinghist If you like the podcast and have 30 seconds to spare, consider leaving a review on iTunes...It helps! Try my audio course: Why do 'good' people support evil leaders? What allure does Fascism hold that enables it to garner popular support? And what lessons can history teach us about today?   My audio course 'A Be

Fighting against historic odds, 53 slaves aboard "La Amistad" decided to take fate in their own hands. In an epic struggle of violence, politics, and public opinion, the Amistad Africans overcame incredible adversity to do the one thing they wanted more than anything else-go home. This is Part II and the conclusion of a two-part series on the Amistad Slave Rebellion. It deals with the rebellion itself, the Amistad Africans battle through the American justice system and the Supreme Court, as well as their journey home. Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/reflectinghistory    Reflecting History on Twitter: @reflectinghist If you like the podcast and have 30 seconds to spare, consider leaving a review on iTunes...It helps! Try my audio course: Why do 'good' people support evil leaders? What allure does Fascism hold that enables it to garner popular support? And what lessons can history teach us about today?   My audio course 'A Beginners Guide to Understanding & Resisting Fascism: Nazi Germany and t

Historians estimate that 12.5 million African slaves were transported across the Atlantic Ocean from the 1500's into the early 1800's. Millions would die due to the horrible and dehumanizing conditions of the Middle Passage. But in July of 1839, slaves aboard "La Amistad" slave ship overthrew their captors and changed history forever. This is Part I in a multi-part series on the Amistad Slave Rebellion. It deals primarily with the origins of the Amistad slaves and their journey into slavery and across the Middle Passage. Future episodes will look at the revolt itself and the slaves' struggle to regain freedom in the courtroom.   Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/reflectinghistory  Reflecting History on Twitter: @reflectinghist If you like the podcast and have 30 seconds to spare, consider leaving a review on iTunes...It helps! Try my audio course: Why do 'good' people support evil leaders? What allure does Fascism hold that enables it to garner popular support? And what lessons can history teach us

What will be the main source of world conflict in the future? According to political scientist Samuel Huntington, the globe will be engulfed in a struggle of cultural identity called the Clash of Civilizations. What role does belief, identity, and the dangerous "us vs. them" mentality play in world events? Read Huntington's Clash of Civilizations for yourself here. Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/reflectinghistory Reflecting History on Twitter: @reflectinghist If you like the podcast and have 30 seconds to spare, consider leaving a review on iTunes...It helps! Try my audio course: Why do 'good' people support evil leaders? What allure does Fascism hold that enables it to garner popular support? And what lessons can history teach us about today?   My audio course 'A Beginners Guide to Understanding & Resisting Fascism: Nazi Germany and the Battle for the Human Heart' explores these massive questions through the lens of Nazi Germany and the ordinary people who lived, loved, collaborated and eve

A train is barreling out of control towards five people. You have the opportunity to divert the track and send the train towards only one person instead. Do you do it? Surprisingly, the answer to this question can tell us a lot about history and how we interpret the past.  Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/reflectinghistory Reflecting History on Twitter: @reflectinghist If you like the podcast and have 30 seconds to spare, consider leaving a review on iTunes...It helps! Try my audio course: Why do 'good' people support evil leaders? What allure does Fascism hold that enables it to garner popular support? And what lessons can history teach us about today?   My audio course 'A Beginners Guide to Understanding & Resisting Fascism: Nazi Germany and the Battle for the Human Heart' explores these massive questions through the lens of Nazi Germany and the ordinary people who lived, loved, collaborated and even resisted during those times.   Through exploring the past, I hope to unlock lessons that all

How do you turn a democracy into a dictatorship while maintaining a thin veneer of legitimacy? Hitler and the Nazi party pulled out all the stops to turn the Weimar Republic into a totalitarian machine. The Reichstag Fire in early 1933 gave the Nazis all the justification they needed to incinerate the human values of compassion and decency.  This is the final part in a four part series on the Rise of Nazi Germany. You might want to listen to the other episodes to get more context. Or maybe not. This episode deals with the implications of the Reichstag Fire and Hitler's methodical process of bending Germany to his will.  Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/reflectinghistory Reflecting History on Twitter: @reflectinghist If you like the podcast and have 30 seconds to spare, consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts...It helps! Try my audio course: Why do 'good' people support evil leaders? What allure does Fascism hold that enables it to garner popular support? And what lessons can history teach us a

After Hitler's first attempt at violent revolution fails miserably, he is back to the drawing board. Sadly, the Weimar Republic gave him chance after chance to take control until he finally succeeded. Propaganda, the Great Depression, and a healthy dose of violence and intimidation are some of the factors that lead Hitler to become the most powerful man in Germany by the beginning of 1933.  This is Part III in a multi-part series on the rise of the Nazis. It deals with Hitler and the Nazis rebuilding after the failed Beer Hall Putsch and finally taking power in 1933. Future episodes in the series will focus on Hitler solidifying control and turning the Third Reich into a disastrous totalitarian menace.  Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/reflectinghistory Reflecting History on Twitter If you like the podcast and have 30 seconds to spare, consider leaving a review on iTunes...It helps! Try my audio course: Why do 'good' people support evil leaders? What allure does Fascism hold that enables it to gar

The unstable conditions in Germany after World War I are ideal for a radical fringe party to come to power. Adolf Hitler builds his Nazi Party and unleashes them on the world. Violence, chaos, and polarization are the fuel that feed the Nazi fire.  This is Part II in a multi-part series on the rise of the Nazis. It deals with the background and beliefs of Adolf Hitler and Nazi ideology. It then chronicles Hitler's failed attempt to seize power in the famous Beer Hall Putsch. Future episodes in the series will focus more on the specific build up to the Nazis taking full control of Germany.  Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/reflectinghistory Reflecting History on Twitter If you like the podcast and have 30 seconds to spare, consider leaving a review on iTunes...It helps! Try my audio course: Why do 'good' people support evil leaders? What allure does Fascism hold that enables it to garner popular support? And what lessons can history teach us about today?   My audio course 'A Beginners Guide to Unde