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This is the final episode in a 5-part series marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in August 1945.

When the Second World War began, few expected the United States would emerge six years later as an unrivaled military and economic power at the head of a new world order built upon the graves of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. Eighty years on, U.S. hegemony and the key global institutions for peace and free commerce are under severe pressure. In this episode, historian David M. Kennedy explores the origins of America's global age.

Recommended reading:

Freedom From Fear: The American People in Depression and War by David M. Kennedy

This is the fourth episode in a 5-part series marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in August 1945.

Before 1947, the United States did not have peacetime intelligence-gathering agencies such as the CIA. Foreign policy was formulated on an informal basis. Even during the Second World War, interservice cooperation was voluntary in the U.S. military. The Army and Navy had to compete for resources in the absence of a unified command structure. All this changed in 1947 with the passage of the National Security Act by large bipartisan majorities in the House and Senate. Its enduring importance cannot be overstated. In this episode, historian Daniel Bessner of the American Prestige podcast, an expert on U.S. foreign policy, delves into the origins of this permanent, expensive, and often dangerous structure.

Further listening:

American Prestige co-hosted by Daniel Bessner and Derek Davison

This is the third episode in a 5-part series marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in August 1945.

In 1942, the Japanese seemed unstoppable in the Pacific, and the Germans steamrolled toward Stalingrad. Their victories proved ephemeral. And, in defeat, the Axis powers took millions of innocent people with them. This human drama is captured in historian Peter Fritzsche’s new book, 1942, which bridges the gap between memory and history. Common American memories of righteous victory obscure the complexities, for this war was many wars in one. There were wars of national liberation, waged by people who’d been subjugated by the British and French Empires. And the U.S. was at war with itself, fielding a segregated army while throwing Japanese-American citizens into concentration camps.

Recommended reading:

1942: When World War II Engulfed the Globe by Peter Fritzsche