What exactly is the job of the U.S. president? Dr. Roy traces the presidency from its constitutional origins through major turning points in U.S. history, exploring how each era redefined executive authority. He discusses the balance between leadership and restraint, the rise of presidential power through war and crisis, and how charisma, fear, and media have transformed the office into a symbol of national identity. Takeaways:Why the Founders designed a limited executive branch after rejecting monarchy.How George Washington set enduring precedents for presidential conduct.The evolution of presidential powers through war, reconstruction, and industrialization.The shift from congressional dominance to a “modern presidency” under Franklin D. Roosevelt.The rise of the “imperial presidency” and executive overreach after World War II.How media, from radio and TV to social platforms, reshaped public perception of leadership.The tension between charisma and competence in presidential politics.What the presidency’s evolution reveals about American democracy and its future.Resources & References:The U.S. Constitution, Article II (The Executive Branch)The American Presidency: A Resource GuideGeorge Washington’s Farewell Address (1796)The American Presidency ProjectThe President’s War PowersThe Evolution of the PresidencyBeyond the podcast: Want to watch this lecture? Check out the full video.Want to support the show? Buy Dr. Roy a coffee!
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1:56:32
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1:56:32
World War II: Part X - Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
*Listener discretion advised:This episode contains descriptions of violence, genocide, and other traumatic historical events that may be disturbing to some listeners. Please use discretion and take care of yourself while listening. The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was not just a fight for survival; it was a moral stand against annihilation. In April 1943, Jewish resistance fighters in Nazi-occupied Poland rose up against the SS after learning the truth: that deportations were not leading to “resettlement” but to extermination. Dr. Roy explores the deeper historical context, from centuries of pogroms and racial ideology to the rise of the Nazis and the Holocaust, and recounts the final days of the ghetto with unflinching honesty and transparency.Takeaways:The difference between patriotism and nationalism, and how nationalism enables genocide.How centuries of antisemitism, from the Crusades to the Inquisition, laid the foundation for Nazi ideology.The rise of scientific racism, eugenics, and the myth of the “master race.”How the Warsaw Ghetto was created, starved, and ultimately revolted against Nazi occupation.The heroism of the Jewish Fighting Organization (ŻOB) and Jewish Military Union (ŻZW).The leadership of Mordechai Anielewicz and the moral courage of those who fought and died in the uprising.Why much of the world, including Allied nations, turned away from the Holocaust until it was too late.Lessons on moral responsibility and the danger of ignoring suffering today.Resources & ReferencesU.S. Holocaust Memorial MuseumPolin Museum of the History of Polish JewsBiography of Mordechai AnielewiczGhettos in Occupied EuropeThe Wannsee Conference and the “Final Solution”Auschwitz-Birkenau State MuseumUnited Nations Holocaust Outreach Programme – The Warsaw Ghetto UprisingHannah Arendt: “The Banality of Evil”Beyond the podcast: Want to watch this lecture? Check out the full video.Want to support the show? Buy Dr. Roy a coffee!
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1:30:30
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1:30:30
World War II: Part 2 - Interwar Chaos
When World War I ended, the fighting didn’t. Dr. Roy traces how a defeated Germany, shattered empires, and vengeful allies created the perfect storm for World War II. From the breakup of Austria-Hungary and the birth of the Weimar Republic to the hyperinflation crisis, communist revolutions, and Mussolini’s rise to power, this lecture explores how desperation, nationalism, and fear paved the road to fascism and war.Takeaways:Why the Treaty of Versailles and other postwar agreements humiliated Germany and destabilized Europe.The disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the messy redrawing of borders in Eastern Europe.How Woodrow Wilson’s principle of “self-determination” applied selectively, empowering some nations while ignoring colonized peoples.The birth of the League of Nations and why its failure doomed the hope of lasting peace.The Russian Revolution, communist uprisings in Germany and Hungary, and the global spread of ideological warfare.Germany’s postwar collapse: massive debt, reparations, and the infamous hyperinflation that destroyed the economy.How economic despair and political chaos gave rise to new movements like Italian fascism under Mussolini and eventually Hitler’s Nazi Party.The eerie parallels between Germany’s and Italy’s postwar struggles, and how veterans’ trauma and disillusionment fueled totalitarian politics.Resources & References:Treaty of Versailles (1919) and Treaty of Saint-Germain (1919)League of Nations Russian Revolution (1917), Bolshevik and Menshevik factionsGerman Weimar Republic (1918–1933)German hyperinflation (1921–1923)Mussolini’s march on Rome (1922)Rise of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) and Mein Kampf (1925)U.S. President Woodrow Wilson’s “Fourteen Points”Beyond the podcast: Want to watch this lecture? Check out the full video.Want to support the show? Buy Dr. Roy a coffee!
