Empire: World History

Latest Episodes:

304. Orwell: Animal Farm, 1984 & Totalitarian Dystopia (Part 3) Nov 04, 2025

Show notes

What was the inspiration behind George Orwell’s most famous works? Why did he move to the remote Scottish island of Jura to finish writing 1984? What was Orwell’s “Snitch List” which he handed over to the government after World War 2?

In Part 3 of this miniseries, Anita and William discuss Orwell’s life during WW2 and deep-dive his two most famous works…
Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at empirepoduk.com

For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com.

Email: empire@goalhanger.com

Instagram: @empirepoduk

Blue Sky: @empirepoduk

X: @empirepoduk

Producer: Anouska Lewis

Executive Producer: Dom Johnson

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

303. Orwell: Fighting Fascism In The Spanish Civil War (Part 2) Oct 30, 2025

Show notes

Why did George Orwell go to Spain to fight on the Republican side against General Franco? Who saved his life when he was shot in the throat? How did internal feuds on the leftist side of the war influence his writing and his paranoia?

In Part 2 of this miniseries, William and Anita discuss Orwell’s fight against fascism and his experiences in the Spanish Civil War 1936-1939.

Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at empirepoduk.com

For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com.

Email: empire@goalhanger.com

Instagram: @empirepoduk

Blue Sky: @empirepoduk

X: @empirepoduk

Producer: Anouska Lewis

Executive Producer: Dom Johnson

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

302. Orwell: The Anti-Imperialist In India & Burma (Part 1) Oct 28, 2025

Show notes

How was George Orwell’s childhood rooted in the British Empire and the opium trade in India? Why did George Orwell become a colonial police officer in Burma? When did Orwell develop his anti-imperialist stance?

In the first part of this miniseries, Anita and William explore the early life of Eric Blair - later George Orwell - and his time in India and Burma.

For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com.

Email: empire@goalhanger.com

Instagram: @empirepoduk

Blue Sky: @empirepoduk

X: @empirepoduk

Producer: Anouska Lewis

Executive Producer: Dom Johnson

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

301. Gaza: The First Arab-Israeli War & The Creation of The Gaza Strip (Part 11) Oct 22, 2025

Show notes

How did neighbouring Arab nations respond to the displacement of Palestinians in 1948? Why was the future Egyptian prime minister, General Nasser, stationed in Gaza in 1948? How did the population of Gaza double almost overnight with the influx of refugees, and what conditions did they face?

William and Anita are joined once again by Eugene Rogan, Professor of Modern Middle Eastern History at The University of Oxford, to discuss the First Arab-Israeli War in 1948.

For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com.

Email: empire@goalhanger.com

Instagram: @empirepoduk

Blue Sky: @empirepoduk

X: @empirepoduk

Assistant Producer: Becki Hills

Producer: Anouska Lewis

Executive Producer: Neil Fearn

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

300. Gaza: The 1948 War (Part 10) Oct 20, 2025

Show notes

Why did the British decide to end their Mandate in Palestine less than three decades after it began? What was the UN Partition Plan for Palestine and why did the Zionist leadership accept it whilst the Arab Higher Committee rejected it? How did the displacement of thousands of Palestinians during the War of 1948 affect Gaza?

Anita and William are joined once again by Eugene Rogan, Professor of Modern Middle Eastern History at the University of Oxford, to discuss the War of 1948 which led to the creation of Israel and the displacement of 700,000 Palestinians.

For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com.

Email: empire@goalhanger.com

Instagram: @empirepoduk

Blue Sky: @empirepoduk

X: @empirepoduk

Assistant Producer: Becki Hills

Producer: Anouska Lewis

Executive Producer: Neil Fearn

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

299. Gaza: The Palestinian Revolt, The Black and Tans, & Bomber Harris (Part 9) Oct 15, 2025

Show notes

When Palestinian Arabs rose up against the British in 1936, what repressive tactics were used to quell the revolt? Who was the WW2 hero “Bomber” Harris, and why did he bomb Palestinians in the 1930s? How did Christians, Muslims and Jews who had once co-existed in the region turn against each other in a divisive civil war?

