
NEW in Understand - An American Journey
James Naughtie examines the ideas tying America's founding to the modern United States.
Understand from BBC Radio 4 - unravelling the complexities of the biggest stories and subjects that really matter right now.
| Publishes | Daily | Episodes | 77 | Founded | 3 years ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Listeners | Categories | GovernmentNewsPolitics | |||

James Naughtie continues his look at the ideas tying America's founding to the modern United States, as he looks at what it means to be an American.
In Chicago, he joins the Columbus Day parade - an exuberant celebration of Italian-American identity... more
James Naughtie continues his look at the ideas tying America's founding to the modern United States, asking how 'justice' has been understood by different generations of Americans.
In this third episode, James travels to Alabama in the American Sout... more
James Naughtie examines the ideas tying America's founding to the modern United States.
In this major new series marking America's 250th anniversary, James travels through time and across the landscape to discover how the Declaration of Independence... more
Justin Webb looks back at the five big US foreign policy shifts from the Monroe Doctrine to Donald Trump. Over five episodes he and his guests look at how America’s approach to the world has constantly changed over time. This may help answer a really... more
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The show is billed as one Tim on the BBC podcast menu and show description, however it’s actually by another Tim, regardless it’s an excellent show!
How to rate Understand? It consists of multiple series, each of varying quality, but usually above average. The same can be said of its individual episodes. The aim of Understand is to document the UK's post- Cold War consensus and resultant decline. Post-WW1, it was called the Great Depression, and Churchill kicked Britain out of that. After WW2, it was unionised sclerosis, and Thatcher kicked Britain out of that. Following the collapse of communism, it's mass immigration and the return to squa... more
I would describe this show as fast-paced, breezy, and chipper. I listened to three of the four series they put out, and I only really got anything out of the one about the history of Israel and Palestine. The others were too quick and superficial. I think you could get more out of reading the Wikipedia page about any of these topics than you will from the 10-minute episode about it. There are better tech or political explainers out there.
This is a really helpful foundation and bite size review of the history of the region. Thank you to those involved.
Very informative and enjoyable. Thank you.
Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.
How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.
Apple Podcasts | #79 | |
Apple Podcasts | #184 | |
Apple Podcasts | #180 | |
Apple Podcasts | #103 | |
Apple Podcasts | #143 | |
Apple Podcasts | #154 |
Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.
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The content explores significant shifts in US foreign policy, tracing its evolution from historical doctrines to contemporary practices. Covering key events and decisions, the discussions highlight how these changes reflect America's adaptive responses to global dynamics. Notably, the series examines whether the approaches taken during Donald Trump's presidency are radical deviations or continuations of longstanding American strategies. Through insightful analyses and expert commentary, listeners gain a comprehensive understanding of the complexities surrounding US international relations and its implications for global politics.
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These podcasts share a similar audience with Understand:
1. More or Less
2. The Briefing Room
3. Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4
4. Sliced Bread
5. Radical with Amol Rajan
Understand launched 3 years ago and published 77 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.
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Recent guests on Understand include:
1. Douglas Brinkley
2. Gül Dölen
3. Eugenia Bone
4. Katrin Preller
5. Lucie Berkovitch
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