The German Campaign of 1813 featuring Dr. Michael Leggiere

01/17/21 • 52 min

After his disastrous campaign in Russia, Napoleon rebuilt his armies hell bent on reclaiming dominance of Europe. What followed was a fierce-fast moving campaign covering most of Germany with multiple armies fighting on multiple fronts. The campaign culminated in the battle of Leipzig which was the largest land battle up to that point in history involving over 650,000 troops from 11 nations. To help explain the course of the campaign we interview Dr. Michael Leggiere who is a professor of History and Deputy Director of the Military History Center at the University of North Texas. He is also a leading historian of the Napoleonic wars having written several books on the subject including a 1400-page, two volume series: Napoleon and the Struggle for Germany as well as Blücher: Scourge of Napoleon which was a Winner of the Society for Military History's 2015 Distinguished Book Award.

Previous Episode

Nuclear Weapons and Grand Strategy featuring Dr. Francis Gavin

Nuclear Weapons are the most destructive invention ever created in human society but they only have been used twice in armed conflict. The global threat of these weapons has only deepened in the following decades as more advanced weapons, aggressive strategies, and new nuclear powers emerged. We explore how the Cold War initially shaped the policies regarding Nuclear Weapons as well as the Nuclear era after the Cold War. To help explain we interview Dr. Francis Gavin who is the Giovanni Agnelli Distinguished Professor and the inaugural director of the Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. In 2013, he was appointed the first Frank Stanton Chair in Nuclear Security Policy Studies and Professor of Political Science at MIT. Before joining MIT, he was the Tom Slick Professor of International Affairs and the Director of the Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law at the University of Texas. He has written numerous books including Nuclear Statecraft: History and Strategy in America’s Atomic Age and Nuclear Weapons and American Grand Strategy.

Next Episode

Joseph McCarthy featuring Larry Tye

In the long history of American demagogues, from Huey Long to Donald Trump, never has one man caused so much damage in such a short time as Senator Joseph McCarthy. We still use “McCarthyism” to stand for outrageous charges of guilt by association, a weapon of polarizing slander. From 1950 to 1954, McCarthy destroyed many careers and even entire lives, whipping the nation into a frenzy of paranoia, accusation, loyalty oaths, and terror. When the public finally turned on him, he came crashing down, dying of alcoholism in 1957. To help explain his complicated life we interview Larry Tye who is a New York Times bestselling author who has written numerous books including Bobby Kennedy: The Making of a Liberal Icon, Rising from the Rails, and recently wrote DEMAGOGUE: The Life and Long Shadow of Senator Joseph McCarthy. Previously, he was an award-winning reporter at The Boston Globe, where his primary beat was medicine. He also served as the Globe’s environmental reporter, roving national writer, investigative reporter, and sportswriter. Before that, he was the environmental reporter at The Courier-Journal in Louisville, and covered government and business at The Anniston Star in Alabama.