The preface to World War II was, of course, the Spanish Civil War. What caused it, how it was fought and the ultimate consequences of the fascist victory are discussed here by Stanley Payne, that war’s most notable historian.

…..who was Winston S. Churchill, Member of Parliament and editor of a major volume of his Grandfather’s speeches. We hear many excerpts from the great war-time speeches and, with the younger Churchill, discuss the many persisting problems not solved by the war. And, of course, of equal fascination are the grandson’s memories of what Churchill looked like to the boy who was his favored grandson.

In this comparatively early venture in pessimism about the moral strength pf the West, two leading historians of the classical world voice their doubts about whether Europe can (or will) resist the second coming of Islam. They are Victor Davis Hanson and Bruce Thornton who joined us in this prescient discussion in 2008.

Israel’s Six Days War with Egypt, Jordan, Syria, etc. established its present borders and delivered solid, territory-loss to its hostile neighbors. It was brilliantly recounted by Michael Oren, an American-born Israeli in his book which was subtitled, “June 1967 and the making of the modern middle east.” Here is our full conversation with Oren who went on, later, to be Israel’s ambassador to Washington and now is a leading member of the Knesset.

Christopher Dickey, son of the great American poet and an international journalist, wrote a book in 2009 predicting much more terrorism to come. He was prescient and his analysis remains most relevant down to the present time of escalated Islamist assault upon the West and its national cultures.