Episode 8.6

A political review of the states of South and Central America between 1945 and 1965.  Sadly it will be a story mainly of dictators, repression, unstable political environments, corruption and poverty.  Power largely in the hands of elites not the people.  Armies more active in ov ...  Show more

The story of Latin America's most brutal dictator Trujillo who govern the Dominican Republic for 31 years and killed 50,000 of his people.  Yet even after his death the country was political unstable and in 1965, President Johnson would sent American troops to the country to put ...  Show more

Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Mexican Revolution.In 1908 the President of Mexico, Porfirio Diaz, gave an interview to an American journalist. He was 77 and had ruled the country in autocratic fashion for over thirty years. He discussed the country's economic development ...  Show more

Cuba and the United States share a long, complex history. From the Spanish-American War of 1898 to Fidel Castro's Cuba, these neighbours have often had an uneasy relationship. Claire Graham speaks with BBC World Service journalist Ana Maria Roura to understand the history between ...  Show more

The most prominent media figure in America calls for the creation of a militia, armed Americans willing to use violence to get their way. What they want is to overthrow the U.S. government and to end democracy in this country – by force. Their plot raised alarming indications ...

When Andrew Johnson became president in 1865, the United States was in the midst of one of its most volatile chapters. The country was divided after fighting a bloody civil war and had just experienced the first presidential assassination. We look at how these factors led to the ...  Show more