S8 Ep268: TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY AND DELAYED REHABILITATION Colleague Joseph Torigian. Torigian outlines Xi Jinping's entry into Tsinghua University via political recommendation and his navigation of "princeling" stigma by working at the grassroots level. The segment

S8 Ep268: FAMILY TRAUMA AND XI JINPING'S EXILE TO THE NORTHWEST Colleague Joseph Torigian. The narrative shifts to the family's trauma, describing a teenage Xi Jinping escaping detention only to be denounced by his starving mother for the family's safety. Torigian

S8 Ep268: THE DANGEROUS NOVEL AND RED GUARD TORTURE Colleague Joseph Torigian. Torigian deepens the analysis of the "dangerous" novel Liu Zhidan, which Mao claimed was a counter-revolutionary plot indicative of "revisionism." This fear of losing revolutionary zeal,

S8 Ep268: THE MOVE TO BEIJING AND XI ZHONGXUN'S 1962 PURGE Colleague Joseph Torigian. This segment explains that the book title comes from Mao's praise of Xi Zhongxun for prioritizing the party despite suffering. It traces the family's move to Beijing, the birth of

S8 Ep268: XI ZHONGXUN'S 1935 IMPRISONMENT AND EARLY CCP INFIGHTING Colleague Joseph Torigian. Torigian discusses his book, The Party Interests Come First, focusing on Xi Zhongxun, Xi Jinping's father. The segment details Xi's 1935 imprisonment by rival communists w

S8 Ep268: THE EARLY LIFE OF XI ZHONGXUN Colleague Joseph Torigian. Joseph Torigian introduces the early life of Xi Zhongxun, father of Xi Jinping. Born in 1913 in poverty-stricken Shaanxi province, Xi grew up surrounded by famine and warlord violence. Torigian reco

S8 Ep268: THE EARLY LIFE OF XI ZHONGXUN Colleague Joseph Torigian. Joseph Torigian introduces the early life of Xi Zhongxun, father of Xi Jinping. Born in 1913 in poverty-stricken Shaanxi province, Xi grew up surrounded by famine and warlord violence. Torigian reco

S8 Ep270: PEARL HARBOR AND LINDBERGH'S BLOCKED MILITARY SERVICE Colleague H.W. Brands. H.W. Brands recounts the immediate aftermath of the Pearl Harbor attack. The Japanese strike and Hitler's subsequent declaration of war united the European and Asian theaters, r

S8 Ep270: THE GREER INCIDENT AND THE DISASTROUS DES MOINES SPEECH Colleague H.W. Brands. H.W. Brands details the escalation of tensions in 1941, starting with FDR's declaration of an "unlimited national emergency." The segment covers the Greer incident, which FDR m

S8 Ep270: CONGRESSIONAL TESTIMONY AND THE AIR POWER DEBATE Colleague H.W. Brands. H.W. Brands describes Lindbergh's testimony before Congress and his popularity at massive rallies. A key debate emerges regarding air power: Roosevelt argues it makes America vulnerab

S8 Ep270: LEND-LEASE AND BRITISH PROPAGANDA Colleague H.W. Brands. H.W. Brands explains the passage of the Lend-Lease Act (HR 1776), which effectively ended American neutrality by committing industrial resources to Britain. The segment reveals the covert British pr

S8 Ep270: FDR'S THIRD TERM AND THE RISE OF AMERICA FIRST Colleague H.W. Brands. H.W. Brands discusses the political landscape of 1940, where FDR maneuvers for an unprecedented third term, which Lindbergh views as a move toward dictatorship. The segment covers the E

S8 Ep270: THE EROSION OF NEUTRALITY AFTER POLAND AND FRANCE Colleague H.W. Brands. H.W. Brands outlines the erosion of neutrality following the fall of Poland and France. Roosevelt maneuvers to adjust neutrality laws and aids Britain via the destroyers-for-bases de

S8 Ep270: LINDBERGH'S TRANSITION TO PUBLIC ANTI-INTERVENTIONIST Colleague H.W. Brands. H.W. Brands details Lindbergh's transition into a public anti-interventionist figure. Motivated by his father's persecution during WWI and a desire to avoid another European quag

S8 Ep270: LINDBERGH'S 1939 RETURN AND FDR'S FAILED RECRUITMENT Colleague H.W. Brands. H.W. Brands discusses Charles Lindbergh's 1939 return to America amidst rising European tensions. Lindbergh, world-famous for his 1927 transatlantic flight and the tragic kidnappi

S8 Ep276: PREVIEW FOR LATER TONIGHT THE SLOW REHABILITATION OF XI ZHONGXUN Colleague Joseph Torigian. Torigian details the slow rehabilitation of Xi Zhongxun, noting it took years after his release to fully return to work. He explains this delay occurred because Xi

S8 Ep276: PREVIEW FOR LATER TONIGHT MAO'S SINICIZATION OF MARXISM AND THE GREAT LEAP FORWARD Colleague Joseph Torigian. Torigian discusses how Mao "sinicized" Marxism, rejecting Soviet dogmatism to interpret ideology flexibly. While Xi Zhongxun respected Mao's prac

S8 Ep276: PREVIEW FOR LATER TONIGHT PARTY PERSECUTION AND THE MINDSET OF PURGED OFFICIALS Colleague Joseph Torigian. Joseph Torigian explains the mindset of purged officials like Xi Zhongxun, comparing them to characters in Darkness at Noon. He notes that loyal rev

S8 Ep275: PREVIEW FOR LATER TONIGHT: LINDBERGH'S DISMAY AT BRITISH COMPLACENCY AND GERMAN POWER Colleague H.W. Brands. Professor Brands details Charles Lindbergh's complex worldview, combining a stubborn admiration for German efficiency with confusion regarding Naz

S8 Ep275: PREVIEW FOR LATER TONIGHT: FDR'S NATIONAL EMERGENCY AND THE SHIFT TO A WARTIME FOOTING Colleague H.W. Brands. The segment examines Franklin Roosevelt's May 1941 declaration of a national emergency, which halted daily activities like baseball and movies as