September 24

Ep. 0078: History of Irregular Warfare with Bill Buppert (Part 2)

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Join CJ & Bill as they discuss:

  • The 1807-1814 Peninsular War in Spain during the Napoleonic era (with a few remarks about the potential effectiveness of fighters with no prior military background, and some examples of this from the American Revolutionary War)
  • Confederate partisans, ‘rangers’ and some of their precursors in the Kansas & Missouri violence of the 1850s
  • The Anglo-Boer Wars in South Africa in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century
  • The little-known but astonishing campaign of Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck in East Africa during World War I

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(Featured image for this episode is of the guns Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck scavenged from the ship Konigsberg & then used on land in his African campaign; Attribution: Bundesarchiv, Bild 105-DOA3100 / Walther Dobbertin / CC-BY-SA 3.0 [CC BY-SA 3.0 de (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/de/deed.en)], via Wikimedia Commons)

Category: Interviews, Military History, Podcasts | 3 Comments on Ep. 0078: History of Irregular Warfare with Bill Buppert (Part 2)
September 21

Ep. 0077: History of Irregular Warfare with Bill Buppert (Part 1)

This episode is the first part of my conversation with Bill Buppert on the history of irregular warfare.

Bill Buppert is a retired Army officer. He has been a writer for a number of publications including lewrockwell.com. He is particularly interested in the issues of liberty, survival, shooting and history. He has made frequent media appearances. He wishes to continue the abolitionist project of men like William Wilberforce and Lysander Spooner.  A recognized authority on irregular and guerrilla warfare, he is the founder and publisher of zerogov.com.

Join CJ & Bill as they discuss:

  • The 4 Generations of Modern War
  • The meaning of terms such as irregular warfare, guerrilla warfare, terrorism, and insurgency
  • The concept of counterinsurgency, or COIN
  • The earliest manifestations of irregular warfare in human history (or prehistory)

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Category: Interviews, Military History, Podcasts | 3 Comments on Ep. 0077: History of Irregular Warfare with Bill Buppert (Part 1)
September 19

Ep. 0076: Listener Emails #3

Join CJ as he discusses:

  • The intent and wording of the Second Amendment, and the utility of the Bill of Rights
  • File-sharing, torrents, and other methods of information-sharing, and the ways in which industries are approaching these
  • ‘Best’ (or least worst) presidents in recent US history & US history as a whole
  • Thoughts on Ayn Rand & Objectivism

Thanks to Ken, Buffalo Jim, Justin, & Ray for the questions!

Support the DHP via Patreon!

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August 28

Ep. 0074: The Western Way of War vs the Eastern Way of War

To begin laying some of the groundwork for the upcoming miniseries on the history of modern guerrilla and unconventional war, here’s a discussion of two different paradigms of what war is supposed to be and how it is supposed to be fought.  One is the Western (or European) Way, which originated in Greece and from there filtered through the Romans to become the dominant paradigm among Westerners to this day. The other is the Eastern (or Asian) Way, which originated in China and from there filtered to other parts of the Asian world and beyond, and which forms the intellectual basis of much of modern guerrilla tactics and strategy.

Join CJ as he discusses:

  • The origins of the Western Way and how it has evolved over the centuries
  • The origins of the Eastern Way and how it has evolved over the centuries
  • Why this matters to understanding the modern world in general, and the history of modern unconventional warfare in particular

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Category: Ancient History, Military History, Modern World History, Podcasts | 2 Comments on Ep. 0074: The Western Way of War vs the Eastern Way of War
August 22

Ep. 0073: Listener Emails #2

(First off:  Apologies in advance for the audio quality drop-off after about the first half-hour — had an equipment SNAFU but had to just go on with backup gear in order to get the episode recorded during the narrow window of time I had this week to do it!  I’ve got it solved for next episode, though.)

Once again we dip into the listener mailbag to discuss some thought-provoking email questions from DHP listeners.

Join CJ as he discusses:

  • Advice to a high school senior about whether or not to go to college
  • How to deal with the prevalence of demonization towards Muslims and other groups that’s becoming more prevalent in America currently
  • Whether nuclear weapons have actually made the world safer, and speculations on what might become of heavy-duty weaponry if a transition to a stateless society occurred
  • How to deal with a family member’s staunchly statist significant other
  • How Americans should feel about their history, and whether or not America’s best days are behind it

Thanks to Caitlyn, Brett, Jim, and Leo for their questions!

Become a patron of the Dangerous History Podcast on Patreon!

[photo “Silhouetted Figure and Tree” courtesy Simon Howden/freedigitalphotos.net]

Category: Listener Emails, Podcasts | 3 Comments on Ep. 0073: Listener Emails #2
August 11

Ep. 0072: The Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima & Nagasaki

This month is the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima & Nagasaki, and the subsequent surrender of Japan to the United States, ending World War II.  The standard mainstream American narrative about this portrays it as a no-brainer, a morally unquestionable & absolutely necessary decision that saved untold numbers of lives.  This narrative is not supported by many serious academic historians who are experts on this topic these days, and it is highly questioned in countries other than the United States, to put it mildly.  What’s the truth about these bombings?

Join CJ as he discusses:

  • A brief word on mass-bombing of civilians in WWII, and how prior to its entry into the war, the US government condemned any mass bombing of civilians, but began engaging in it on a larger scale than anyone else once in the war
  • The successful “Trinity” test of an A-bomb, and the effect that had on the US government’s decision-making
  • What was going on in the Japanese government & in the US government at the time
  • The Potsdam Conference & Declaration of July, 1945
  • The bombing of Hiroshima & its effects
  • The entry of the Soviet Union into the war against Japan & its effects
  • The bombing of Nagasaki & its effects [*Note:  Had an error I made here pointed out by a listener named Matt via Facebook: I said in the episode that Enola Gay also dropped the second bomb; it did not.  The E-G was involved in the 2nd mission as a weather recon plane, but another B-29 named “Bockscar” actually dropped the 2nd bomb.  I messed that detail up in my notes & as a result messed it up in the episode.]
  • Japan’s surrender
  • Some closing thoughts & observations on the bombings, their morality (or lack thereof), and debates that have continued ever since

Become a supporter of the Dangerous History Podcast on Patreon — will be putting out bonus episodes for patrons there starting soon!

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Category: American History, Military History, Modern World History, Podcasts | 9 Comments on Ep. 0072: The Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima & Nagasaki
July 30

Ep. 0071: The Calusa Indians

The Calusa were a fascinating Native American people who populated the southwestern coast of Florida.  Despite having no real agriculture, they developed a dense, sedentary, complex society, with all the good & bad that entails.

Join CJ as he discusses:

  • The origins of the Calusa
  • Their physical description
  • Their society, hierarchy, and religion
  • The relationship of the Calusa to their environment, a highly productive estuary which they used to efficiently procure nourishment and materiel
  • The fate of the Calusa
  • CJ’s thoughts on lessons we might learn from them

Please consider signing up as a Dangerous History Podcast patron on CJ’s Patreon account!

Category: American History, Podcasts | 3 Comments on Ep. 0071: The Calusa Indians
July 25

Ep. 0070: DHP Villains: Sargon of Akkad

Often described as the world’s first empire-builder, Sargon of Akkad may not entirely deserve that title.  But he’s the earliest empire-builder to achieve lasting notoriety.

Join CJ as he discusses:

  • A brief excerpt from “The Legend of Sargon”
  • The historical context of ancient Mesopotamia and the Sumerians who peopled most of the southern part of the region which Sargon later conquered
  • Sargon’s rise from obscurity to the throne of Kish
  • His subsequent conquest of virtually all of Mesopotamia into one empire
  • The efforts of Sargon & his heirs to centralize their rule over this empire, with partial success
  • Sargon’s death, and a little bit about some of his successors, including Naram-Sin
  • Some thoughts about the degree to which Sargon was a prototype for many of the “great” rulers and conquerors who came later, and whether conventional notions of “greatness” might in fact have a tinge of psychopathy that serves the rulers’ interests

Support the show!

Exciting Announcement: You can now support the Dangerous History Podcast on Patreon!

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Category: Ancient History, DHP Villains, Podcasts | 1 Comment on Ep. 0070: DHP Villains: Sargon of Akkad
July 16

Ep. 0069: Listener Emails #1

Join CJ as he discusses:

  • Surprisingly subversive themes in fiction and cinema (Note: I recorded my response to this prior to doing my film review of 71, which is why that review wasn’t mentioned.)
  • Whether an anarchistic society could have security from external threats
  • How to design a history curriculum for school-age youths that would really educate them about the facts of history and how to think for themselves
  • Possible similarities between George Washington and “the Donald”?
  • CJ shares a Facebook post he wrote about flags & slavery

Thanks to listeners Ben, Justin, Ray, & Max for their emails!

External Links

[“Flag of Key West, Florida” by Jmckean – Own work. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_Key_West,_Florida.svg#/media/File:Flag_of_Key_West,_Florida.svg]

Category: Listener Emails, Podcasts | 19 Comments on Ep. 0069: Listener Emails #1