{"podcast":{"title":"Explaining History","slug":"explaining-history-7091240","podcast_index_feed_id":7091240,"rss_url":"https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/55836c0e-56ef-4a51-a7cc-9055cd2a39c7","website_url":"http://www.explaininghistory.org","image_url":"https://assets.pippa.io/shows/60f6d9ac4a4aff65190f9c27/1767646091904-a5aed489-f452-4f74-af70-c7f8364b8d92.jpeg","author":"Nick Shepley","episode_count":943,"summary":"How do we make sense of the modern world? We find the answers in the history of the 20th Century. For over a decade, The Explaining History Podcast has been the guide for curious minds. Host Nick Shepley and expert guests break down the world wars, the Cold War, and the rise and fall of ideologies into concise, 25-minute episodes. This isn't a dry lecture. It's a critical, narrative-driven conversation that connects the past to your present. Perfect for students, history buffs, and anyone who wants to understand how we got here. Hit subscribe and start exploring. Join us at Explaining History for daily modern history articles and news. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-02T06:17:10.575854+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/explaining-history-7091240"},"episode":{"title":"Capitalism without Democracy","slug":"capitalism-without-democracy","published_at":"2026-04-06T11:32:14+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/explaining-history-7091240/capitalism-without-democracy","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/explaining-history-7091240","url":"http://explaininghistory.org","audio_url":"https://sphinx.acast.com/p/acast/s/explaininghistory/e/69d399bde9dcab30771f6a63/media.mp3","summary":"The assumption that economic freedom and political liberty are inseparable is a historical myth. This episode traces how the collapse of the Soviet Union and the rise of neoliberalism allowed capital to decouple from democratic constraints.","meta_description":"Explore the historical breakdown of the compact between capitalism and social democracy, from the Cold War to the rise of modern neoliberalism.","key_points":["Main idea: The perceived link between capital mobility and individual liberty is a secular article of faith rather than a historical reality","Historical context: Social democratic reforms in the 19th and 20th centuries were often strategic concessions designed to prevent communist revolution","Failure mode: The decline of the Soviet Union removed the primary leverage the working class had to demand economic concessions from capital","Practical takeaway: Modern neoliberalism has enabled capital to capture the state rather than being liberated from it","Warning: Superficial political victories that fail to address the underlying economic settlement only pave the way for future populist surges"],"chapters":[{"start_ms":60000,"title":"The Myth of Inseparable Freedoms","summary":"Challenging the idea that the rights of capital and the rights of citizens are two sides of the same coin."},{"start_ms":300000,"title":"Cold War Narratives","summary":"How the threat of communism was used to frame Western capitalism as the sole defender of freedom."},{"start_ms":420000,"title":"The Strategic Use of Liberty","summary":"Examining how the concept of freedom was leveraged by powerful states to serve specific geopolitical interests."},{"start_ms":600000,"title":"The Era of Privatization","summary":"The shift toward privatization and the erosion of the democratized economy."},{"start_ms":720000,"title":"The Shattering of the Social Compact","summary":"How the 1970s economic crises allowed neoliberalism to dismantle social democratic protections."},{"start_ms":1020000,"title":"The Post-Soviet Shift","summary":"The loss of revolutionary leverage and the rollback of social reforms following the decline of the USSR."},{"start_ms":1200000,"title":"Unfettered Capital in the Modern Age","summary":"The current state of global capital and its ability to operate without democratic oversight."},{"start_ms":1500000,"title":"The Rise of Neoliberal Populism","summary":"Tracing the origins of modern far-right movements back to Hayekian economic thought."}],"topics":["Capitalism","Democracy","Neoliberalism","Cold War","Social Democracy","Political Economy","History","Globalism"],"duration_seconds":1837,"processing_state":"processed","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/explaining-history-7091240/episodes/capitalism-without-democracy/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/explaining-history-7091240/capitalism-without-democracy.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}