<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:podcast="https://podcastindex.org/namespace/1.0" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" version="2.0"><channel><title>Imperialism and World Politics, Part 2 of 4</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/imperialism-and-world-politics-part-2-of-4--7097072</link><description><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This show includes AI-generated content.]]></description><atom:link href="https://www.spreaker.com/show/7097072/episodes/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><language>en</language><category>Books</category><copyright>Copyright Multi Poetry Genre</copyright><image><url>https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/4a731bb4db1c683c1e43945b79853961.jpg</url><title>Imperialism and World Politics, Part 2 of 4</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/imperialism-and-world-politics-part-2-of-4--7097072</link></image><lastBuildDate>Tue, 06 Oct 2026 16:39:40 +0000</lastBuildDate><itunes:author>Parker Thomas Moon</itunes:author><itunes:owner><itunes:name>Multi Poetry Genre</itunes:name><itunes:email>spreaker67@podcastlibrary.org</itunes:email></itunes:owner><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/4a731bb4db1c683c1e43945b79853961.jpg"/><itunes:subtitle>Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This show includes AI-generated content.]]></itunes:summary><itunes:category text="Arts"><itunes:category text="Books"/></itunes:category><itunes:category text="Science"/><itunes:category text="Science"><itunes:category text="Astronomy"/></itunes:category><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><podcast:guid>beba6f73-b447-5edf-8f3b-b4cc8a085fc3</podcast:guid><podcast:txt purpose="ai-content">true</podcast:txt><itunes:type>episodic</itunes:type><item><title>Germany Before the War-Napoleon-Eugène Beyens</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/germany-before-the-war-napoleon-eugene-beyens--74410057</link><description><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74410057</guid><pubDate>Mon, 07 Sep 2026 09:01:27 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74410057/germany_before_the_war_napoleon_euge_ne_beyens.mp3" length="259847498" type="audio/mpeg"/><podcast:txt purpose="ai-content">true</podcast:txt><itunes:author>Parker Thomas Moon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>32449</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/4a731bb4db1c683c1e43945b79853961.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Thirty Years' War, 1618-1648-Samuel Rawson Gardiner</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/thirty-years-war-1618-1648-samuel-rawson-gardiner--74379449</link><description><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74379449</guid><pubDate>Sun, 06 Sep 2026 09:01:04 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74379449/thirty_years_war_1618_1648_samuel_rawson_gardiner.mp3" length="235525056" type="audio/mpeg"/><podcast:txt purpose="ai-content">true</podcast:txt><itunes:author>Parker Thomas Moon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>29411</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/4a731bb4db1c683c1e43945b79853961.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Brilliant Proof (Burhäne Lämé) in reply to an attack upon the Bahai Revelation by Peter Z. Easton-Mírzá Abu’l-Fadl Gulpáygání</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/brilliant-proof-burhane-lame-in-reply-to-an-attack-upon-the-bahai-revelation-by-peter-z-easton-mirza-abu-l-fadl-gulpaygani--74354305</link><description><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74354305</guid><pubDate>Sat, 05 Sep 2026 09:00:53 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74354305/brilliant_proof_burha_ne_la_me_in_reply_to_an_attack_upon_the_bahai_revelation_by_peter_z_easton_mi_rza_abu_l_fadl_gulpa_yga_ni.mp3" length="51575674" type="audio/mpeg"/><podcast:txt purpose="ai-content">true</podcast:txt><itunes:author>Parker Thomas Moon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>6440</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/4a731bb4db1c683c1e43945b79853961.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Romance of Polar Exploration-G. Firth Scott</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/romance-of-polar-exploration-g-firth-scott--74330872</link><description><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74330872</guid><pubDate>Fri, 04 Sep 2026 09:01:00 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74330872/12212_romance_of_polar_exploration_g_firth_scott.mp3" length="248508711" type="audio/mpeg"/><podcast:txt purpose="ai-content">true</podcast:txt><itunes:author>Parker Thomas Moon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>31032</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/4a731bb4db1c683c1e43945b79853961.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Pentecost of Calamity-Owen Wister</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/pentecost-of-calamity-owen-wister--74305936</link><description><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74305936</guid><pubDate>Thu, 03 Sep 2026 09:00:59 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74305936/pentecost_of_calamity_owen_wister.mp3" length="47418145" type="audio/mpeg"/><podcast:txt purpose="ai-content">true</podcast:txt><itunes:author>Parker Thomas Moon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>5921</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/4a731bb4db1c683c1e43945b79853961.