Lithuanian Book Smugglers Vs. The Russian Emp...

With one notable exception, American and German forces were bitterly opposed to one another during World War II -- that exception? The Battle of Castle Itter. Tune in to learn more about the strange sequence of events that led both the US and the Germany army to team up for a res ...  Show more

As Grigori Rasputin manipulated his way into the upper reaches of the aristocracy, he gained great influence over the Emperor's family, who were convinced that only Rasputin could save their hemophiliac son. Yet even Rasputin's powerful patrons could not shield him from a growing ...  Show more

Books are often seen as “victims” of combat. When the flames of warfare turn libraries to ashes, we grieve this loss as an immense human and cultural tragedy. But that’s not the complete picture. Books were used in war across the twentieth century—both as agents for peace and as ...  Show more

Misha Glenny's final programme on Russia - what it is and where it came from - looks at the country's attitude to war. What has been the long lasting effect of the great patriotic wars against Adolf Hitler and Napoleon Bonaparte? Plus the Poles, the Mongols, and the British in Cr ...  Show more

If you want to control the masses, control what they read. After all, books are seeds that germinate new points of view. As a result, the struggle against banning books is contentious and continual. Learn more about banning books in this classic episode.