Podcast
Key Battles of American History
Hosted by Key Battles of American History · EN
War has played a key role in the history of the United States from the nation’s founding right down to the present. Wars made the U. S. independent, kept it together, increased its size, and established it as a global superpower. Understanding America’s wars is essential for understanding American history. In the Key Battles of American History, host James Early discusses American history through the lens of the most important battles of America’s wars. James is an Adjunct Professor of History at San Jacinto College in Pasadena, TX. He has published one book and two scholarly articles. He is also the cohost (with Scott Rank) of the Presidential Fight Club, Key Battles of the Civil War, Key Battles of the Revolutionary War, and Key Battles of World War I podcasts.
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41episodes
Episodes
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Japanese War Atrocities with Jenny Chan
6d ago00:46:42Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Key Battles of American History, James speaks with Jenny Chan, director of Pacific Atrocities Education, about the often-overlooked human dimension of the Pacific War. We explore how events like the Nanjing Massacre, the Bataan Death March, and atrocities in the Philippines and Okinawa complicate traditional narratives of American military victory by highlighting their humanitarian consequences. We discuss the challenges of combating denialism and how her organization uses education and digital archives to preserve these histories. Finally, Chan makes the case that the most urgent “battle” today is educational: ensuring these stories are remembered and understood in a way that informs present-day global tensions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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GW24: Epilogue to the Great War
2w ago01:11:58Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Sean and James tell about the postwar lives and careers of the major political and military leaders on all sides of the Great War.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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GW23: The Legacy of the Great War
3w ago01:10:27Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Sean and James examine the far-reaching legacy of the First World War, from its devastating human cost and psychological impact to the profound economic, political, and geographic changes it unleashed. They explore how the war reshaped nations and empires, altered the role of government and ideology, and set the conditions for continued violence, revolution, and instability across Europe and beyond. The episode concludes by grappling with the most difficult question of all: whether the Great War was worth the staggering price it demanded, and whether anything positive ultimately emerged from the conflict.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)
3w ago01:10:55Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Sean and James discuss the 2022 film adaptation of the classic novel All Quiet on the Western Front. The film depicts the Great War through the experience of a young German soldier on the Western Front, charting his rapid disillusionment as patriotic fervor gives way to mechanized slaughter. The film juxtaposes brutal front-line combat with detached armistice negotiations, underscoring the indifference of political leadership to human cost. Visceral and unsparing, the film presents the First World War as an industrialized process of annihilation rather than heroism.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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GW22: The Paris Peace Settlement
4w ago00:30:40Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Sean and James discuss the Paris Peace Settlement and the series of treaties that formally ended the First World War. They explore the goals and clashing priorities of the “Big Four” leaders, the key terms of the Treaty of Versailles, and the dramatic territorial, military, and economic consequences imposed on the defeated powers. The discussion also covers the lesser-known treaties with Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire, as well as the creation—and inherent weaknesses—of the League of Nations. Together, the episode explains why the peace of 1919 reshaped the world while planting the seeds for future conflict.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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The Lost Battalion (ENCORE)
May 201:11:30Tap to summarizeJames and Sean discuss the 2001 made-for-television movie The Lost Battalion, in which an American battalion becomes isolated and surrounded by German forces during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive of 1918.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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GW21: The Hundred Days’ Offensives and the End of the War
Apr 2901:00:53Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Sean and James return to the Western Front to examine the Hundred Days’ Offensives—the relentless Allied campaign that finally broke the German Army in 1918. From the stunning combined-arms victory at Amiens to the grinding battles against the Hindenburg Line and the massive American-led offensives at St. Mihiel and the Meuse-Argonne, the episode traces how coordinated Allied attacks shattered German resistance. The discussion highlights the decisive roles of tanks, airpower, unified command under Ferdinand Foch, and the growing impact of American forces. Together, these operations forced Germany to seek an armistice and brought the First World War to its dramatic conclusion.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Lawrence of Arabia (ENCORE)
Apr 2501:38:27Tap to summarizeJames and Sean discuss the epic, multi award-winning 1962 film Lawrence of Arabia, based on British Colonel T. E. Lawrence’s autobiographical book The Seven Pillars of Wisdom. Lawrence assists a group of Arab tribesmen in their effort to break free of Ottoman rule.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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GW20: The 1918 Middle Eastern Campaigns
Apr 2200:35:59Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Sean and James examine the dramatic final campaigns of World War I in the Caucasus, the Balkans, and Italy before turning to the decisive 1918 Allied offensive in the Middle East. They focus on General Edmund Allenby’s brilliantly executed victory at the Battle of Megiddo, where British, Indian, Australian, and Arab forces shattered the Ottoman armies. The discussion explores the use of deception, airpower, and fast-moving cavalry that turned Megiddo into one of the war’s most complete operational victories. Finally, the hosts show how the fall of Damascus, the collapse of Ottoman resistance, and the Armistice of Mudros reshaped the political landscape of the modern Middle East.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Journey’s End
Apr 1800:37:28Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Sean and James review the 2017 film Journey’s End, a claustrophobic World War I drama set in a British dugout on the Western Front in 1918. There a small group of officers await an expected German offensive. As the days drag on, mounting tension, exhaustion, and trauma—especially in the shell-shocked Captain Stanhope—expose the psychological toll of prolonged trench warfare. The film emphasizes endurance and comradeship in the face of near-certain catastrophe.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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