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1:19:25
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1:19:25
World War II: Part 1 - World War I
World War II didn’t appear out of nowhere. Dr. Roy begins by going back to the 18th and 19th centuries, explaining how the rise of the British Empire, the exploitation of India, the discovery of oil, and the unification of Germany set the stage for catastrophe. Along the way, he explores how nationalism spread through Europe, how industrialization and imperialism changed the global order, and why multipolar competition made world war almost inevitable.Takeaways:Understanding World War II requires examining the British Empire, German unification, and industrial capitalism.How the Seven Years’ War, the American Revolution, and the conquest of India shaped British imperial dominance.The role of oil in shifting global power, from Persia to Standard Oil and BP.The unification of Germany and Italy, and the rise of nationalism after the French Revolution and Napoleon.How the Revolutions of 1848 signaled the struggle between socialism and nationalism across Europe.The collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the tangled alliances that destabilized Europe.How competition, arms races, and colonial rivalries pushed the world into World War I, and why that war’s aftermath guaranteed another.Why World War I was the worst war in history for soldiers, and how its horrors set the stage for even greater civilian suffering in World War II.Resources & References:Treaty of Paris (1783) and British-American relations after independenceIndustrial Revolution and steam power (18th-19th centuries)Anglo-Persian Oil Company (later BP) and Middle Eastern oil concessionsGerman unification under Bismarck (1871) and the Austro-Hungarian compromiseFrench Revolution and Napoleonic Wars (1789-1815)Revolutions of 1848 across EuropeAlliance systems before World War I (Triple Alliance and Triple Entente)The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand (1914)Trench warfare, chemical weapons, and the horrors of World War ITreaty of Versailles (1919) and its consequencesBeyond the podcast: Want to watch this lecture? Check out the full video.Want to support the show? Buy Dr. Roy a coffee!
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1:50:35
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1:50:35
Modern Ideologies
Ideologies are powerful tools, but also deeply flawed. Dr. Roy explains how the human brain processes fear and emotion, why leaders exploit hatred and fear to gain power, and more. From Napoleon’s use of nationalism, to socialism’s fight against capitalist exploitation, to the rise of liberalism and its sub-ideologies, Dr. Roy traces the evolution of modern politics. He also covers communism’s revolutionary promises, Mussolini’s fascism, and religious fundamentalism, while urging us to replace tolerance with a genuine celebration of others’ existence.Takeaways:How our brains filter information, and why fear and hatred mobilize voters better than reason.The difference between factions and ideologies in monarchies versus electoral republics.Nationalism: from Napoleon’s mobilization of the French Revolution to Nazi Germany.Socialism: born as a pushback against capitalism’s harshness in 19th-century factories.Liberalism: the ideology created to defend capitalism, with its four sub-branches (conservatism, populism, libertarianism, and liberalism).Communism: a more radical socialist path advocating violent revolution for rapid change.Fascism: Mussolini’s reaction to modernity and his dream of reviving the Roman Empire.Fundamentalism: the religious equivalent of nationalism, rooted in superiority and intolerance.Why ideology today is breaking down, with politics increasingly dominated by emotional manipulation rather than coherent ideas.Resources & References:Daniel Kahneman, Thinking, Fast and Slow (2002 Nobel Prize in Economics)Richard Thaler, Nudge (2017 Nobel Prize in Economics)The French Revolution and Napoleon BonaparteThe 1848 Revolutions in Europe (nationalist and socialist uprisings)U.S. Great Depression: Hoover vs. Roosevelt (and the New Deal as a “vaccine” against socialism)Federalist Paper No. 10 (James Madison on factions)Stanford Prison Experiment (1971)Benito Mussolini and the creation of fascism after WWISpanish Flu pandemic (1918-1920)Beyond the podcast: Want to watch this lecture? Check out the full video. Want to support the show? Buy Dr. Roy a coffee!This lecture was originally recorded at the Museum of the Future for the series Lessons from the Past (2025).
The Dr. Roy Casagranda Podcast is dedicated to unerasing the erased peoples of the world. Too often, history is written by the powerful, leaving entire communities, cultures, and truths out of the dominant narrative. This show seeks to tell those stories.Through these conversations, Dr. Roy digs for the truth, weeds out misinformation, and challenges conventional wisdom. The conversations span politics, world history, philosophy, and culture, always with an eye toward justice and a deeper understanding of where we've been, where we are, and where we are heading. This is the official podcast of Dr. Roy Casagranda and Sekhmet Liminal Productions, FZCO.
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