Empire, Republic and Shadow Wars
Empire, Republic & Shadow Wars connects the battles you know to the battles you’re not supposed to notice. I’m Shawn—teacher and historian (B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. coursework in U.S. military history & empire). You’ll still get cinematic arcs on the Pacific War and Vietnam—and we’ll dive into the shadow wars: the war on terror, the war on drugs, covert finance, BCCI, and alleged/Documented intersections of intelligence services and the drug trade. We follow the paper trails, declassified files, and institutional incentives that move power.
Episodes
167 episodes
5.05 The Long March
Over the past four episodes, we've traced how American political discourse became weaponized, how both parties learned to delegitimize elections, how political violence gets selectively remembered, and how two incompatible constitutional orders...
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Season 5
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Episode 5
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39:39
5.04 The Two Constitutions
Civil rights vs. civil liberties—what happens when rights collide? Today we discuss.
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Season 5
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Episode 4
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54:13
Liberty In the Bloodlands: Episode 1
This is episode one of our series on WWII in Eastern Europe. Enjoy!
Subscriber Episode
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35:52
5.03 Fiery But Mostly Forgotten
Over the past two episodes, we've traced how American political discourse became weaponized decades before Trump, and how both parties learned to delegitimize elections they don't win. Today we're examining something even more fundamental: how ...
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Season 5
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Episode 3
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41:26
5.02 Selected Not Elected
Today we dive into the election of 2000. This is when both parties learned to delegitimize elections they don't win. Want to support the show and gain access to bonus episodes? Follow the link below:
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Season 5
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Episode 2
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1:04:38
5.01 The Great Unraveling
We interrupt season 4 to bring you a special mini series (never fear I already have several WWII episodes written and one is already recorded). This series is based on the events of September 10, 2025, and the aftermath of that day. The purpose...
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Season 5
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Episode 1
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30:41
4.36 The Track of Ghosts
This is the American History Podcast, Season 4, Episode 37. I'm your host, Shawn, and welcome to "The Track of Ghosts" - the second of four episodes on the New Guinea Campaign.Questions: email shawnwarswick@gmail.com
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Season 4
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Episode 36
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26:44
4.35 "Into the Green Hell" The New Guinea Campaign part 1
Guess who's back? Yep. We have a new WWII episode. I wasn't sure this day would arrive, but it has. In this episode we begin a four part look at one of the forgotten aspects of WWII in the Pacific.
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Season 4
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Episode 35
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29:50
Interview: Samuel Marquis
Today we have a special treat. Author Samuel Marquis joins the show to discuss his latest book, "Captain Kidd: A True Story of Treasure and Betrayal." This is a fantastic book, and one I know you'll love. You can purchase it on Amazon or at you...
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34:16
Bonus: 1983: The Year the World Almost Ended: American Decline to American Resurgence
title says it all. In the 1970s it seemed like the United States was on the decline, but the story wasn't over.
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22:42
Bonus Episode: 1983, the Year the World Almost Ended: Jimmy Carter and the Cold War
We continue with Jimmy Carter and the Cold War.
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21:31
Bonus Episode: 1983 The Year the World Almost Ended: The Soviet Union from WWII to the 1970s
The title sort of says it all. Enjoy
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30:45
Bonus: 1983, the Year the World Almost Ended: The Workers State 1
Welcome back to 1983: The Year the World Almost Ended. In this episode, or miniseries of episodes within the main series, I want to take a look at the Worker’s state, specifically the Soviet Union, but also some of the “workers paradises” that ...
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21:45
Bonus: 1983: The Year the World Almost Ended: The Cold War in the 1970s
Another bonus episode from our now discontinued Patreon. Enjoy
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1:01:15
Bonus: 1983: The Year the World Almost Ended: The Cold War in the 1960s
This bonus episode covers the Cold War in the 1960s
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39:03
Bonus: 1983: The Year the World Almost Ended:: The Cold War Overview, the 1940s and 50's
Part two of what was a "Patreon only series" on the Cold War. Enjoy
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33:59
Bonus: 1983: The Year the World Almost Ended: The Cold War
This is a bonus episode introducing "1983" which was a pattern only show about how the world almost ended in 1983 and none of us really knew it.
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20:33