{"podcast":{"title":"Empire: World History","slug":"empire-world-history-5636450","podcast_index_feed_id":5636450,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/empirepodcast","website_url":null,"image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/fd2a0636-1a33-11ed-ab72-cfc196c4f5e8/image/cd9a7c32c473dc52dedbccd10eed9ca8.jpg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"Goalhanger","episode_count":374,"summary":"The rise and fall of empires and the events that shaped world history. William Dalrymple and Anita Anand explore the intricate stories of revolutions, imperial wars, and the people who built and lost empires. From the British Empire to the Ottomans to Ancient India, history is shaped by power struggles and territorial conquests. How does it continue to affect the world today? Empire Club: Become a member of the Empire Club to receive early access to miniseries, ad-free listening, early access to live show tickets, bonus episodes, book discounts, our exclusive newsletter, and access to our members’ chatroom on Discord! Head to empirepoduk.com to sign up. For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com.","last_synced_at":null,"page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/empire-world-history-5636450"},"episode":{"title":"344. Chairman Mao: The Great Leap Forward (Ep 5)","slug":"344-chairman-mao-the-great-leap-forward-ep-5","published_at":"2026-03-24T00:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/empire-world-history-5636450/344-chairman-mao-the-great-leap-forward-ep-5","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/empire-world-history-5636450","url":"https://pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/GLT1089608764.mp3?updated=1774289353","audio_url":"https://pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/GLT1089608764.mp3?updated=1774289353","summary":"Why did Mao declare war on sparrows as part of The Great Leap Forward? What caused China to attack India in 1962? How did Mao use a swimming pool to embarrass Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev? Anita and William are joined once again by Rana Mitter, author of A Bitter Revolution: China’s Struggle with the Modern World, and Modern China: A Very Short Introduction, to discuss The Great Leap Forward and its consequences. Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at empirepoduk.com For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com. Email: empire@goalhanger.com Instagram: @empirepoduk Blue Sky: @empirepoduk X: @empirepoduk Editor: Bruno Di Castri Researcher: Imogen Marriott Assistant Producer: Alfie Norris Producer: Anouska Lewis Executive Producer: Dom Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices","meta_description":"Why did Mao declare war on sparrows as part of The Great Leap Forward? What caused China to attack India in 1962? How did Mao use a swimming pool to embar…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2946,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/empire-world-history-5636450/episodes/344-chairman-mao-the-great-leap-forward-ep-5/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/empire-world-history-5636450/344-chairman-mao-the-great-leap-forward-ep-5.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}