Abridged Presidential Histories with Kenny Ryan

25/11/2024

Happy Thanksgiving week, folks!

For the third year in a row, I hosted an American history Friendsgiving roundtable spectacular with my friends from Plodding through the Presidents, Civics & Coffee, and The Presidencies of the United States. At times silly, at times serious, it was a great conversation. Check it out the discussion below, and then check out their excellent podcasts this holiday season.

https://aph.buzzsprout.com/968959/episodes/16124291-bonus-2024-friendsgiving-history-podcast-spectacular

16/11/2024

It was delayed by travel, but a new episode of APH was released this week!

George H.W. Bush presided over 4 of the most consequential years in world history. Before he entered office, a Cold War divided East and West: Democratic Capitalism vs Dictatorial Communism. After he left office, Democratic Capitalism had won. How did Bush usher in an age of American hegemony? And what role did he play in dramas ranging from the reunification of Germany to the independence of former soviet states like Russia and Ukraine?

Jeffrey Engel, Director of SMU's Center for Presidential History and author of numerous books on George H.W. Bush, including When the World Seemed New: George H.W. Bush and the End of the Cold War, discusses how Bush kept the peace without sacrificing American idealism at a time of dangerous global change.

George H.W. Bush presided over 4 of the most consequential years in world history. Before he entered office, a Cold War divided East and West: Democratic Capitalism vs Dictatorial Communism. After he left office, Democratic Capitalism had won. How...

21/10/2024

The next episode of APH will be delayed, possibly to November.

The episode is recorded and edited and ready to upload, but I’m traveling through Nov. 6 and have been unable to find strong enough wifi to post the episode.

So please bear with me. It may just appear magically one day if I find good enough wifi, or it may not be available until I am home from my travels.

In the meantime, please read up on this year’s presidential candidates, the issues that matter most to you, and where they stand on them, then go vote! And remember, you’re voting for which candidate gets a future episode of APH. So choose wisely 😄

11/10/2024

Ep. 41 of APH is now available!

‪George HW Bush lived one of the most dramatic lives in pursuit of public service & the presidency. But with the world & his party changing around him, success hinged on 1 question: What promises will you make, & what promises will you break, to realize your dreams?

https://aph.buzzsprout.com/968959/episodes/15839061-41-george-h-w-bush

03/10/2024

Doing some research for the Clinton episode 😄

Watch Saturday Night Live highlight: Campaign '92: The Race to Avoid Being the Guy Who Loses to Bush - NBC.com

24/09/2024

Had a great interview yesterday with Jeff Engel, Director of the SMU Center for Presidential History and expert on George HW Bush, discussing how Bush Sr navigated the end of the Cold War.

Can’t wait to share it!

23/09/2024

Abridged Presidential Histories has hit 500,000 downloads 🎉

It’s been a wild ride from Washington to Reagan. The modern presidencies lie ahead. I cannot wait!

21/08/2024

Pandemics, political violence, partisans recognizable by the color of their hat - it may sound novel, but it's been with us practically since the beginning of the republic. Historian Lindsay Chervinsky, author of the new book "Making the Presidency: John Adams and the Precedents That Forged the Republic," discusses the wildly volatile John Adams administration (1797-1801) and the lessons it offers as we face our modern political moment.

https://aph.buzzsprout.com/968959/15531007-2-a-john-adams-and-the-modern-presidency-an-interview-with-lindsay-chervinsky

https://www.lindsaychervinsky.com/making-the-presidency

Pandemics, political violence, partisans recognizable by the color of their hat - it may sound novel, but it's been with us practically since the beginning of the republic. Historian Lindsay Chervinsky, author of the new book Making the Presidency...

06/08/2024

For the first 50 years after the onset of the Great Depression and the election of Franklin Roosevelt, the United States was led by politicians who believed government held the power to make life better for the American people.

Then came Ronald Reagan, one of the most talented political orators in American history.

Follow along as Reagan rises from the great depression to realize his dreams in Hollywood, then takes his talents into politics, where he upends a half-century of big-government consensus and pivots the United States toward a small-government future.

https://aph.buzzsprout.com/968959/15307714-40-ronald-reagan-1981-1989

18/07/2024

Ep. 39.B of APH is now available!‬

‪ When unemployment and inflation began to rise side by side in the 1970s, nobody knew what to do. Economic theory suggested it should have been impossible, and yet the numbers couldn't be denied. Stanford Historian Jennifer Burns, author of Milton Friedman: The Last Conservative, discusses how American presidents of the 70's tried and failed to curb stagflation, what led Carter to Paul Volcker, and how Volcker's medicine may have saved the economy, but doomed Carter's presidency in the process..‬

Log in to your Buzzsprout account.

18/06/2024

Ep. 39A of APH is now available!‬

Jimmy Carter was elected with an overwhelming Democratic majority in Congress. Why then was his relationship with Congress so poor and his agenda so challenged? Author Jonathan Alter discusses how Carter’s outsider status propelled him to the presidency and undermined his administration.

When Jimmy Carter won the presidency, his Democratic party held a 61-37 majority in the Senate and a 292-143 majority in the House. Why then, with such a clear governing majority, were his relations with Congress so poor, and his agenda so challen...

03/06/2024

Ep. 39 of APH is now available!‬

‪Jimmy Carter may have been the luckiest presidential candidate and unluckiest president in American history. Seeking the highest office after Watergate, Carter's outsider message was the right note at the right time. But once in office, a combination of economic headwinds and international disasters doomed his administration. From Plains, Georgia, to the White House and back, follow along as Carter navigates southern politics and national disenchantment to try and set the nation on a path for the future.

https://aph.buzzsprout.com/968959/15013965-39-jimmy-carter

27/05/2024

Thank you for the 5-⭐️ review, Sir Knee!

16/04/2024

Ep. 38 of APH is now available!‬

‪Gerald Ford is the only person in US history to become VP & President without being elected to either post. Despite this, he was a popular president - for 1 month. But then he pardoned Nixon and the national backlash put his agenda and his political future in peril.

https://aph.buzzsprout.com/968959/14701842-38-gerald-ford-1974-1977

10/04/2024

It didn't take long for Richard Nixon to earn the nickname "Tricky Dick," but was he really any more tricky than the typical politician? You bet he was!

John Farrell, author of Richard Nixon, The Life, discusses the many campaigns of Richard Nixon, from the red scare tactics that swept him to office, to the southern strategy that changed America's political map forever.

It didn't take long for Richard Nixon to earn the nickname "Tricky Dick," but was he really any more tricky than the typical politician? You bet he was! John Farrell, a long-time journalist and author of numerous books on political leaders, includ...

05/04/2024

I just wrapped up a great interview with John Farrell, author of “Richard Nixon, The Life,” on the conflicting altruistic and competitive drives behind Nixon’s political career, the campaigns that made him “Tricky Dick,” and the development and legacy of Nixon’s Southern Strategy.

My goal is to turn this around and publish it by Monday. It’ll be a good one!

31/03/2024

Has any president since Richard Nixon signed as much progressive legislation as Richard Nixon? Historian Luke Nichter joins me to discuss the surprising domestic achievements of Richard Nixon

From Yorktown to the Civil War, Pearl Harbor to 9/11, discover the pivotal moments that defined each president's life and legacy and the lessons we can draw from them. New episodes available the 1st and 3rd Mondays of each month.

31/03/2024

No new episode tomorrow, but there will be one next Monday and the Monday after that!