Podcast
Hanging with History
Hosted by Harald Hansen · EN
The first season focuses on the origins of the Industrial Revolution or the Great Enrichment, we go deep into history to gain enough background knowledge to actually understand the various theories of the origins of the Great Enrichment. Eventually we learn that we also need to know how the miracle was consolidated, as the many other close approaches to the Industrial Revolution failed.A kwirky style, but intellectually ambitious with the goal of understanding history well enough to understand the miracle that happened that one time. It's gonna be a long series.
27episodes
Episodes
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218. Erasmus and the Siege of Vienna
1w ago00:28:13Tap to summarizeYou can send a text, include contact info to get a response. There are two stories here, their opposition is part of a theme. Erasmus, the great Erasmus , Erasmus of Rotterdam was even more a product of the Devotio Moderna than was Luther. Most of his young education was by the Brethren of the Common Life or their imitators.I am Groote.Last episode I called him a Satirist. Of course he was much more than that. You’ve heard of him, but are unlikely to have read any of his full length works, unless you are a specialist in the time.And yet he had great influence of his period, being perhaps the highest status intellectual of the period. He was the writer of 1 in 3 books purchased during the 1530s. And as he wrote Suleiman the Magnificent was first overcoming Hungary and then moved on to the Siege of Vienna.Erasmus wrote In Praise of Folly, which we discuss in the episode, while folly is being acted out in Hungary, to a tragic end.Hungary was well able to defend the West from the Ottoman during the days of Matthias Corvinus. But on his death, short sighted magnates pursued a foolish policy, leading to their defeat. After an absolutely heroic defense of Vienna, Suleiman was defeated, losing 20,000 men in the retreat. Oddly enough, this is about the same number of boys and girls taken as slaves by the Ottomans on this campaign. You want your civilization to be so powerful you do not have to suffer slavers.
Transcribe →217. How to Tear the West Apart
2w ago00:41:52Tap to summarizeYou can send a text, include contact info to get a response. A miner’s son, decided one day, to nail 95 thesis to the door of All Saints Church in Wittenberg in the year of our lord 1517. It seems unlikely he intended to split his church, the Catholic, universal church, into a bewildering multiplicity of new religions and sects.And yet, trained in the Devotio Moderna’s way of taking action and responsibility, for his own salvation, he ran into problems. What Luther did with the 95 theses, or 95 propositions if you prefer, was a common garden variety way of opening an argument and inviting the university to participate. Some even say the nailing to the door part is just dramatic enhancement, never happened, he just circulated some hand written stuff around campus, in the conventional way. This episode is about dramatic enhancement, so anyway. Well he had copies made and sent them around to friends, who apparently copied them some more and sent them around some more until “Soon, Luther had the uneasy surprise of receiving them back from Southern Germany, PRINTED.”
Transcribe →216. 1453, Before Humanism and the Reformation
Jun 1700:34:05Tap to summarizeYou can send a text, include contact info to get a response. We explore the roots of Humanism and the Reformation. Taking a long look at the Devotio Moderna, the Brethren of the Common Life. These were key influences on both Erasmus and Martin Luther. But more than that, the Devotio Moderna were a vital element in the invention of the printing press. We look at Gerhard Groote the founder of the Devotio Moderna, whose purpose in life was to imitate Christ and no to sit on his loathsome spotted behind.We spend some time on the more conventional stories of 1453, the Ottoman surge that followed the fall of the last Roman outpost, the expulsion of the English from France (except Calais).But there is also a look at the founding of Europe by the Early European Farmers from Anatolia.
Transcribe →215. Exploring the Causes of the Miracle
Jun 1000:53:50Tap to summarizeYou can send a text, include contact info to get a response. This episode is just a little introduction to the theories of the causes of the industrial revolution as of right now. We look at the Sheilagh Ogilvie classification of 5 general theories of the Causes of the Industrial Revolution and Michael Magoon's list of causes.Of course, Harald has a few pet theories of his own by now. His third thing idea, which might really be a 4th thing idea. There are other institutional theories, we briefly discuss them all. Anton Howes' ideas are mentioned, but just to say we will dive into them later.There is a long digression on William Wollaston involving David Hume and Benjamin Franklin.
