History Never Dies Podcast: Recent Episodes
David A Hughes
Even though we are living in relative peace, there are deep divisions across ethnic groups and nation states throughout the world that are still boiling beneath the surface. This podcast is dedicated to exploring these ancient divides and how they affect our society today.
The great Hetman has died with no succession in place. While the Ukrainian Cossacks squabble over the keys to the "Empire", the regional powers continue to squeeze them from all sides until the pressure ruins them forever.
There is no doubt, that the Cossacks were badasses. In the last podcast, we spoke about their hilarious F-You letter to the Sultan and their role in burning Moscow to the ground weith the Poles. By the early 17th century the Cossacks were a known force throughout Europe and to be respected as the masterless men, with no allegiance to anyone except for themselves.
In this segment we discuss the power dynamics of the rising Russian state, the Ottomans and the Poles against slaves, serfs, outlaws, and masterless men who escaped the grips of the State and fled to unpopulated lands east of Kyiv to build their own mini-empire, that for centuries was nearly impossible to tame.
As the Mongol grip continues to wane in the West, new Catholic and Muslim powers arise in the North, West and South. The Orthodox are left wide open.....
After slaughtering everyone in there path from the Chinese to the Eastern Rus, the Mongols return home to bury the Khan and leave Europe for a later invasion. The Horde is nothing like anything the Rus, and pretty much anyone from China to Europe have ever seen. Under new leadership, the Horde returns to Europe and do what they do best, slaughter.
A baby boy in the far east is born and sets on a path that will massacre nearly 70 million people from the Pacific Coast all the way to Vienna. The Chinese have been fighting off Steppe warriors for centuries, but when the Steppe unites, they are unstoppable. The is if first part to the Mongol Horde series.
We dive into the ancient origins of the Rus people which laid the foundation of what we know as Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. The empire of the Kyivan Rus rose to become one of the most advanced and powerful societies in Europe. Like all empires, the weight of the state and the selfish interests of the powerful elite weakened the unity of the Rus leaving them vulnerable to a rising power from the East.
On November 23, 2013 the former President of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych rejected the European Union's Association Agreement and announced that he would move Ukraine’s economic future towards the East, instead of West. His announcement led to one of the largest and most violent protests of the 21st century, resulting in over 100 dead, an ousted president, an invasion, and illegal annexation of sovereign territory. In this episode, David Hughes lays out his experience with the revolution and offers an introduction as to the root causes of the conflict that date back to the Vikings. This is the introduction to the entire Ukraine-Russia series. Please enjoy and stay tuned for more episodes.