WHY WE FIGHT
EP.1: EGO
Why do we fight? Why go to war? This series looks at 9 of history's biggest motivations and causes for conflict, and a final episode on the psychology of the individual and what drives people to risk life and limb by going to war.
In this first episode we look at the power of Ego, and how time and again it has propelled leaders, and the men and women who follow them, to cause nations and empires to rise and fall.
EP.2: RESOURCES
From farmland to gold mines, and spices to oil, competition over resources has been one of the single greatest sources
of human conflict for millennia. And it looks set to continue to be.
We'll explore the motivations behind why resources create conflict
and some of the empires, wars and tragedies this competition has created.
EP.3: RELIGION
Religious rivalry is behind some of history's most intractable and bitter conflicts. Join us as we explore some of them, and why religion looks set to continue to create hotbed's of conflict for years to come.
EP.4: REVOLUTION & IDEOLOGY
In their power to spark wars, ideologies can be just as powerful as religions. Once the Scientific Revolution and the European Enlightenment began a societal awakening about human existence and our relationship with our rulers, political revolutions swept much of the world - usually violently.
Come with us as we discuss ideology's impact on war and conflict, in national revolutions and international power plays.
EP.5: LAND
Whether it's for living space, resources, religion, culture, power, wealth or simply protecting your home, humans like to fight over land.
From the largest invasion in history, Operation Barbarossa, to the ongoing Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan, we explore history's lessons on why land has always been one of major causes of Why We Fight.
EP.6: FREEDOM
Fighting for freedom is one of the supremely powerful motivators behind conflict. Whether it’s slaves rising up, as they did under Spartacus in the Roman Republic and Toussaint L'Ouverture in Haiti, American and French revolutionaries throwing out the established order, or Geronimo in a heroic fight for the liberty of his people, freedom has galvanised and enthused the oppressed.
And we explore what it means today in the face of Chinese treatment of the Uighur people and the fact that the Human Freedom Index still defines 25 African nations as some of the least free in the world.
EP.7: WOMEN
It has fired imaginations and inspired epic poetry. It's also brought down nations and empires.
In this episode we cover one of the most primal causes of human conflict - men's fight over women. Its older than history itself, and we take a look at everything from the destruction of the Huron, Troy and the Ming Dynasty of China, to Mark Antony and Cleopatra and the Sabine women of early Rome.
Men's lust for and love of women have caused thousands of years of war.
EP.8: REVENGE
Revenge is one of the most formidable causes of war around.
It has sparked bitter conflicts over thousands of years, and thousands of miles.
From Boudicca's anti-Roman raising of the British tribes to the modern-day War on Terror, and the merry-go-round of Franco-German revenge relations to Genghis Khan obliterating an entire Empire which killed some of his traders, revenge has caused and continues to cause wars which leave scars often lasting decades.
EP.9: GEOPOLITICS
The relationship between nations and their geography has shaped warfare for thousands of years,
from the borders of the Roman Empire to modern day Russia.Â
Keeping enemies behind natural defensive frontiers, ensuring access to vital resources, and controlling the vital land routes and waterways - all these and more have caused and continue to cause savage conflict.
We cover the Greco-Persian Wars, the rise of Japan and the new frontier of space
in our exploration of the role of Geopolitics in Why We Fight.
EP.10: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF WAR
Why do everyday people risk life and limb by going to fight in deadly combat? To put your body and mind in the midst of flying arrows or shrapnel, to risk the hacking of axes or the sights of a sniper, to sail on an ancient bireme or WW2-era battleship when there's a good chance you won't be coming out of it alive, is mortally terrifying.
We explore the motivations of the men and women who often gladly take up arms, from excitement to loyalty, radicalisation to brotherhood.