Transcribe →214, The Napoleonic Wars Come to an End
Jun 300:27:58Tap to summarizeYou can send a text, include contact info to get a response. Consider the British Empire in 1792, the year of Macartney’s expedition to China and the year young Emperor Francis began to look askance at the French Revolution and all the ruling factions within it started to wish for a war. Well at that time the empire was rather modest, a few spice islands, Canada, Gibraltar, New South Wales had started, there was a logging settlement in Honduras, and in India, Bombay Madras and Bengal, with Bengal the largest British territory in India. Trade with China is substantial, around 25% of all, generating 16% of total government revenue. But except for Penang, a stop on the way, no territory to support it.By 1803 the value of British trade increased 81%. From the French revolutionary wars to 1803, the empire grew to include Trinidad, Ceylon and Malta, even after returning most captured possessions at the Peace of Amiens. Then by 1814....The British position in India was massively increased, with the Mughal empire , Hyderabad, Mysore, and most of the South under various forms of British control. Furthermore, the main waystations to get there, including the Cape colony of South Africa, and the Indian ocean islands were now under British control.The number of sugar islands increased and British Guiana became real and there were more gold Coast trading posts in Africa, and Tasmania was added to New South Wales. And before the decade was over the third Maratha war would cement control over much of the rest of India and see the establishment of the first post in Singapore. With many supporting bases like St Helena where Napoleon was stashed along with the newly established Ascension Island to help support St Helena.I’m describing a different world now, different to 1792. One where rivals to British sea power just do not exist.
Transcribe →213 Latin American Independence
May 2700:42:20Tap to summarizeYou can send a text, include contact info to get a response. More focus on Mexico and California than is ideal, but there is a general overview of Spanish America.Spanish America, more than anywhere else, shows us the global ramifications of the Napoleonic Wars. “The crisis and collapse of Spain’s empire was the direct result of political turmoil in Europe. During the Napoleonic wars this vast empire got fragmented, was henceforth relegated to the sidelines of world politics.” It’s a big deal. Spanish America was important to the world and world politics. The disparate countries of Latin America stopped mattering after independence when they are separate things rather than a huge mass. This is sort of a harsh, brutal truth, This was partly because of the Monroe doctrine, Thou Shalt Not Interfere in the Western Hemisphere lest thou tempt the wrath of God, and British policy also was to keep other Europeans out, more practically by means of controlling the seas, and giving a firm no to plans from the Spanish and Russians for interference from non Spanish forces.
Transcribe →212. Boring Administrative History; HR
May 1300:40:29Tap to summarizeYou can send a text, include contact info to get a response. The challenges to recruiting enough men for service in the Royal Navy and the Army and Militia were formidable. It is revealed that the War of 1812 was really one war too many for Britain. The necessity to supply seamen for the new North American Lake service meant that the Royal Navy did not have enough men to staff the newly produced ships. The Mediterranean command and the North American commands were both screaming or more ships. The Army had its challenges as well. Losses exceeded new recruits from standard methods every year, but 1807. Special efforts were required.The Militia had its own challenges, needing to put down the Luddite Riots 1811-1813.
Transcribe →211. Boring Administrative History; Smuggling and Moving Money
Apr 2900:30:09Tap to summarizeYou can send a text, include contact info to get a response. The trade war between Britain and Napoleon reached a new level in 1807. British merchants were desperate for new markets. The French were finding trouble, customs dues fell 80% despite the new Rhine river trade. We've already talked a great deal about how the Russian economy was pushed to the brink.Smuggling was the response. The British smuggled into the Mediterranean via Malta, and into North Germany through Heligoland. I'll tell you what percent of smuggled British goods were seized by the French officials, you will not believe it.But the French kicked off an organized smuggling campaign as well, involving 6 different government departments, requiring a lot of paperwork. But under the cover of all this smuggling, quite secretly, banking was taking place.
Transcribe →210 Boring Administrative History; Finance and Taxation
Apr 1500:36:57Tap to summarizeYou can send a text, include contact info to get a response. The wars from 1793 to 1815 included expenditure of 830 million pounds for Army Navy and Ordinance, mainly the Navy. Another 65 million pounds was spent on subsidies to allies. Looking at a total of 895 million, probably with secret funds we are over 900 million pounds. To do all this spending 578 million was added to the national debtThis was unprecedented, nobody knew how deep capital markets were or potentially were. No clue, they had never been tested like this before. Would people continue to be able to buy our debt? What if we also taxed them very high, higher than they had ever been taxed before?These were real live questions people in Westminster and the City were asking.What people didn’t really understand is that while Napoleon commanded the people and farms of most of Europe, Britain actually commanded most of its money, present and future, I’ll explain how that worked this episode.
Transcribe →209 Boring Administrative History; Industry
Apr 800:46:17Tap to summarizeYou can send a text, include contact info to get a response. “The removal of soil, earth or rubbish, the conveyance of stones, sand or lime, everything is done by little four wheel carts drawn by a single horse on iron railways.. the advantage they represent is immense. England owes to them part of her wealth. Never without THEM could coal, iron ore, lime stone, slate and other raw materials have been conveyed such distances and nevertheless at a very trifling cost.”We spend most of our time on the defense industries. What is revealed is that across a large number of domains the British are world leaders or nearly so. So much so, that one would not expect this to be possible. There must be an unknown variable explaining the phenomena of British superiority.
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