William and Anita are joined once again by Caroline Elkins, author of Legacy of Violence: A History of the British Empire, to discuss how unexpected characters from the web of British imperial violence appear in Palestine during the Revolt of 1936-1939.

For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com.

Email: empire@goalhanger.com

Instagram: @empirepoduk

Blue Sky: @empirepoduk

X: @empirepoduk

Assistant Producer: Becki Hills

Producer: Anouska Lewis

Executive Producer: Neil Fearn

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

298. Gaza: The British Occupation of Palestine (Part 8) Oct 13, 2025

Show notes

What was the British Mandate of Palestine that emerged after World War I? Why were the Black and Tans sent to Palestine and what methods did they use to enforce order? How did tensions between Zionist settlers and Arab Palestinians begin to rise in Mandate Palestine in the 1920s and 1930s?

Anita and William are joined by Caroline Elkins, author of Legacy of Violence: A History of the British Empire, to discuss how violence was used in an effort to maintain order in the British Mandate of Palestine.

For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com.

Email: empire@goalhanger.com

Instagram: @empirepoduk

Blue Sky: @empirepoduk

X: @empirepoduk

Assistant Producer: Becki Hills

Producer: Anouska Lewis

Executive Producer: Neil Fearn

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

297. Gaza in WW1: A Rematch For Gallipoli (Part 7) Oct 08, 2025

Show notes

How did British Army General Murray fail to take Gaza in 1917? Who was General Allenby and how did his tactics in the cavalry charge on Gaza City lead to transformation in the region? What are the connections between the Gallipoli campaign and the siege of Gaza?

Anita Anand and William Dalrymple are joined once again by Eugene Rogan, author of The Fall of The Ottomans, and Professor of Modern Middle Eastern History at The University of Oxford, to discuss Gaza during World War I.

For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com.

Email: empire@goalhanger.com

Instagram: @empirepoduk

Blue Sky: @empirepoduk

X: @empirepoduk

Assistant Producer: Becki Hills

Producer: Anouska Lewis

Executive Producer: Neil Fearn

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

296. Ottoman Gaza: Gunpowder Conquests & Rising Nationalism (Part 6) Oct 05, 2025

Show notes

In 1516, the Ottomans defeated the mighty Mamluk Empire in the Middle East, taking control of Gaza. How did Ottoman forces roll out scorched-earth tactics on Gaza City to punish those who had rebelled against them? How did the citrus and cotton industries develop in Ottoman Palestine? What did the rise of nationalism at the turn of the twentieth century mean for Gaza and the surrounding region?

Anita Anand and William Dalrymple are joined by Eugene Rogan, author of The Fall of The Ottomans, and Professor of Modern Middle Eastern History at The University of Oxford, to discuss Ottoman rule in Gaza, from the 1500s to the early 20th century.

For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com.

Email: empire@goalhanger.com

Instagram: @empirepoduk

Blue Sky: @empirepoduk

X: @empirepoduk

Assistant Producer: Becki Hills

Producer: Anouska Lewis

Executive Producer: Neil Fearn

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

295. Crusader Gaza: Saladin & Richard The Lionheart (Part 5) Oct 01, 2025

Show notes

Why did Crusaders travel from Western Europe to Gaza and The Levant in the 11th century? Who was Saladin and how did he conquer the Franks? How did the Mamluks defeat the Mongols in the 1200s and usher in an era of prosperity for Gaza?

Anita and William are joined by Jonathan Phillips, Professor of Crusading History at Royal Holloway, to discuss the epic era of the Crusades in Gaza, and the lesser-known but incredibly impactful Mamluk dynasty that followed.

For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com.

Email: empire@goalhanger.com

Instagram: @empirepoduk

Blue Sky: @empirepoduk

X: @empirepoduk

Assistant Producer: Becki Hills

Producer: Anouska Lewis

Executive Producer: Neil Fearn

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices