The ruthless revolution that made Britain great

What can Charlie Chaplin's life tell us about the experiences of poor working-class people in 19th- and early 20th-century London? Quite a lot, it turns out. Speaking to Charlotte Vosper, author and historian Jacqueline Riding reveals the world of poverty, tragedy and joy that played out in the streets of Lambeth and Walworth – and how Chaplin can help us uncover other, less-well known stories. ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCAST To learn more about the life and times of Charlie Chaplin, don't miss Rob Baker's HistoryExtra article exploring Chaplin's return to London as a famous film star after the First World War: https://bit.ly/4jyvQRJ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Have women been relegated to the footnotes of French history? Katherine Pangonis – whose latest book is A History of France in 21 Women – tells Charlotte Vosper about why their stories have been pushed to the sidelines, and highlights some of the pioneering personalities who deserve to be better known. ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCAST For more on change-making historical women from Katherine Pangonis, you can read all about the formidable queens who ruled and fought in medieval Jerusalem in this HistoryExtra article: https://bit.ly/4jvr0Vi Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Few people had as much impact on the course of the 20th century as Vladimir Lenin – from his years as an émigré across the capitals of western Europe, to his role in the October Revolution of 1917 and the inception of the world’s first self-described ‘socialist’ state. In this episode, historian Lara Douds speaks to Danny Bird about the revolutionary leader, from his radical theories and his elevation in some quarters to a saintlike figure, to his contested legacy in Putin’s Russia and around the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The 1920s and 30s were golden decades for extremism. Across Europe, dictators including Hitler, Stalin and Mussolini goose-stepped their way into power, but in Britain, it was a different story. Here, in conversation with Spencer Mizen, Alwyn Turner explains why – with a little help from the football pools, the Women's Institute and the Lambeth Walk – parliamentary democracy reigned supreme. ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCAST  If you'd like to hear more from Alwyn, you can listen to him discuss 1950s Britain on the HistoryExtra podcast: https://bit.ly/4qaQWra Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Elizabeth I is one of history's most iconic monarchs, but her path to the throne was anything but secure. In this first episode of our four-part Sunday Series on the 16th-century royal, Rachel Dinning is joined by historian Nicola Tallis to explore Elizabeth’s turbulent early years – from the execution of her mother, Anne Boleyn, to the political and personal dangers she faced as she navigated childhood, illegitimacy, and the treacherous Tudor succession. Together, they uncover how these formative experiences helped shape the woman who would become a formidable queen. –––– GO BEYOND THE PODCAST Want to know more about Elizabeth I and her remarkable reign? Rachel Dinning rounds up essential reading from the HistoryExtra archive that explores Elizabeth's early life, rise to power, and the legacy that made her one of England’s most iconic monarchs: https://bit.ly/4qfjCiO Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How can you do justice to the story of 1,300 years of English history? Through verse, according to cultural historian Catherine Clarke – whose latest book is A History of England in 25 Poems. She takes Lauren Good on a poetic journey through time, exploring how it could be used for spiritual uplift and social change – and how it can offer uniquely human insights into key moments in history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mount Rushmore is one of the most iconic images in US history – but its story is far more complex and controversial than that of a simple sculpture. In this episode, historian Matthew Davis joins Elinor Evans to discuss his latest book, A Biography of a Mountain, which delves into the layers of myth and meaning behind the granite. Davis explains how the Black Hills – sacred to the Lakota Nation – were seized in violation of treaties, and how sculptor Gutzon Borglum, a man with ties to the Ku Klux Klan, came to carve the faces of four presidents on to a mountainside. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

She led “a life that really, in many ways, shouldn't have been possible”. So says historian Paul Gillingham of Juana Inés de la Cruz. This 17th-century polymath and nun challenged a host of social conventions – earning, through her extraordinary books and poems, a place in the pantheon of great Mexican literary figures. Here, in conversation with Spencer Mizen, Paul discusses the life of a woman he describes as "the Spanish Shakespeare". ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCAST If you'd like to learn more about the people who have shaped Mexico over the past 500 years, then why not listen to Spencer Mizen's conversation with Paul Gillingham on the history of Mexico – from the conquistadors to the cartels. You'll find that in our archive: https://bit.ly/4rv6R4H Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

While the crusades raged across the Holy Land in the southern Levant, the kingdoms of central and northern Europe were engaged in their own battle to extend Christendom. Speaking to James Osborne, Aleks Pluskowski details how and when the Baltic crusades – or Northern crusades – began, and examines their links to the broader crusading culture of the Middle Ages. ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCAST To learn more about the medieval history of central and eastern Europe, listen to our episode on the role of the Rus people in the formation of the lands that are now Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia: https://bit.ly/4k7dF68 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Politicians invoke it, activists wield it, and legal thinkers debate what it can offer the modern world. But what does Magna Carta really mean today? In this fourth and final episode of HistoryExtra's Sunday Series on the charter, Emily Briffett and historian Nicholas Vincent consider its long afterlife, tracing how a narrow medieval settlement morphed into a document that still speaks to ongoing struggles about power, justice and freedom. ––––– GO BEYOND THE PODCAST If you’re curious to learn more about Magna Carta and the world in which it originated, Emily Briffett has put together some essential reading, listening and viewing from the HistoryExtra archive to help deepen your understanding: https://bit.ly/3ZMTReR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices