This episode is part of the "Authoritarianism 101" project, produced by the American Historical Review for the #AHRSyllbus series. In this episode: What are the fears that drive public support for authoritarianism? Historian Darren Dochuk discusses the context for when Joseph McCarthy first became famous at Wheeling, West Virginia, on February 9th, 1950.

This episode is part of the "Authoritarianism 101" project, produced by the American Historical Review for the #AHRSyllbus series. In this episode: How do authoritarian governments seek to discredit protests? Historian Jeffrey Wasserstrom discusses the government response to a protest movement that took place in China in 1989 centered in the heart of Beijing in Tiananmen Square.

This July marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence. In recognition of that milestone, the AHR's June 2026 issue is devoted entirely to exploring the material culture of the revolutionary era. Titled "'76 Objects," it was edited by AHA executive director Sarah Weicksel together with co-editors Ashli White, Zara Anishanslin, Kenneth Cohen, and Nathan Perl-Rosenthal. The issue itself contains more than sixty individual contributions from historians writing about particular objects connected to the history of the revolution. In this episode, Daniel speaks with Sarah about the issue, and we hear from a handful of contributors on the objects they wrote about.