How did the World's most powerful nation fail in Vietnam?  This podcast looks at the range of reasons why the USA were unable to secure a victory over North Vietnam and the Vietcong.  We will identify a range of factors: the failure the win the 'hearts and minds' of the people, the strengths of the opposition, the inadequacies of the US military in strategy and manpower, opposition to the war at home and the role of the politicians in bringing the conflict to an end.  For further information

Why did successive American Presidents intervene more and more in Vietnam?  This podcast identifies the reasons for French failure in Indochina and why the US took up the mantle of defending the Vietnamese people from the perils of communism.  We will explore how the divided Vietnam of the 1954 Geneva Agreements  was an unsustainable compromise and how US economic and military aid to South Vietnam failed to stem the challenge from the Vietcong and North Vietnam which eventually led to

The clash between the USA and the USSR in the placement of nuclear weapons on Cuba was a defining moment of the Cold War.  It took the World to the brink of nuclear holocaust.  This podcast identifies the reasons why the USA fell out with Castro’s Cuba and how Khrushchev exploited the situation to Soviet advantage.  We consider the response of both sides to the Crisis and how it was eventually resolved through compromise and humanity winning over demands for a military solution.  Find out more

This is introductory material for the AS course and does not provide the basis for assessment. This podcast looks at what started the Cold War after the defeat of Japan and Germany.  It will look at the ideological differences between communism and capitalism, the history of mistrust before 1945 and the Yalta and Potsdam Conferences.  It then proceeds to focus on the division of Europe by the ‘Iron Curtain’, Stalin’s consolidation of power in the East and Truman’s response with the policy of

The Repeal of the Corn Laws was a landmark in 19th Century Britain.  To many it symbolised the triumph of industry over the old landed classes, to others it encouraged unprecedented prosperity for the nation as a whole - yet it also led to the break up of Peel's Conservative Party.  Here we explore the motives behind the Repeal and the impact it had on the British economy and politics.

Peel has been credited with creating the conditions in which Britain prospered in the mid-19th Century.  His legislative achievement is impressive, particularly in the field of government finance and economic recovery.  The key questions to ask are about what were Peel's key motives - to serve the unenfranchised poor or the new middle classes?

This second part focuses particularly on Peel's time in office, his attempts to maintain the Union and the ways in which it led to a falling out with Irish and British opinion.

Peel's career was inextricably linked to issues regarding Ireland.  He is remembered for his u-turn over the issue of Catholic Emancipation in 1829, his falling out with the Conservatives over his policies in the 1840s like Maynooth and fatefully his decision to repeal the Corn Laws brought about by the Irish Famine.  This podcast explores his motives and gauges the success of his policies, for Ireland and for his own political standing.

 

Peel's relationship with his party is put into question on this podcast.  We look at how Peel was able to develop the Conservative party out of the ruins of the early 1830s, his principles (as shown in the Tamworth Manifesto), his actions which led to the famous victory in the 1841 general election.  We then look at how Peel's relationship with his backbenchers soured as he moved his policies away from what they considered Conservative core values.

This is the first of five podcasts focusing on the career and achievements of Sir Robert Peel, Conservative Prime Minister 1841-1846.  This episode is an introduction to the times in which Peel worked and what his key areas of achievement were.