Hanging with History

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.

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Hanging with History

1814 Legitimacy and Talleyrand

November 19, 2025 • Harald Hansen • Season 1 • Episode 193

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This is a deep dive into the problems of 1814 (being terror and bitterness) and the solution: Legitimacy,

Huge, vast problems gripped Europe in 1814. Usurpations all over Italy, chaos and foreign occupation in Germany, Thrones without occupants, deserters roaming France. Solutions are needed, but can a continent dominated by fear find workable solutions. The history of the last 22 years was not encouraging. But someone was thinking through the problem. So let us step into the mind of Talleyrand.

We look at Legitimacy as it is commonly used in history today, how most used it in 1814 and how Talleyrand used it specifically to chivvy history along a few steps, until it stood safely away from the sheer.

Roberto Calasso and Guglielmo Ferrero provide most of the thinking for this episode.