History 102 with WhatifAltHist's Rudyard Lynch and Austin Padgett cover art

History 102 with WhatifAltHist's Rudyard Lynch and Austin Padgett

History 102 with WhatifAltHist's Rudyard Lynch and Austin Padgett

Written by: Turpentine
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About this listen

 Rudyard Lynch, creator of the enormously popular YouTube channel WhatifAltHist joins Austin Padgett every week to offer a deeper understanding of critical moments in history. Together they identify patterns in order to predict the future and understand the dynamics that result in civilizations rising and falling. We cover WW1, WW2, Classical Greece, Medieval Islam, the rise of Communism, and more. History 102 is a part of the Turpentine podcast network. Learn more: www.turpentine.co2024 World
Episodes
  • Explaining the Soviet Union

    Explaining the Soviet Union
    Dec 23 2025
    In this episode of History 102, 'WhatIfAltHist' creator Rudyard Lynch and co-host Austin Padgett examine Soviet communism from czarist origins through Stalin's totalitarian brutality to collapse and explore how Marxist ideology created history's most psychologically destructive regime. -- SPONSOR: SHOPIFY⁠⁠⁠⁠ Shopify powers millions of businesses worldwide, handling 10% of U.S. e-commerce. With hundreds of templates, AI tools for product descriptions, and seamless marketing campaign creation, it's like having a design studio and marketing team in one. Start your $1/month trial today at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://shopify.com/cognitive⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -- FOLLOW ON X: @whatifalthist (Rudyard) @LudwigNverMises (Austin) @TurpentineMedia -- TIMESTAMPS: (00:00:00) Introduction (00:03:38) French Thinkers on Russia & America (00:15:52) Sponsor: Shopify (00:21:00) Czarist Russia - Nobility & Serfdom (00:26:37) Underground Revolutionary Networks (00:33:00) World War I - Russia's Breaking Point (00:44:00) The Russian Revolutions of 1917 (00:47:24) Lenin Seizes Power (00:51:00) Russian Civil War (01:09:00) Stalin vs Trotsky (01:11:38) Stalin's Rise to Power (01:26:09) Stalin's Economic Plans & Brutal Conditions (01:52:33) Stalin's Mass Purges & Genocides (01:54:09) Holodomor - Ukrainian Famine (02:01:36) The Gulag System (02:08:09) World War II - Eastern Front (02:14:12) Post-War Soviet Empire & Iron Curtain (02:20:27) The Cold War (02:30:00) Gorbachev & The Collapse (1989-1991) (02:38:00) Closing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    2 hrs and 41 mins
  • Explaining the Rise + Fall of Modern Britain

    Explaining the Rise + Fall of Modern Britain
    Nov 17 2025
    In this episode of History 102, 'WhatIfAltHist' creator Rudyard Lynch and co-host Austin Padgett examine Britain's arc from Tudor origins through imperial dominance to modern decline, analyzing how internal unification of the British Isles catalyzed global expansion. -- SPONSOR: SHOPIFY⁠⁠⁠⁠ Shopify powers millions of businesses worldwide, handling 10% of U.S. e-commerce. With hundreds of templates, AI tools for product descriptions, and seamless marketing campaign creation, it's like having a design studio and marketing team in one. Start your $1/month trial today at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://shopify.com/cognitive⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -- FOLLOW ON X: @whatifalthist (Rudyard) @LudwigNverMises (Austin) @TurpentineMedia -- TIMESTAMPS: Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    2 hrs and 10 mins
  • Explaining the Age of Romanticism

    Explaining the Age of Romanticism
    Nov 11 2025
    In this episode of History 102, 'WhatIfAltHist' creator Rudyard Lynch and co-host Austin Padgett analyze romantic era Europe's dueling philosophical currents—romanticism versus utilitarianism—through the Congress of Vienna, industrial capitalism, and the political tensions preceding World War I. -- SPONSOR: SHOPIFY⁠⁠⁠⁠ Shopify powers millions of businesses worldwide, handling 10% of U.S. e-commerce. With hundreds of templates, AI tools for product descriptions, and seamless marketing campaign creation, it's like having a design studio and marketing team in one. Start your $1/month trial today at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://shopify.com/cognitive⁠⁠⁠⁠ -- FOLLOW ON X: @whatifalthist (Rudyard) @LudwigNverMises (Austin) @TurpentineMedia -- TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro (03:19) Romanticism vs. Utilitarianism: Europe's Two Philosophical Currents (07:00) The Congress of Vienna (1815) and Conservative Reactionary Victory (10:24) France's Post-Revolutionary Political Crises and Instability (1815-1871) (15:33) Sponsor: Metaview (17:29) Europe's Paradox: Social Degradation vs. Technological Progress (27:00) Britain's Industrial Revolution and Economic Policy Decisions (35:22) The Corn Laws: Free Trade vs. Agricultural Protectionism (40:00) Eastern Europe: Serfdom, Counter-Enlightenment, and the Holy League (43:34) Continental Philosophy: Rousseau and the Birth of Romanticism (55:00) Romantic Thinkers: Saint-Simon, Hegel, and Marx (1:20:00) The Conservative Order's Decline and European Modernization (1:37:00) The 1848 Revolutions and Population Crisis (1:48:00) Bismarck and German Unification (2:00:00) The Rise of the Managerial State and Industrial Militaries (2:07:00) The Balkans, Entangling Alliances, and the Path to World War I (2:12:14) States' Rights and Regional vs. Continental Conflict (2:14:18) Wrap Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    2 hrs and 16 mins
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