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Crisis A Record of the Darker Races, Vol. I, No. 4-W. E. B. Du Bois</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/crisis-a-record-of-the-darker-races-vol-i-no-4-w-e-b-du-bois--74286628</link><description><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74286628</guid><pubDate>Wed, 02 Sep 2026 09:01:07 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74286628/crisis_a_record_of_the_darker_races_vol_i_no_4_w_e_b_du_bois.mp3" length="69435279" type="audio/mpeg"/><podcast:txt purpose="ai-content">true</podcast:txt><itunes:author>Parker Thomas Moon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>8671</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/4a731bb4db1c683c1e43945b79853961.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Dreams-Olive Schreiner</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/dreams-olive-schreiner--74265079</link><description><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74265079</guid><pubDate>Tue, 01 Sep 2026 09:01:03 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74265079/dreams_olive_schreiner.mp3" length="70006545" type="audio/mpeg"/><podcast:txt purpose="ai-content">true</podcast:txt><itunes:author>Parker Thomas Moon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>8742</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/4a731bb4db1c683c1e43945b79853961.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Short Nonfiction Collection, Vol. 101-Various</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/short-nonfiction-collection-vol-101-various--74247522</link><description><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74247522</guid><pubDate>Mon, 31 Aug 2026 09:01:02 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74247522/short_nonfiction_collection_vol_101_various.mp3" length="156993061" type="audio/mpeg"/><podcast:txt purpose="ai-content">true</podcast:txt><itunes:author>Parker Thomas Moon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>19605</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/4a731bb4db1c683c1e43945b79853961.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Causes Of The American Civil War-John Lothrop Motley</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/causes-of-the-american-civil-war-john-lothrop-motley--74231456</link><description><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74231456</guid><pubDate>Sun, 30 Aug 2026 09:00:53 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74231456/causes_of_the_american_civil_war_john_lothrop_motley.mp3" length="32427407" type="audio/mpeg"/><podcast:txt purpose="ai-content">true</podcast:txt><itunes:author>Parker Thomas Moon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>4049</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/4a731bb4db1c683c1e43945b79853961.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>In Old Narragansett-Alice Morse Earle</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/in-old-narragansett-alice-morse-earle--74213563</link><description><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74213563</guid><pubDate>Sat, 29 Aug 2026 09:01:03 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74213563/in_old_narragansett_alice_morse_earle.mp3" length="110431343" type="audio/mpeg"/><podcast:txt purpose="ai-content">true</podcast:txt><itunes:author>Parker Thomas Moon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>13790</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/4a731bb4db1c683c1e43945b79853961.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Antietam National Battlefield, Maryland-Frederick Herman Tilberg</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/antietam-national-battlefield-maryland-frederick-herman-tilberg--74184171</link><description><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74184171</guid><pubDate>Fri, 28 Aug 2026 09:01:00 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74184171/antietam_national_battlefield_maryland_frederick_herman_tilberg.mp3" length="41648599" type="audio/mpeg"/><podcast:txt purpose="ai-content">true</podcast:txt><itunes:author>Parker Thomas Moon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>5201</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/4a731bb4db1c683c1e43945b79853961.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>From Dictatorship to Democracy (version 2)-Gene Sharp</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/from-dictatorship-to-democracy-version-2-gene-sharp--74156046</link><description><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74156046</guid><pubDate>Thu, 27 Aug 2026 09:00:59 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74156046/from_dictatorship_to_democracy_version_2_gene_sharp.mp3" length="94638271" type="audio/mpeg"/><podcast:txt purpose="ai-content">true</podcast:txt><itunes:author>Parker Thomas Moon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>11818</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/4a731bb4db1c683c1e43945b79853961.