History Is Relevant
This podcast links the past to the present. The programs seek new perspectives on current events by examining the history that brought us to where we are today. The host, Robert Brent Toplin, is a university-based professor of history. He has published a dozen books and more than 200 articles, and he has commented on history, politics, and film in several nationally broadcast television and radio programs.
Episodes
8 episodes
The Record of Joseph McCarthy's Rise and Decline Might Offer Clues About Donald Trump's Future
Public opinion polls show President Trump’s approval rating has slipped substantially since his second inauguration. Do those results indicate vulnerability? If the trend line continues, could President Trump begin to lose his grip on the reins...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 8
•
17:34
Watergate: Four Key Lessons for Our Times
This podcast discusses the significance of four important aspects of the Watergate scandal in the 1970s that led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon, and it considers the relevance of that history to politics in our times.First...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 7
•
20:41
Free Speech from a Printer in Colonial America to Jimmy Kimmel
When Kimmel returned to ABC Television after a temporary suspension, he delivered a powerful defense of the American people’s right to criticize political leaders and their policies.This podcast traces the evolution of ideas about free s...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 6
•
28:05
If George Washington Had Been Anti-Vax, the United States Might Not Exist Today
Medical science had pretty much eradicated measles by the year 2000, but an outbreak occurred recently in Texas and other states largely because many children had not been vaccinated. Public resistance to vaccination has grown in recent years, ...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 5
•
16:16
Everybody Broke the Immigration laws, Including American Citizens
Why have Republicans and Democrats become sharply divided about dealing with immigration? Is compromise possible? There are no easy solutions for settling disputes, but this podcast suggests ideas. It identifies an important lesson from history...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 4
•
18:30
Barack Obama May Have Told the Most Consequential Joke in American History
Ordinarily, American presidents don’t vilify previous chief executives, but Donald Trump is different. Trump routinely criticizes former presidents, especially Democrats. No president is so consistently the target of Trump’s contempt as Barak O...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 3
•
11:35
The Man Who Created the System of Government Support for University Research That is Now Endangered
From World War II until recent times, a partnership between government and universities contributed significantly to the United States’ emergence as the world’s most innovative, productive, and prosperous country. The story of that success is c...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 2
•
15:47
Tariff Man Ignores Lessons from a Century of History
Donald Trump called himself “Tariff Man. He claimed, “Trade wars are good and easy to win.” Trump said tariff is “the most beautiful word in the dictionary.” Economists strongly disagree.Why does Trump reject expert opinion, and what cou...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 1
•
17:50