Conflicted: A History Podcast
Untangling history’s greatest controversies. Every month, we take a hard look at the historical conflicts that raise difficult questions, stoke controversy, and send our moral compasses spinning.
The 1971 Bangladesh War – Part 2: Bhutto’s Game
In the wake of the deadly Bhola Cyclone, 50 million Pakistanis go to the polls on December 7th, 1970 and cast their votes in a national election, which yields unexpected and destabilizing results. As the emergent factions fight for control of Pakistan’s nascent democracy, the political process slowly disintegrates and the gulf between East and West Pakistan becomes irreconcilable.
SOURCES:
Bass, Gary K. The Blood Telegram: Nixon, Kissinger, and a Forgotten Genocide. 2013.
Bennet-Jones, Own. The Bhutto Dynasty. 2020.
Carney, Scott. Miklian, Jason. The Vortex: A True Story of History’s Deadliest Storm, an
Unspeakable War, and Liberation. 2022.
Chang, Jung. Halliday, Jon. Mao: The Unknown Story. 2005.
Frank, Katherine. Indira: The Life of Indira Nehru Gandhi. 2001.
Gewen, Barry. The Inevitability of Tragedy: Henry Kissinger and his World. 2020.
Hiro, Dilip. The Longest August: The Unflinching Rivalry Between India and Pakistan. 2015.
Hitchens, Christopher. The Trial of Henry Kissinger. 2001.
Hoodbhoy, Pervez. Pakistan: Origins, Identity and Future. 2023.
Jalal, Ayesha. The Struggle for Pakistan. 2014.
James, Lawrence. Raj: The Making and Unmaking of British India. 1997.
Jayakar, Pupul. Indira Gandhi: A Biography. 1975.
Khosa, Faisal. The Making of Martyrs in India, Pakistan & Bangladesh. 2021.
K.S. Nair. December In Dacca. 2022.
Keay, John. India: A History. 2000.
Mookherjee, Nayanika. The Spectral Wound. 2015.
Raghavan, Srinath. 1971: A Global History of the Creation of Bangladesh. 2013.
Rose, Leo. Sisson, Richard. War and Secession. Pakistan, India, and the Creation of Bangladesh. 1990.
Saikia, Yasmin. Women, War, and the Making of Bangladesh. 2011.
Schendel, Willem van. A History of Bangladesh. 2009.
Schwartz, Thomas Alan. Henry Kissinger and American Power. 2020.
Sengupta, Nitish. Land of Two Rivers: A History of Bengal. 2011.
Tudda, Chris. A Cold War Turning Point: Nixon and China, 1969-1972. 2012.
Walsh, Declan. The Nine Lives of Pakistan. 2020.
Zakaria, Anam. 1971: A People’s History from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India. 2019.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Podcast Episodes
When Justinian Met Theodora – Part 3
With the Nika Riots behind them, Justinian and Theodora rebuild Constantinople and pursue a bold new agenda for the Byzantine Empire. Belisarius sails to war against the Vandal Kingdom. John the Cappadocian seeks to driv…
When Justinian Met Theodora – Part 2
After being crowned Emperor and Empress of the Byzantine Empire, Justinian and Theodora face their first major test as rulers, the deadly Nika Riots of 532 AD. SOURCES: Bridge, Antony. Theodora: Portrait in a Byzantine L…
When Justinian Met Theodora – Part 1
From 527 to 565 AD, Emperor Justinian I and his Empress Theodora ruled over the Byzantine Empire in Constantinople. Together, they reshaped the Mediterranean world, weathering political upheaval, wars of conquest, and an…
The 1971 Bangladesh War – Part 5: Thank God, They’ve Attacked Us
On December 3rd, 1971, India and Pakistan go to war on two fronts, battling for the future of Bangladesh. In the East, the Indian army races against time, hoping to capture Dacca and force a Pakistani surrender before th…
The 1971 Bangladesh War – Part 4: Casus Belli
As Yahya Khan’s crackdown in East Pakistan sparks a refugee crisis and a guerilla insurgency, the neighboring nation of India, led by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, must decide how to respond. Meanwhile, President Richard…
Introducing...BEEF
Join me for a special featured episode of BEEF, a scripted podcast narrated by award-winning host Bridget Todd. This episode tells the story of explorers Sir Richard Burton and Captain John Hanning Speke as they face uni…
The 1971 Bangladesh War – Part 3: A Man Named Blood
On March 25th, 1971, President Yahya Khan launches Operation Searchlight in East Pakistan, a brutal military crackdown intended to snuff out Bengali separatism and restore West Pakistani authority. Meanwhile, an American…
The 1971 Bangladesh War – Part 1: Land of Broken Maps
In March 1971, the nation of Pakistan was split apart by a vicious civil war, eventually culminating in the creation of a new state: Bangladesh. In this first episode of a multi-part series, we trace the origins of the c…
The Kinsey Report – Part 3
In January of 1948, Alfred Kinsey releases his first book, Sexual Behavior in the Human Male, igniting a firestorm of controversy across the United States. As the Professor scrambles to capitalize on his newfound fame an…
The Kinsey Report – Part 2
As Dr. Alfred Kinsey begins his foray into sex research in 1938, he faces a rising tide of controversy at Indiana University, and is soon confronted with an ultimatum. While his research develops and his methodology take…