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Pioneer Work in the Alps of New Zealand: First Exploration of the Southern Alps-Arthur Paul Harper</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/pioneer-work-in-the-alps-of-new-zealand-first-exploration-of-the-southern-alps-arthur-paul-harper--74126420</link><description><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74126420</guid><pubDate>Wed, 26 Aug 2026 09:01:12 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74126420/pioneer_work_in_the_alps_of_new_zealand_first_exploration_of_the_southern_alps_arthur_paul_harper.mp3" length="278708463" type="audio/mpeg"/><podcast:txt purpose="ai-content">true</podcast:txt><itunes:author>Parker Thomas Moon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>34803</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/4a731bb4db1c683c1e43945b79853961.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Western Boundary, and Other Essays-Helmuth Karl Bernhard Graf von Moltke</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/western-boundary-and-other-essays-helmuth-karl-bernhard-graf-von-moltke--74075894</link><description><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74075894</guid><pubDate>Tue, 25 Aug 2026 09:00:57 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74075894/western_boundary_and_other_essays_helmuth_karl_bernhard_graf_von_moltke.mp3" length="148482048" type="audio/mpeg"/><podcast:txt purpose="ai-content">true</podcast:txt><itunes:author>Parker Thomas Moon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>18542</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/4a731bb4db1c683c1e43945b79853961.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>History of the United States, Vol. IV The West and Jacksonian Democracy-Charles Austin Beard, Mary Ritter Beard</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/history-of-the-united-states-vol-iv-the-west-and-jacksonian-democracy-charles-austin-beard-mary-ritter-beard--74050823</link><description><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74050823</guid><pubDate>Mon, 24 Aug 2026 09:02:34 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74050823/history_of_the_united_states_vol_iv_the_west_and_jacksonian_democracy_charles_austin_beard_mary_ritter_beard.mp3" length="93915685" type="audio/mpeg"/><podcast:txt purpose="ai-content">true</podcast:txt><itunes:author>Parker Thomas Moon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>11728</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/4a731bb4db1c683c1e43945b79853961.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Soren Kierkegaard, Various Readings-Various</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/soren-kierkegaard-various-readings-various--74027726</link><description><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74027726</guid><pubDate>Sun, 23 Aug 2026 09:02:31 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74027726/soren_kierkegaard_various_readings_various.mp3" length="128630190" type="audio/mpeg"/><podcast:txt purpose="ai-content">true</podcast:txt><itunes:author>Parker Thomas Moon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>16062</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/4a731bb4db1c683c1e43945b79853961.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Woman Who Did-Grant Allen</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/woman-who-did-grant-allen--74005613</link><description><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74005613</guid><pubDate>Sat, 22 Aug 2026 09:02:05 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74005613/woman_who_did_grant_allen.mp3" length="173624440" type="audio/mpeg"/><podcast:txt purpose="ai-content">true</podcast:txt><itunes:author>Parker Thomas Moon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>21681</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/4a731bb4db1c683c1e43945b79853961.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Culture and Anarchy-Matthew Arnold</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/culture-and-anarchy-matthew-arnold--73980736</link><description><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73980736</guid><pubDate>Fri, 21 Aug 2026 09:02:30 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/73980736/culture_and_anarchy_matthew_arnold.mp3" length="173751022" type="audio/mpeg"/><podcast:txt purpose="ai-content">true</podcast:txt><itunes:author>Parker Thomas Moon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>21697</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/4a731bb4db1c683c1e43945b79853961.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Two American Slavery Documents-American and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society, James Mars</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/two-american-slavery-documents-american-and-foreign-anti-slavery-society-james-mars--73958063</link><description><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73958063</guid><pubDate>Thu, 20 Aug 2026 09:02:36 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/73958063/two_american_slavery_documents_american_and_foreign_anti_slavery_society_james_mars.mp3" length="53604972" type="audio/mpeg"/><podcast:txt purpose="ai-content">true</podcast:txt><itunes:author>Parker Thomas Moon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>6694</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/4a731bb4db1c683c1e43945b79853961.