261. Race To Berlin 1945: A Devastated City Divided (Ep 1)

Empire

Jack Davenport

History

4.6 • 4.1K Ratings

🗓️ 4 June 2025

⏱️ 58 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What was life like in Berlin in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War? Why did the Red Army steal taps from Berlin houses when they reached the city? Was the famous photo of the red flag on the Reichstag staged or authentic? Anita and William are joined by Giles Milton, author of Checkmate in Berlin: The Cold War Showdown That Shaped the Modern World, to discuss the division and destitution of the capital city after the Second World War. ----------------- 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. ----------------- Email: [email protected] Instagram: @empirepoduk Blue Sky: @empirepoduk X: @empirepoduk Assistant Producer: Becki Hills Producer: Anouska Lewis Senior Producer: Callum Hill Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	If you want access to bonus episodes reading lists for every series of Empire, a chat community.
0:06.7	Discounts for all the books mentioned in the week's podcast, add free listening and a weekly newsletter,
0:12.0	sign up to Empire Club at www.empowerpod.ukuk.com.
0:32.5	Hello and welcome to Empire with me, Anita Arnain.
0:34.4	And me, William Durumple.
0:36.0	Don't pretend that's how you talk.
0:37.1	That is not how you talk.
0:38.2	Just explain.
0:39.1	I should explain this.
0:41.8	Turn my volume down that I was booming.
0:42.6	Can you imagine?
0:43.3	Can you imagine?
0:44.1	Unbelievable.
0:48.6	And on a sound check, William will suddenly assume the aspect of whispering Bob Harris,
0:51.1	as if any of us believe that's how he talks.
0:53.5	And then yank up his volume.
1:00.1	Anyway, look, last time we were with you, we went into some may say excruciating detail of the Yalta conference, the psycho drama that was Yalta.
1:03.5	But honestly, I hope you've got some impression of how just that image of unity
1:09.3	and that photograph that everybody's come to know from Yalta
1:11.7	is just not what was going on around the table as the big three went behind each other's
1:17.4	backs, issued nebulous statements which would be questioned and then ripped to shreds in no time
1:23.3	at all, and how this whole idea that Roosevelt had of winning the war, yes, but also winning
	...

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