After the Break: Making of the Modern World

About After the Break: Making of the Modern World

This is a show about the fall of the Great Powers and the end of the colonial system. By charting some of the formative, yet little-known, revolutionary movements of the late 19th and early 20th century we hope to make these important stories accessible in the modern day. So without further ado, please join for our first season on the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the upheavals and political dynamics that made its successor states. Podcast relaunched on August 30, 2026.

Publisher

Luke Orris

Category

history

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

16 Jan 2026

Latest episode

16 Mar 2026

Latest episodes

6 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   16 Mar 2026

   1.6 Rock Bottom

   The Ottoman state is forced to default on its foreign debt, with effects that will bring the Empire to the brink: economic crises, revolts, coups, and invasions will all fundamentally change the direction of the Ottoman Empire, as the Tanzimat goes up in smoke.

2. 

   2 Mar 2026

   1.5 The Great Reordering

   The ascension of Abdülmecid in 1839 marks a dramatic change in the direction for the Ottoman Empire, as he and his ministers begin an ambitious to remake the institutions of the state. However, even as the Sultanate embraces modern philosophies of governance it will continue to be beset by internal strife and foreign influence.

3. 

   16 Feb 2026

   1.4 The Eastern Question

   Sultan Mahmud II faces the janissaries and attempts to assert centralized rule over his realm, as the Empire is rocked by some of its greatest crises yet: Balkan separatists, Russian invasion, and the ambitious governor of Egypt, Muhammad Ali.

4. 

   16 Feb 2026

   1.3 Empire at the Crossroads

   A showdown between the progressive Sultan Selim III and reactionary elements of his court sets the stage for the next decades of Ottoman tension between top-down modernizers and the competing needs and aspirations of a complex and diverse Empire.

5. 

   16 Jan 2026

   1.2 Cracks in the Foundation

   The sprawling Empire of Suleiman the Magnificent faces the challenges and realities of a rapidly modernizing world, internal revolts, and the growing strength of the European Great Powers.

6. 

   16 Jan 2026

   1.1 Rise of the Turks

   We begin our journey to the creation of modern Turkey in the distant past, as a steppe people move from Central Asia to establish what will become the Ottoman Empire-- the most dominant power in Eastern Europe and the Middle East for centuries.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

4 ratings

Contact After the Break: Making of the Modern World

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.