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>How a British Subject Became President of the United States-Arthur P. Hinman</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/how-a-british-subject-became-president-of-the-united-states-arthur-p-hinman--73934859</link><description><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73934859</guid><pubDate>Wed, 19 Aug 2026 09:02:22 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/73934859/how_a_british_subject_became_president_of_the_united_states_arthur_p_hinman.mp3" length="67443490" type="audio/mpeg"/><podcast:txt purpose="ai-content">true</podcast:txt><itunes:author>Parker Thomas Moon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>8422</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/4a731bb4db1c683c1e43945b79853961.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Astrophel and Stella-Sir Philip Sidney</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/astrophel-and-stella-sir-philip-sidney--73909087</link><description><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73909087</guid><pubDate>Tue, 18 Aug 2026 09:02:56 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/73909087/astrophel_and_stella_sir_philip_sidney.mp3" length="48482480" type="audio/mpeg"/><podcast:txt purpose="ai-content">true</podcast:txt><itunes:author>Parker Thomas Moon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>6054</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/4a731bb4db1c683c1e43945b79853961.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Short Nonfiction Collection, Vol. 092-Various</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/short-nonfiction-collection-vol-092-various--73884830</link><description><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73884830</guid><pubDate>Mon, 17 Aug 2026 09:02:52 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/73884830/short_nonfiction_collection_vol_092_various.mp3" length="204418141" type="audio/mpeg"/><podcast:txt purpose="ai-content">true</podcast:txt><itunes:author>Parker Thomas Moon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>25527</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/4a731bb4db1c683c1e43945b79853961.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>American Democrat; Or, Hints on the Social and Civic Relations of the United States of America-James Fenimore Cooper</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/american-democrat-or-hints-on-the-social-and-civic-relations-of-the-united-states-of-america-james-fenimore-cooper--73861757</link><description><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73861757</guid><pubDate>Sun, 16 Aug 2026 09:02:35 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/73861757/american_democrat_or_hints_on_the_social_and_civic_relations_of_the_united_states_of_america_james_fenimore_cooper.mp3" length="204231076" type="audio/mpeg"/><podcast:txt purpose="ai-content">true</podcast:txt><itunes:author>Parker Thomas Moon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>25503</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/4a731bb4db1c683c1e43945b79853961.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Afghan Wars 1839-42 and 1878-80, Part 1-Archibald Forbes</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/afghan-wars-1839-42-and-1878-80-part-1-archibald-forbes--73842506</link><description><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73842506</guid><pubDate>Sat, 15 Aug 2026 09:03:36 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/73842506/afghan_wars_1839_42_and_1878_80_part_1_archibald_forbes.mp3" length="145764905" type="audio/mpeg"/><podcast:txt purpose="ai-content">true</podcast:txt><itunes:author>Parker Thomas Moon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>18203</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/4a731bb4db1c683c1e43945b79853961.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>France, Spain and the Rif, Part 1-Walter Burton Harris</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/france-spain-and-the-rif-part-1-walter-burton-harris--73352835</link><description><![CDATA["France, Spain and the Rif, Part 1" by Walter Burton Harris delves into the complex interplay of imperial ambitions in North Africa, specifically focusing on the roles of France and Spain in the Rif region. This exploration sheds light on the historical context of colonialism and its lasting effects on international relations, themes that are as relevant today as they were during the era of imperialism. Harris's insights into the dynamics of power, culture, and resistance provide a profound understanding of how past conflicts continue to shape modern geopolitics. Listening to this work offers a valuable perspective on the enduring legacies of empire and the intricate tapestry of world politics.<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73352835</guid><pubDate>Sun, 02 Aug 2026 22:05:03 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/73352835/france_spain_and_the_rif_part_1_walter_burton_harris.mp3" length="143034227" type="audio/mpeg"/><podcast:txt purpose="ai-content">true</podcast:txt><itunes:author>Parker Thomas Moon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>"France, Spain and the Rif, Part 1" by Walter Burton Harris delves into the complex interplay of imperial ambitions in North Africa, specifically focusing on the roles of France and Spain in the Rif region. This exploration sheds light on the...