Best Bel Aves Podcasts (2025)

We are joined on the podcast by Prof. Matt Tuininga. We discuss a critical aspect of Early American history, the conflict of New England puritans and the native Americans in the region.By Bel Aves

1
A History of Bribes and Trump’s Palace in the Sky 33:52

Play Pause

18d ago33:52

33:52

We go back to the Egyptians, Popes, and even some American scandals to see bribery history and then explore whether the Qatari "gift" of a jet is a bribe.By Bel Aves

1
The Roots of the Imperial Presidency 40:33

25d ago40:33

40:33

What has Congress done in the past four months? Now, what has the executive tried to do? This is an illustration of a century long process of power to the executive. We trace this evolution's historical roots.By Bel Aves

1
Belisarius and the Roman Empire 50:15

1M ago50:15

50:15

We are thinking about the Roman Empire! We are joined by Professor David Parnell for a discussion about Flavius Belisarius and the 6th Century Romans.By Bel Aves

1
Top Ten Diplomatic Triumphs 26:41

2M ago26:41

26:41

A few weeks ago we saw the blunders. Now the diplomatic wins ranging from ancient Egypt to the Marshall Plan.By Bel Aves

1
History vs. Nostalgia: A Tale of US Manufacturing 32:40

2M ago32:40

32:40

We compare the 1950s, and the 1980s Japanese scare to today to learn how manufacturing, as part of our economy, has changed.By Bel Aves

1
Chinese Dreams and History: An Interview with Professor Stephen R Platt 59:46

2M ago59:46

59:46

We cover the Opium Wars, the Taiping Civil War and Stephen Platt's new book: Raider. We also take a look at current China.By Bel Aves

1
Readying for Surrender: The Lack of Money and Decline of Military Power in History 31:14

2M ago31:14

31:14

We look at 17th century Spain as an example of how a great power can decline and fail when it takes on too much debt. A lesson for the US.By Bel Aves

1
Perversions of History: The Platforming of Darryl Cooper and Martyr Made 34:00

2M ago34:00

34:00

History denigrating the United States, celebrating dictators and crafting false and misleading narratives used to be the purview of the left. Now we have it on the right.By Bel Aves

1
Movies from the 1990s and Today 54:22

3M ago54:22

54:22

We compare the 1995 Best Picture Oscars with 2025. Then my brother Chris and I ask the question: What the heck happened?By Bel Aves

1
Top Ten Diplomatic Blunders in History 31:19

3M ago31:19

31:19

Think the Oval Office imbroglio with Zelensky, Vance and Trump was bad? We have at least ten worse diplomatic blunders.By Bel Aves

1
Bouncing Back: History Shows the Democrats Could Rebound Quickly 20:56

3M ago20:56

20:56

Amidst lots of boasting among MAGA this is a warning against hubris. We have seen "permanent" majorities be not so permanent.By Bel Aves

1
Revisiting the Crusades 27:39

3M ago27:39

27:39

Were the crusades about liberating the holy land, the clash of Christianity vs. Islam, or western colonization? We explore all these views and provide a descriptor of some key events.By Bel Aves

1
Overreach: The Role of Executive Power 31:18

4M ago31:18

31:18

We explore the inaugural addresses of Cleveland, Coolidge, FDR, Reagan and more recent presidents to understand the role of executive power.By Bel Aves

1
Trade Wind-bags: A Tale of Three Tariffs 32:12

4M ago32:12

32:12

We look at the 1890 McKinley Tariff, 1930 Smoot Hawley (anyone?) and Trump's Tariff schemes.By Bel Aves

1
The Perils of Single Person Rule 20:59

4M ago20:59

20:59

Our Republic was built to resist single person rule in the guise of monarchs or cults. We go to medieval England and meet Henry III then move to the present to illustrate this point.By Bel Aves

1
California Dreamin': A History of LA 44:41

4M ago44:41

44:41

We explore Los Angeles' Past and take a look at its present.

1
Healthcare History and a Primer for Today 33:01

5M ago33:01

33:01

Having spent 12 years marketing to the Healthcare Industry, I am astonished how little Americans know of this system. Providing history and a primer to help.By Bel Aves

1
Top Five Historical Events of 2024 33:36

5M ago33:36

33:36

What are the most influential figures, trends or events that future historians will look back on from this past year? We assemble a list as the most important of 2024.By Bel Aves

1
The Dates of Christmas 12:35

5M ago12:35

12:35

In this episode we explore the date of Jesus' birth and what keeping Christmas means.By Bel Aves

1
Top Ten Most Influential Figures of the Ancient World 25:19

6M ago25:19

25:19

We go back prior to the 500s to find the most influential historical figures. Confucius, Cyrus and Jesus all make the list.By Bel Aves

1
Bloody Anti-Capitalism 42:17

6M ago42:17

42:17

Beneath the horror of the murder of healthcare CEO Brian Thompson lies a virulent anti-capitalism. We look at our healthcare system, and the incredible value of capitalism.By Bel Aves

1
Lies My Liberal Teacher Told Me: An Interview with Prof. Wilfred Reilly 58:02

6M ago58:02

58:02

We cover everything from academic myths to Prof. Reilly's move to the right to Gladiator II. Come for the myth breaking, stay for some provocative takes.By Bel Aves

1
Inside Job 34:08

6M ago34:08

34:08

The leviathan that is our federal government is too big for outsider, learn on the job types. If you want real reform, you need willing insiders who know how to get things done. We look at Martin Luther, Diocletian and Steve Jobs to see why.By Bel Aves

1
Fourteen Historical Takeaways from the 2024 Election 33:14

7M ago33:14

33:14

We look at the recently completed 2024 election through a historical prism.By Bel Aves

1
Movies: Future Tense 53:13

7M ago53:13

53:13

For a break from politics I am joined by my brother Chris for a discussion of FUTURE movies, ones on Earth, dystopian, and truly alien.

