Dag Hammarskjöld & Patrice Lumumba

June 18, 2018  /  Niall Cooper

EPISODE 1.4: Dag Hammarskjöld & Patrice Lumumba

 

In this episode, we look at two men, from very different backgrounds, whose lives intersected in the crisis that engulfed the newly independent country of the Congo.

Patrice Lumumba was charismatic, and he became the face of the African liberation movement. He helped to lead his homeland from an exploited Belgian colony to an independent republic. But his dream of a free and prosperous Congo was dashed upon the rocks of foreign economic interests, local political rivalries, and ruthless Cold War scheming. Lumumba was murdered by his Congolese foes - but just who ordered and witnessed his execution?

Cool, distant, and a deep thinker, Dag Hammarskjold, the second ever Secretary-General of the United Nations, was described as the most brilliant diplomat of his generation. He took over the UN in the midst of the Cold War. As global tensions rose, Hammarskjold sought to strengthen the UN as a force for peace and dialogue. This vision was put to the test in the Congo Crisis. His effort to bring about a lasting settlement cost him his life. Killed in a plane crash, rumors swirled - then and now - about what happened. Was he murdered? And if so, by whom?

Leon Trotsky

June 04, 2018  /  Niall Cooper

EPISODE 1.3: LEON TROTSKY

 

Trotsky co-led the Russian Revolution, becoming a hero to millions of socialists and a villain to millions more who saw the Bolshevik regime as a terrible curse to befall Russia. Though he was one of the leading figures in Soviet society, Trotsky's rivalry with Joseph Stalin led to his downfall. Exiled and hounded across the world, Trotsky never gave up on his vision for a socialist future. But he knew it was only a matter of time before one of Stalin's henchmen would catch up with him and deal the fatal blow. In this episode of Assassinations Podcast, we explore the extraordinary and tragic life of Leon Trotsky and witness the brutal death of a revolutionary martyr.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand

May 18, 2018  /  Niall Cooper

EPISODE 1.2: ARCHDUKE FRANZ FERDINAND

 

This week, we explore one of the most famous assassinations of the 20th century: the murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, on the streets of Sarajevo in the summer of 1914. The assassination has been called the most important event of the 20th Century – the event that plunged Europe into the First World War. Join me as we journey from glamorous Vienna to the dingy, smoke-filled rooms of Serbian terrorists in Belgrade to uncover the mysteries behind the assassination of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. 

Grigori Rasputin

April 29, 2018  /  Niall Cooper

EPISODE 1.1: GRIGORI RASPUTIN

 

The first episode of our podcast! Join us as we explore the life and death of Grigori Rasputin, a mysterious Siberian peasant who captivated the Tsar and Tsarina of Russia. As he rose to become the most infamous man in the vast Russian empire, a cabal of powerful men plotted his bloody downfall. We sort the facts from legend to uncover the man behind the myth of the "mad monk."