Podcasts · The Winston Marshall Show

The Post-WW2 Global Order and Why It’s Now Falling Apart - Historian James Holland

27 Oct 2026 · 2 h 07 min · S1 E213

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In this episode of The Winston Marshall Show, I sit down with bestselling historian James Holland to explore how the Second World War transformed the global order and whether the world built in 1945 is now falling apart. We discuss the rise and fall of the British Empire, the competing visions of Woodrow Wilson and Franklin D. Roosevelt, Churchill’s wartime leadership and the creation of the rules-based international order. We also debate the legacy of American power, the failures of modern political leadership, the decline of Britain and whether the West is abandoning the very principles that made it prosperous. As the post-war settlement comes under increasing strain, I ask James whether the world is heading towards a new era of global instability.

RECORD ON 3RD SEPTEMBER 2026

WATCH THE EXTENDED CONVERSATION HERE: https://www.winstonmarshall.co.uk/

Chapters

00:00 The World Before 1945

03:31 How the British Empire Dominated the World

09:07 Woodrow Wilson & the Birth of a New World Order

15:00 The Origins of the Rules-Based International Order

20:00 How Empires Shaped the Modern World

24:20 National Self-Determination & the Treaty of Versailles

27:19 Roosevelt's Vision for the Post-War World

33:57 Has the Post-War World Order Been a Success?

39:19 Why Ideology Can Be So Dangerous

43:00 Roosevelt, the New Deal & the American Economy

48:03 Why Defence Spending Isn't a Waste of Money

51:11 The Lessons of the Great Depression

54:55 Government Debt, Investment & Economic Growth

01:00:00 Why Britain Needs Pragmatism, Not Ideology

01:03:11 Have We Forgotten the Good of the British Empire?

01:09:05 What Britain Has Lost

01:12:00 Churchill, Roosevelt & the Four Freedoms

01:15:00 How James Holland Would Rebuild Britain's Military

01:18:42 Britain's Energy Crisis & National Infrastructure

01:21:06 Are We Already at War With Russia?

01:24:17 Has Britain Become Over-regulated?

01:27:05 Brexit, Immigration & Britain's Future

01:30:00 How America Became the World's Dominant Superpower

01:33:11 Truman, Hiroshima & the Atomic Bomb

01:36:00 Christianity & the Foundations of Western Democracy

01:39:43 Why British Communities Have Fallen Apart

01:42:12 Why Britain Abandoned Its Empire

01:45:00 What Does It Really Mean to Be British?

01:48:08 Why Churchill Refused to Surrender

01:51:02 Are British Schools Teaching History Properly?

01:54:09 The Crusades & How We Judge the Past

01:58:27 Was the British Empire Really Evil?

The episode on the publisher’s site ↗ (opens in a new tab)