Western Civ cover art

Western Civ

Western Civ

By: Adam Walsh
Listen for free

Summary

 A fast-moving history of the western world from the ancient world to the present day. Examine how the emergence of the western world as a global dominant power was not something that should ever have been taken for granted. This podcast traces the development of western civilization starting in the ancient Near East, through Greece and Rome, past the collapse of the Western Roman Empire into the Dark Ages, and then follows European and, ultimately, American history as the western world moved into a dominant world position.Copyright Adam Walsh Social Sciences World
Episodes
  • Athens and Sparta: The Rivalry That Shaped Ancient Greece

    Athens and Sparta: The Rivalry That Shaped Ancient Greece
    May 12 2026
    Today I am proud to welcome back renowned historian, Adrian Goldsworthy, to discuss his latest book: Athens and Sparta: The Rivalry That Shaped Ancient Greece.

    No period has more profoundly influenced the Western world than classical Greece, and at its center stood two cities: Athens and Sparta. Side by side, they beat the Persians, the only superpower of that age. Yet later, they spread conflict and destruction throughout the eastern Mediterranean, culminating in the horrors of the Peloponnesian War.

    Athens and Sparta tells the definitive history of the relationship between brutal, militaristic Sparta and brash, radically democratic Athens. Eminent historian Adrian Goldsworthy narrates their incredible rise to prominence and how they became allies, rivals, and enemies. Ultimately, Goldsworthy shows that Athens and Sparta were more than competitors vying for power. They were polar opposites in ideology and culture, both driven by the Greek longing to excel, who led radically different experiments in how to run a state.

    A remarkable account of ancient Greece at its height, this is the tale of the two cities that helped build it—before almost tearing it apart.

    Buy The Book

    Support Western Civ
    Show More Show Less
    59 mins
  • Episode 535: I won't be Reconstructed...

    Episode 535: I won't be Reconstructed...
    May 8 2026
    The era we call Reconstruction is one of the most hopeful, and ultimately, heartbreaking of American history. The passage of the Reconstruction Amendments provided legal rights to thousands of people. But the bargain of 1877 and the corruption of the Gilded Age ultimately prove too much weight for the promise of equality to bear.

    Western Civ 2.0
    Show More Show Less
    43 mins
  • Episode 534: European Supernova

    Episode 534: European Supernova
    May 1 2026
    In the second half of the 19th Century, Europe goes nuclear and expands across the globe. The "Scramble for Africa" and press for colonies drove the European states to compete with one another in ways that will have disasterous consequences.

    Western Civ 2.0
    Show More Show Less
    34 mins
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_c
No reviews yet