1
Too Close to Call: Seven Close American Elections 43:05

7M ago43:05

43:05

2024 will be a very close election. We look at seven different presidential contests that were won with razor thin margins.By Bel Aves

1
A Brief History of Rent Control 37:14

7M ago37:14

37:14

We go back to the end of the WWI to begin a tale of a "temporary" rent control, that is now over 100 years old.By Bel Aves

1
Columbus vs. Indigenous Peoples Day 32:06

8M ago32:06

32:06

Get ready to rumble! It is a throwdown between two holidays vying for the same day. We look at the history of both and the real reasons the left wants Indigenous Peoples Day in, and Columbus out.By Bel Aves

1
America is Not Rome 43:17

8M ago43:17

43:17

Writers, journalists and historians often compare Rome to modern day America. Though there are definite similarities, and lessons to be learned, these claims are false.By Bel Aves

1
Dune and the Most Influential Man in History 24:18

8M ago24:18

24:18

We compare the book and movie Dune with a certain 7th century historical figure who uniquely founded a great religion and a world empire.By Bel Aves

1
Buchanan vs. Reagan: The Fight for the Soul of the Right: Part Two – Bad Politics 59:42

8M ago59:42

59:42

The GOP is at a crossroads. We look to two figures who define the choices. We look at Buchanan's politics, their influence on the current GOP, and Reagan's views for perspective.By Bel Aves

1
Buchanan vs. Reagan: The Fight for the Soul of the Right: Part One – Bad History 32:52

8M ago32:52

32:52

The GOP is at a crossroad. We look to two figures who define the divide. We start with Buchanan's revisionist history to gain insights.By Bel Aves

1
Russian Endgames 32:34

9M ago32:34

32:34

Russian history is about the country losing in the short term, and winning in the long term.By Bel Aves

1
Heroes and Villains of World War II 34:29

9M ago34:29

34:29

Spawned by a guest on Tucker Carlson's show, there is a debate that Churchill was the villain of World War II or least morally equivalent with Hitler. This podcast refutes this rubbish and proposes Carlson's true intentions.By Bel Aves

1
Imbibing Them Vibes: (Other) Times When Our Politics Were Dumb 39:45

9M ago39:45

39:45

You feelin them good vibrations? I'm not. A look through American History for them good vibes!By Bel Aves

1
The Decline of Minds and Empires 42:03

9M ago42:03

42:03

We look at the Chinese Tang Dynasty - and Joe Biden's Mind - and look at those factors that determine the decline of our American Republic.By Bel Aves

1
Elites and Today's Politics 37:17

10M ago37:17

37:17

Everyone is railing against the elites, but those pointing figures are notably among the ... elite. Where does this emanate and what does this mean for our politics.By Bel Aves

1
The Nightmare of Assassinations 35:31

11M ago35:31

35:31

The tragedy of this past weekend in which Corey Comperatore was killed, and former President Trump nearly so, illustrates that assassinations are again with us. This is a brief history of assassinations, motivations and how it applies to war.By Bel Aves

1
Should Have Been Better: Historical Movies that Fell Flat 1:03:02

11M ago1:03:02

1:03:02

Joined by my brother Chris, we look at Unbroken, The Longest Day, and Napoleon. We also look at a few others including Dune and Opperheimer.By Bel Aves

1
The American Revolution Was Exceptional 31:34

11M ago31:34

31:34

We look at four different aspects of four different revolutions (American, French, Chinese, Russian) to learn what makes the American Revolution exceptional.By Bel Aves

1
The Purpose of the American Revolution 32:01

11M ago32:01

32:01

We explore what is, and what is not, the purpose of the American Revolution. We hear from Patrick Henry, Thomas Paine, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.By Bel Aves

1
The British Go South: A Story of the American War for Independence 31:03

12M ago31:03

31:03

We look at the later years of the American Revolution including the British Southern Strategy.By Bel Aves

1
Seven Reasons to Keep the Electoral College 42:10

12M ago42:10

42:10

It is a presidental election year so once again the Electoral College is under fire. We explore the reasons to keep the college, and the true motivations behind those who wish to remove it.By Bel Aves

1
Conservative Bookshelf - Volume 2 46:20

12M ago46:20

46:20

From Cahill to Tuchman, from McCullough to Roberts we provide a series of authors and books to fill your bookshelves, and your minds, with great history.By Bel Aves

1
Flags of our (Founding) Fathers 29:54

1y ago29:54

29:54

We provide a brief history of flags including ones from the Revolution, their symbolism, and why a Supreme Court Justice flag controversy is about a lot more than flags.By Bel Aves

1
Memorial Day 14:08

1y ago14:08

14:08

Posted annually on this critical day, we explore the meaning of Memorial Day and here from those who gave "the last full measure of devotion" so that we can enjoy our lives.By Bel Aves

1
Congressional Kerfuffles, Catholicism, and the Kansas City Kicker 30:56

1y ago30:56

30:56

What do fights between members of Congress and Kansas City Kickers have in common? We explore the arguments of the roles of women in our society.By Bel Aves

1
Settler Colonialism Through History 32:17

1y ago32:17

32:17

A significant part of the protests roiling our campuses, and university history courses involve Settler Colonialism. We explore the history of this concept and see how it fits into today's discourse.By Bel Aves