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David Runciman

The History of Ideas Podcast
with David Runciman

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A bi-weekly podcast exploring the history of ideas from politics to philosophy, science to fiction.

Latest episode

Now & Then with Robert Saunders: Churchill’s ‘Iron Curtain’ Speech @80

11 March 2026

00:00 / 01:04

Today’s episode sees the return of our occasional series with historian Robert Saunders looking at significant political anniversaries: this time it’s the 80th anniversary of Winston Churchill’s ‘Sinews of Peace’ speech given at Fulton, Missouri in March 1946. The speech is best known for introducing the idea of the ‘Iron Curtain’. What was Churchill trying to achieve? Why was his message so controversial in the United States? How did he help inaugurate the Cold War? And where was he right and where was he wrong about the ‘special relationship’?

Out now on PPF+: a bonus episode to accompany our recent series with Luke Kemp in which David and Luke talk about how individual experience shapes the way we imagine humanity’s fate and can motivate us to do something about it: the personal and the political. To get this and all our bonus episodes plus ad-free listening sign up to PPF+ now https://www.ppfideas.com/join-ppf-plus

Join us next Thursday 19th March at the Regent Street Cinema in London for the first film in our new spring and summer season: Whit Stillman’s Metropolitan, followed by a live podcast recording with author and journalist James Marriott. Tickets for this and all our screenings are available now https://www.ppfideas.com/events

You can find out everything you need to know about this podcast – who we are, what we do, plus merch, events and full lists of all episodes and PPF+ bonus episodes on our website https://www.ppfideas.com

Next Time: Two Twists and Turns of the Special Relationship

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More episodes

Where Are We Going? Societal Collapse – The Future

8 March 2026

00:00 / 01:04

Where Are We Going? Societal Collapse – The Present Day

4 March 2026

00:00 / 01:04

Where Are We Going? Societal Collapse – The Modern Age

1 March 2026

00:00 / 01:04

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