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA["France, Spain and the Rif, Part 1" by Walter Burton Harris delves into the complex interplay of imperial ambitions in North Africa, specifically focusing on the roles of France and Spain in the Rif region. This exploration sheds light on the historical context of colonialism and its lasting effects on international relations, themes that are as relevant today as they were during the era of imperialism. Harris's insights into the dynamics of power, culture, and resistance provide a profound understanding of how past conflicts continue to shape modern geopolitics. Listening to this work offers a valuable perspective on the enduring legacies of empire and the intricate tapestry of world politics.<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>17861</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/4a731bb4db1c683c1e43945b79853961.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Imperialism and World Politics Part 2 of 4 - Parker Thomas Moon</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/imperialism-and-world-politics-part-2-of-4-parker-thomas-moon--72466202</link><description><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/72466202</guid><pubDate>Wed, 10 Jun 2026 21:45:44 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/72466202/imperialism_and_world_politics_part_2_of_4_parker_thomas_moon.mp3" length="192295536" type="audio/mpeg"/><podcast:txt purpose="ai-content">true</podcast:txt><itunes:author>Parker Thomas Moon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Moon’s Iᴍᴘᴇʀɪᴀʟɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Pᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄs is perhaps the best-known work of the Columbia University professor and political scientist; It was published in 1926 and did not go out-of-print until at least 1940. “What convenient volume,” he asks, exists as a “general account of the greater imperialism of our own times?” A question which was suitably answered by the publication of this sweeping survey of the field. Written in what would prove to be the gathering twilight of European imperialism, and with the inclination towards reflection that only the aftermath of a great catastrophe like the First World War can evoke, this work spans the globe and follows behind Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan and the United States as they shaped world politics to their own ends—imposing their will on states, economies and peoples. Moon writes of his work that, “It can make no claim to finality.” Indeed, this is surely not the last word on the subject. Not in the past. Not even, truly, in the present. And yet, Moon’s work does possess a greater degree of finality then he at the time, perhaps, might have credited. THIS IS PART TWO OF FOUR. In this part, Moon starts by briefly covering the Anglo-German contention over East Africa, French designs on the island of Madagascar and Italy’s foray into the Horn of Africa to establish the colony of ‘Somaliland’. His telling then reaches “a natural sequel… to events which have unfolded themselves in preceding chapters.” The jealous contest over Abyssinia and Sudan. For “nowhere did visions of empire struggle for mastery with a greater intensity of conflict or a more colourful wealth of spectacular incident.” As Moon tellingly remarks, “Imperialism is rarely active against a formidable foe.” Britain conquered an Egypt riven by civil war in 1882—just in time to be sucked into the budding jihad in Sudan waged in defence of the Arab slave trade and in rejection of khedival rule. The British response to the Mahdists went from feckless to quite feeble. Unwilling to act themselves after a string of embarrassing disasters, Britain sought simply – for a decade-and-a-half – to play Italian ambitions off against French designs. This precipitated the dramatic events of the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and French largess in training and munitions conferred upon Menelik’s forces helped to tip the scales—toward a decisive Italian defeat. Moon next profiles Cecil Rhodes and takes us into South Africa. Next into the violence and cunning which abided in Europe’s near abroad, the “smiling and temperate coastlands” of North Africa, where France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Britain squabble over pounds of Ottoman, Algerian and Moroccan flesh. Finally, this part concludes with a survey of Near Eastern ‘Questions’ and, also, an exploration of the anxiety that Russia’s creeping southward expansion exercised on the British halls of power, and its effects on India’s periphery. - Summary by Alister<br /><br />This episode includes AI-generated content.]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>24037</itunes:duration><itunes:keywords>20th,africa,britain,finality,imperialism,moon,part,politics,sudan,world</itunes:keywords><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/4a731bb4db1c683c1e43945b79853961.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item></channel></rss>
