People's History of Ideas Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Kang Youwei and the Hundred Days Reform Oct 12, 2019

Show notes

In the wake of the Sino-Japanese War, Kang Youwei works with the Guangxu Emperor to try to replicate Japan's Meiji reforms, before being crushed by Cixi and other Manchu conservatives.
At the beginning of the episode, I talk some about how westerners have written about Chinese history. A good book that goes really deep into this is Paul Cohen's Discovering History in China. If you're into that topic, you may also want to read Fabio Lanza's End of Concern: Maoist China, Activism, and Asian Studies.
Some names from this episode:
Kang Youwei, Confucian advocate of liberal modernization and Qing loyalist
Emperor Guangxu, Emperor of China during this episode, tried to assert his power during Hundred Days Reform
Empress Dowager Cixi, the real power behind the throne
Ito Hirobumi, senior Japanese statesman whose met with Guangxu while Cixi 'sat behind the curtain'
Yuan Shikai, leader of Chinese army
Rong Lu, conservative Manchu governor of metropolitan region and Cixi loyalist
Kang Guangren, Kang Youwei's younger brother
Okuma Shigenobu, Japanese prime minister who offered Kang Youwei aid
Mao Zedong, leader of the Chinese Revolution

Support the show

Losing the Tributaries: The Sino-French and Sino-Japanese Wars in Vietnam and Korea Sep 29, 2019

Show notes

In this episode we do some Q&A and then cover the Sino-French War of 1884-1885 and the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895.
A couple names from this episode:
Emperor Qianlong: ruled China from 1735 to 1799
Li Hongzhang: high level Chinese statesman and advocate of self-strengthening

Support the show

Book Review of The Shining Path: Love, Madness, and Revolution in the Andes Aug 18, 2019

Show notes

A review of the new book about the civil war in Peru, The Shining Path: Love, Madness, and Revolution in the Andes, by Orin Starn and Miguel La Serna. This book is the first history of the Shining Path aimed at the general reading public to come out in a long time. Next episode, we'll return to our series on the historical background to the Chinese Revolution.

Support the show

The Self-Strengthening Movement: Too Little Too Late? Aug 11, 2019

Show notes

This episode focuses on the 1862-1895 period, when the Empress Dowager Cixi ruled and reformers tried to make China strong enough to stand up to foreign powers by modernizing the military and promoting 'new learning.' Also, a few words on the surge in overseas Chinese migration during this time, and its relationship to revolutionary nationalist movements to overthrow the Qing Empire.
The books that I quote from in the episode are:
Zheng Yangwen, Ten Lessons in Modern Chinese History (https://www.manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9780719097737/)
Stephen Platt, Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom: China, the West, and the Epic Story of the Taiping Civil War (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/131825/autumn-in-the-heavenly-kingdom-by-stephen-r-platt/9780307472212/)

Support the show

The Second Opium War and the End of the Taiping Civil War Jul 02, 2019

Show notes

The episode wraps up the events of the Taiping Revolution (1850-1864) and also deals with the events and outcome of the Second Opium War (1856-1860). The Qing Dynasty is weakened and the British, French, American and Russian powers extract new unequal treaties. Then the British help the Qing to put down a peasant-based revolution.

Support the show

The Taiping Revolution Jun 14, 2019

Show notes

The strange story of Christian peasant revolutionaries in 19th century China. This episode is about the origins and early years of the Taiping Revolution (1850-1864). Both the early Nationalist revolutionaries, like Sun Yat-sen, and later Communists, like Mao Zedong, were inspired by the peasant war led by Hong Xiuquan. But the Taipings were more than just a very large peasant rebellion, as their leader, Hong, thought he was the younger brother of Jesus Christ.
Good resources for more information:
Jonathan Spence, God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan (https://wwnorton.com/books/Gods-Chinese-Son/)
Stephen Platt, Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom: China, the West, and the Epic Story of the Taiping Civil War (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/131825/autumn-in-the-heavenly-kingdom-by-stephen-r-platt/9780307472212/)

Support the show

The Opium War and the Beginning of China's Century of Humiliation May 31, 2019

Show notes

This is the first of several episodes which will give broad historical background for our upcoming discussion of the Chinese Revolution and the international spread of ideas related to the Chinese Revolution. This episode focuses on the background to and events of the First Opium War (1839-1842). China's defeat in the First Opium War began the Century of Humiliation at the hands of imperialist powers (Britain, France, Russia, Germany, USA, Japan) that ended with the revolution's victory in 1949.
Good resources for more information on these events:
Zheng Yangwen, The Social Life of Opium in China (https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/social-life-of-opium-in-china/F5A70808CF5B7621B0E949686E90406C)
Stephen Platt, Imperial Twilight: The Opium War and the End of China's Last Golden Age (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/221056/imperial-twilight-by-stephen-r-platt/9780345803023/)

Support the show

Introducing the People's History of Ideas Podcast May 29, 2019

Show notes

This is a short episode just introducing you to the podcast. Matthew Rothwell is your host. The theme is the history of revolutionary ideas, starting with background to the Chinese Revolution.
For Dr. Rothwell's book on Maoism in Latin America, see here: https://www.routledge.com/Transpacific-Revolutionaries-The-Chinese-Revolution-in-Latin-America/Rothwell/p/book/9781138108066
For a shorter introduction to his work, see this article: http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1531961/1/Rothwell_RA.pdf
Full audio of the Malcolm X speech excerpted in this episode, "Message to the Grassroots," is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a59Kwp35Z80

Support the show

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

People’s History of Ideas Podcast

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected