National History:  Europe - what is "the" nation? What is the "nation-state"?

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WHAT IS A NATION? pt 5 From the ashes of Empires

Greenwich Village in 1944 as World War 2 came to an end saw the beginnings of an explosion of artistic expression among the Village bohemians. In this FRDH podcast Michael Goldfarb tells the origin story of two of them: Marlon Brando and James Baldwin. The pair met by chance and became lifelong friends in an unrepeatable time and place: Greenwich Village 1944

Cultural History: Greenwich Village 1944, Brando and Baldwin

The voice missing from most US/UK histories of the Iraq war is that of Iraqis who saw their hopes raised and then ruined. This sound history was made by FRDH podcast host Michael Goldfarb who covered the Iraq War as an unembedded reporter. He followed the overthrow of Saddam Hussein through the eyes of someone who had suffered terribly under Saddam’s regime. This radio documentary first aired in 2003 a few weeks after Saddam’s statue in Baghdad came down, it contains essential Iraqi voices and stands as a sound history of that conflict.

One Iraqi’s War, Hopes and Ruins, A Sound History

The Cost of History: the surge in suicides among veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4

Suicide Watch

In a world of conspiracy theories presented as facts in new media how can you be sure of what you know? In this FRDH podcast Dr. Matthew Sweet, cultural historian and BBC presenter who has spent more time than you or I investigating this murky world, explains how knowledge is intentionally corrupted by conspiracy friendly media and why people embrace these ideas.

How Do You Know for Sure? Conspiracy and the Media

Political History:  Federalism beginning with the Act of Union between England and Scotland in 1707 through to the European Union. 

FEDERALISM: A Political History

Live history: 9/11 I was hosting the NPR program The Connection as the twin towers came down. How do you find the sounds to convey an epoch defining tragedy?

9/11 Live: On Air

Charlottesville:  “What happens to a dream deferred” wrote Langston Hughes in the poem Harlem.  Hughes was referring to the frustrations of African-American life 90 years after the Emancipation Proclamation.  Does the deferred Dream explode, the poet asked. What happens, ironically when the deferred dream is that of white supremacy and the Confederacy risen? Does it also explode? Charlottesville is the latest detonation in a process that has been left unaddressed for decades, for more than a century and a half really.  Arguably since the founding of the United States. This piece from the FRDH archive is from 1995 is based on an evening I spent with the Sons of Confederate Veterans in Natchez Mississippi which nearly ended in a fistfight over the meaning of the Constitution.

Hughes poem in full:
“What happens to a dream deferred?
      Does it dry up
      like a raisin in the sun?
      Or fester like a sore—
      And then run?
      Does it stink like rotten meat?
      Or crust and sugar over—
      like a syrupy sweet?
      Maybe it just sags
      like a heavy load.
      Or does it explode?”

Charlottesville, Virginia 2017 > Natchez, Mississippi 1995

A Christmas treat from the FRDH archive. A musical feature about the boy choristers of King's College Choir at Cambridge University.  The piece is a backstage look at the boys' daily schedule of academics and rehearsal in the great Chapel of King's College.  The King in question was Henry VI. Built in phases between 1446 and 1515, the chapel is one of the monuments of late Gothic architecture and possesses unique acoustics.  There has been a choir associated with the building since its founding. Director Stephen Cleobury explains the history of the choir and the practical demands of the chorister's life.

FRDH podcast, Episode 7: King's College Choir

The world is waiting for the next round in the Iran, Israel conflict: will it be all out war or ritual -- and ineffectual -- retaliation for the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran July 31st? In this FRDH podcast two veteran Middle East reporters, Liz Sly, former Middle East Bureau Chief of the Washington Post and Catherine Philp, World Affairs Editor of the Times, discuss the current situation, which way the conflict is heading and how it will affect people in Israel and, if it is all out war, Lebanon, home to Iran's proxy army, Hezbollah.

Iran and Israel: War or Retaliation?

"We’ll Always have Paris," Rick tells Elsa in Casablanca but what happens when the place where you knew love is lost and with it the language you have to express that feeling? Author Scott Carpenter learned the answer when his wife, Anne, was diagnosed with dementia.  In this FRDH podcast he talks about his new book which with great good humor and insight looks at why people fall in love with the city (and fall in love in it), what happens when memories of the place disappear, and how to rebuild a life after great tragedy. Give us 41:43  to tell you about it. It's almost -- but not quite -- like going to Paris for the weekend.

Paris: Love, Loss, Language

The death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is not the beginning of the end for the terror group. That's the view of journalist Mitchell Prothero, who has spent much of the last two decades covering the Middle East based in Beirut. In this FRDH podcast he provides a turorial on the beginnings of Hezbollah, the end of its leader, and why this will not stop the group from continuing to be a threat to Israel.

Why Nasrallah’s Death Is Not the Beginning of the End of Hezbollah

Georgia will be as important to Election 2024 as it was in 2020 when Donald Trump accused official of rigging the vote. This laid the foundation for his mendacious and deadly claim that the vote was stolen. IN this FRDH podcast Michael Goldfarb speaks with University of Georgia professor of History James Cobb about the state's inglorious tradition of using rules to thwart the will of the people. 

ELECTION 2024: GEORGIA'S LONG HISTORY OF RIGGING ELECTIONS

The cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris nearly burned to the ground five years ago, now, fully restored it is about to re-open. It is a remarkable rebirth.  Agnes Poirier, native Parisienne, journalis and author of Notre Dame: the Soul of France, talks to FRDH host Michael Goldfarb about the fire, the restoration and the deep meaning of the cathedral being re-born for contemporary France.  Give them 30:34 to tell you about it.

Reborn From the Flames: Notre Dame Reopens

The mourner's Kaddish is the Jewish prayer for the dead. In this program, originally broadcast on the BBC World Service, he looks at the origins of Kaddish, its changing use over the years and into the present and discusses saying Kaddish for Jewish dead at Auschwitz on the 80th anniversary of the camp's liberation.

FRDH ON THE BBC: KADDISH, WHY WE PRAY FOR THE DEAD

As the 250th anniversary of the start of the American revolution approaches and with America in crisis it's time to return to the Founders' Words.  In the first of an occasional feature, FRDH podcast host reads through Tom Paine's pamphlet Common Sense for words of wisdom to help guide people through Trump and Musk's destructive takeover of the American government.  You should listen because as Paine wrote 250 years ago, "The cause of America is in a great measure the cause of all mankind." 

The American Crisis: Founders' Words 250

The last week has seen the dramatic beginning of a new historical era based on a US and Russia alliance. Donald Trump has thrown in with Vladimir Putin and thrown Ukraine and 80 years of the Transatlantic Alliance under a bus.  In this FRDH podcast Michael Goldfarb speaks with Charles Hecker, who has lived an worked in Moscow for the last thirty years.  His new book Zero Sum looks at the lessons learned -- and not learned by Western businessmen since the collapse of the Soviet Union. They also talk about what ithis new era might mean for the future of global democracy with the US clearly taking giant steps towards embracing the autocratic ruler of Russia.

A Historical Era Without Precedent: The US - Russia Alliance

China: now what? Donald Trump has imposed tariffs on China but even before that news the country was watching and waiting for the US to make mistakes in the international arena. What happens now that Trump has made so many in such a short time? What is the China of today compared to ten, twenty or even thirty years ago? In this FRDH podcast, Mary Kay Magistad, who lived in China and southeast for more than twenty years as a public radio journalist provides deeper perspective on the country and next few years of competition between it and the United States. Give us 50 minutes to talk it out.

China: What Now?

In this FRDH podcast first broadcast on BBC Radio 4, host Michael Goldfarb looks at the history of NATO since its founding in 1949 and asks Now What? Can NATO survive the second coming of the Trump regime. Using archive sound and interviews with former NATO ambassadors and national security and defense experts he tells the Alliance's story, goes on patrol with American soldiers on a NATO mission in the Balkans and looks at whether European nations will ever be able to breakaway from US dominance of the organization.  A long listen.

FRDH on the BBC, NATO: THEN, NOW, NOW WHAT?

America is in the midst of a constitutional crisis with a President who clearly wants to be king no matter what the Constitution says and ironically the constitution says nothing about what to do in this kind of crisis. Dr. Helen Castor, medieval historian, sees in America's current situation echoes of a constitutional crisis six hundred years ago in England when King Richard the Second put himself above the law and defied anyone to do anything about it. Give us 44:43 to explain it to you.

America's Constitutional Crisis: A Lesson From Medieval English History

All over the world people are on the move, fleeing from war and environmental catastrophe caused by climate change. Many take insane risks to reach Britain in hope of safety and a chance at a better life. Author Horatio Clare has written about this migration  in We Came By Sea: Stories of a Greater Britain. In the book, Clare goes to the human stories beyond the headlines on the migration "crisis" to write about the human beings trying to get in and the surprisingly large number of Britons who do their best for them when they finally struggle ashore. In this FRDH podcast he talks about why the world is on the move and how the press and government are failing to explain to people what is really happening.  Give us 46:49 to explain.

The World Is On The Move: Migration By Land and Sea

Does Donald Trump have a rhyme or reason for starting the 21st century's first major trade war?  The Financial Times' Martin Sandbu isn't sure but he has some ideas and also helpful hints about how to interpret Trump's "deals" that aren't anything of the sort. He gives FRDH podcast host a 44 minute long tutorial in the rhyme and reason behind Trump's actions and how the rest of the world is likely to react. 

21st Century Trade Wars: Is There a Rhyme or a Reason?

We are in an age of authoritarian democracy, and Turkey and its leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan is its paradigm. Erdogan has been in power more than 2 decades and created the template men like Victor Orban and Bibi Netanyahu have been followingin  using democracy's tools to become authoritarian leaders. And now there's Donald Trump. Veteran journalist Andrew Finkel who has been reporting from the country for decades explains the process.  You can hear parallels to what is unfolding in the US. Give us 39:30 to explain.

Authoritarian Democracy: Erdogan and the Turkish Paradigm

Draft History: A story recorded in Topeka KS in 1993 about the successes and failures of integration. Part of my Sony Award-winning series Homeward Bound.

Topeka Kansas 1993

The US attack on Iran's nuclear sites June 21st brings to mind the last of  Donald Rumsfeld’s infamous unknowns at the start of the Iraq War the "unknown unknowns" aka blowback. What is it possible to know about what will happen next, or is everything an unknown?  In this hour-long FRDH podcast special, recorded the day after the US joined Israel in a war on Iran, Professor Roxane Farmanfarmaian of the University of Cambridge, and Ned Temko, a columnist for the Christian Science Monitor. who have been writing about Iran since the Iranian revolution in 1979 parse through what might happen next and what the blowback will be. 

US/Israel  vs Iran: Unknown Unknowns and Blowback

The 14th Amendment of the US Constitution enshrines citizenship by birthright, but a combination of a SCOTUS decision endorsing Trump's executive order that has led to snatch-squads dragging mostly Hispanic immigrants to prison without due process calls the Amendment's survival into question. This conversation with Damon Silvers, law professor and veteran of many Capitol Hill crises, looks at all the ramifications of SCOTUS' 6-3 decision in Trump v CASA and casts a cool eye over the prospects for snatch-squad fascism becoming a way of life in the US.  Like having a private tutorial for 34:38.

SCOTUS & Snatch-Squads: Is This the End of the 14th Amendment?

Veteran journalist and author Ray Suarez has some thoughts on the intense campaign being waged by Donald Trump and his officials on America's Latino population. Nearly 60,000 allegedly illegal "criminal" immigrants were detained in less than five months since Trump took office, the overwhelming majority have no criminal record. Suarez explains to FRDH podcast host Michael Goldfarb how this has overwhelmed America's large and complex Latino community -- 65 million + strong -- and analyzes what the political fallout will be for Trump and his MAGA Republican Party in the future. Give us 43:41 to explain

Ray Suarez on Snatch Squads, Men In Masks & Trump's War on America's Latinos

A summary of the mood of fear  in Washington DC as August 2025 comes to an end. It is even worse than it was more than a decade ago when political scientist Norman Ornstein published (with co-author Thomas Mann) It’s Even Worse Than It Looks: How the American Constitutional System Collided With the New Politics of Extremism. In this wide ranging conversation Ornstein and FRDH host Michael Goldfarb analyze the current situation, discuss whether the 2026 Midterm elections will be free and fair and what can be done right now to push back on the radical path Trump and the MAGA Republicans are trying to force America down. Give us 58:39 to explain.

Washington DC, August 2025, Fear and Loathing and Worse

This draft of history - first b'cast on BBC Radio 4 just before the 2016 primaries - looks at the long history of irrational fear being used by American politicians to win office. 

Trump And The Politics Of Paranoia

Cultural History:  A biographical sketch of the philosopher Spinoza and his thought, particularly focused on the relationship between government and religion.

Benedict Spinoza: God Intoxicated Man

History keeps happening to me. This first episode is a mission statement for a podcast about all kinds of history. the history I've reported and the history I have lived.

FRDH Podcast Ep 1: The First Rough Draft Mission Statement

Political History:  The true price of revolution.

FRDH Podcast ep2: You Say Want a Revolution! Are You Sure?

What is the historical process by which something becomes sacred?  Is Auschwitz a sacred place?  
In this FRDH podcast, Michael Goldfarb asks what is the historical process that leads to the creation of a religion, or changes in the practice of one that already exists. 
Is it possible that events of modern history will someday take on religious significance, or are people today intellectually and emotionally incapable of understanding their experience as “awesome” in the sense that the great religions mean the term?
Using sound from his personal archive Goldfarb builds a case that the catastrophe of the Holocaust, like the catastrophe of the destructions of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem, should and will be incorporated into Jewish religious observance.

Remembrance, Ritual, the Sacred and Auschwitz

A conversation with historian Tom Holland about his book Dominion about Christianity and the Western mind.

This challenging, wide-ranging discussion looks at the early church, Christianity's many reformations and how it became, in Holland's view, the greatest hegemonic thought system in the world, influencing people in ways they don't even know.

Tom Holland On Dominion: Christianity and the Western Mind

Host FRDH podcast. Radio essayist and documentarist for the BBC and NPR. Historian and author of Ahmad's War, Ahmad's Peace and Emancipation.

FRDH Podcast with Michael Goldfarb

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