Diana, Princess of Wales, is one of the enduring personalities of the 20th century and has become an icon for many. She was called the people’s princess and was a worldwide celebrity. Diana had a major impact as one of the first celebrities to use her fame to promote important causes and charities. Learn how …
Continue reading WPL01062 – Princess Diana: Her Life and Impact
This lecture delves into a seldom-covered aspect of the darker side of the immigrant experience: the rise and fall of Jewish gangsters who dominated crime from the 1920s until the end of WW2. Beyond exploring famous crime figures (e.g., Bugsy Siegel, Meyer Lansky) and organizations (e.g., "Murder Inc.", "The Brownsville Boys"), we will learn about …
Continue reading WPL01132 – But They Were Good to Their Mothers: Jewish Gangster in America
In 1952, Menachem Begin—who later became Prime Minister of Israel and who shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Egypt’s Anwar Sadat in 1978—masterminded and funded an assassination attempt against West Germany’s Chancellor, Konrad Adenauer. Why he would do such a thing is the focus of this lecture. Adenauer and Moshe Sharett, Israel’s foreign minister, had …
Continue reading WPL01133 – Paying for the Holocaust: The Controversial Reparations Agreement Between Israel and West Germany, and the Plot to Kill Adenauer
From being a backward agrarian country, German became a colossus. It challenged Europe and the world. Two world wars, the Holocaust, and a remarkable post-WWII transformation make Germany one of the most interesting countries on the planet.
The world changed dramatically in 1942. The United States, up against the wall, turned the tide of war in the Pacific and went on the offensive against the Nazis. The German war against the Jews became one of mass extermination.
From being a backward agrarian country, German became a colossus. It challenged Europe and the world. Two world wars, the Holocaust, and a remarkable post-WWII transformation make Germany one of the most interesting countries on the planet.
From being a backward agrarian country, German became a colossus. It challenged Europe and the world. Two world wars, the Holocaust, and a remarkable post-WWII transformation make Germany one of the most interesting countries on the planet.
Personality counts in history. One pope, Pius XII did little. Another pope, John Paul II, did much. The Holocaust, the end of communism and a new relationship with the Jewish people were all influenced by the actions of two leaders of the Catholic Church.
