November 29, 2023 • 15 mins
Welcome to 'Double Helix: Blueprint of Nations,' the podcast where we explore the stories that have shaped the very fabric of nations through the annals of history. We analyze pivotal events that have left an indelible mark, shaping the ideologies and behaviors of countries. From revolutions to treaties, conflicts to triumphs, we delve into the historical blueprints that continue to influence the way nations think and act today. I'm your host, Paul De La Rosa, inviting you on a journey through time to uncover the profound impact of the past on our present world., inviting you on a journey through time to uncover the profound impact of the past on our present world.
Have feedback? Send us a Text and Interact with us!
Twitter: @HistoryHelix
BlueSky: @historyhelix.bsky.social
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/Doublehelixhistory
Instagram: History_Helix
Email: DoubleHelixHistorypodcast@gmail.com
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hey, how are you?
So you're tuning in for thefirst time and you're trying to
figure out what is this doublehelix blueprint of nations all
about?
So I'll tell you.
One day I was having dinnerwith my family and one of my
curious kids asked me somethingthat stopped me cold and made me
(00:22):
start thinking of otherquestions.
They asked why is Germany soobsessed with efficiency?
I sat there for a minute and Irealized that there were similar
questions about every singlecountry in the world.
For instance, why does Japanprioritize collective harmony
(00:44):
over individual expression?
Why do Americans seem tobelieve they can reinvent
themselves at will, while theBritish are still having
conversations about class?
That began centuries ago?
And so I realize these are notjust cultural quirks, they're
not accidents of geography orrandom social habits that
(01:07):
somehow stuck around.
These are like psychologicalfingerprints left by specific
historical moments thatfundamentally rewired how entire
societies think aboutthemselves and the world, and
because of that I came up with aconcept of a show.
(01:27):
So here it is.
You know how they say you can'tunderstand someone until you
walk a mile in their shoes.
Well, I'd argue, you can'tunderstand a nation until you've
walked through its history, notjust the highlight reel or the
sanitized version you find intextbooks.
(01:47):
I mean really getting into itsDNA, those defining moments that
shaped everything that cameafter, those moments where paths
were chosen, where decisionswere made in palaces and
backrooms and city streets thatchanged the course of millions
of lives.
I'm your host, paul, and thisis Double Helix Blueprint of
(02:09):
Nations, where we unravel thegenetic code of countries to
their most transformativemoments.
Think of it like ancestrytesting, but for entire nations.
We dig deep into the historicalDNA, finding those crucial
moments that made countries whothey are today.
Hey everyone, my name is PaulDe La Rosa and, as you just
(02:42):
heard, this is Double HelixBlueprint of Nations, a podcast
where we will decode thehistorical DNA that makes
countries who they are today.
So the first question, naturally, is why am I doing this?
First, let me start by beingcompletely upfront with you.
I am not a professionalhistorian.
(03:04):
I don't have a PhD, I don'tteach at a university and I'm
not affiliated with an academicinstitution.
Please don't turn it off.
I am going to tell you that Iam just someone who is
absolutely fascinated by historyand found myself falling down
rabbit holes of research abouthow specific moments shaped
(03:24):
entire nations.
This podcast started as apersonal outlet and as an
inspiration from someone else.
First, the inspiration when Iwas in high school, I had a
wonderful history teacher, drMilton.
He was an amazing storyteller.
He would take us into theEngland of Henry VIII.
(03:44):
He was an amazing storyteller.
He would take us into theEngland of Henry VIII and make
us feel like we were there withhim.
He would walk us through theBattle of Britain as if we had
been in London during the Blitz.
And so the love that I alreadyhad for history was joined by a
passion for hearing it told in away that made it relevant and
(04:05):
real.
And then, as I grew older, Itook a look at my kids and
indeed many other people who areabsolutely despondent and
detest history and they say it'sbecause it's boring, it's just
a bunch of dates and I realizedthat the way it was being taught
to them was absolutely wrong.
Something had to be done.
I would also find myselfreading about some historical
(04:28):
event, maybe after watching amovie or a show, and I would get
obsessed with understanding notjust what happened, but why it
still matters today.
Why does that moment continueto influence how people think
and act decades or evencenturies later, and so this
concept of Double Helix was bornfundamentally as a labor of
(04:50):
love.
I do all the research, all thewriting, all the producing, all
the hosting.
It is my hobby and, like somehobbies, it maybe is getting
completely out of hand, butthat's okay.
I love every minute of it.
My goal is to share thesestories with people who might be
as fascinated by them as I amand maybe learn something new
(05:12):
together in the process.
We're aiming to releaseepisodes every other week,
though if I'm really feelinginspired and the research is
flowing, we might go weekly fora stretch.
And so what are we doing here?
I want you to think of this showlike ancestry testing, but for
entire nations.
As I said in the intro, youknow how a genetic test can tell
(05:33):
you that maybe 23% of your DNAcomes from Ireland, 31% from
West Africa, 12% from theMediterranean.
Well, we're doing somethingsimilar, but instead of tracing
genetic markers, we're tracinghistorical moments that left
permanent marks on nationalcharacter.
I believe that every countryhas its own psychological DNA, a
(05:59):
unique combination of definingexperiences that shape how it
sees itself, how it relates toother nations and how it
responds to crisis, and how itresponds to crisis and, just
like biological DNA, thisnational character gets passed
down through generations,influencing decisions by people
who weren't even alive when theoriginal moment happened.
And here's the thing Likebiological DNA, historical DNA
(06:25):
can be understood.
We can trace exactly when andhow these national
characteristics form.
We can pinpoint the momentswhen paths were chosen, when
possibilities were closed off,when entire societies
collectively decided,consciously or not, who they
were going to be.
Now these transformative momentscome in all shapes and sizes.
(06:47):
Sometimes it's a devastatingwar that reshapes everything,
like the American Civil War,which didn't just end slavery
but also established lastingpatterns about federal power,
racial dynamics and regionalidentity that still influence
American politics to this day.
Sometimes it's a culturalexplosion that creates new ways
(07:08):
of being, like Jamaica's ReggaeRevolution, which became a form
of cultural independence thatinfluenced how the entire world
thinks about post-colonialidentity.
An economic collapse, maybe areligious reformation or a
colonial encounter, or evensomething as seemingly simple as
(07:37):
four teenagers from Liverpoolstarting a band that
fundamentally changes how theircountry projects itself to the
world.
The common thread isn't thetype of event or the person.
It's that these moments createdlasting psychological patterns
that continue to influence how anation behaves and sometimes
how it feels about itself andthe rest of the world.
(07:58):
So we're going to tell thesestories through various types of
episodes.
Some of our episodes are goingto be standalone deep dives into
a single transformative momentor an individual.
Others are multi-part seriesthat trace how one event rippled
through decades or centuries ofnational development.
To start off, I will cover somekey civil conflicts around the
(08:19):
world, starting with theColombian conflict and how
decades of violence have shapedmodern Colombian identity.
We will also revisit theAmerican Civil War, where we are
going to learn about how itinfluences American politics to
this day.
We'll talk about the Rwandangenocide and how a nation can
fracture so completely that itseems like rebuilding is
(08:41):
impossible afterwards, and somuch more.
So please tune in as theepisodes begin flowing.
Each series and each episodewill take you deep into the
historical moment.
Trying to use detailedstorytelling, I want you to feel
like you're there in the room,like Dr Milton used to make me
feel, like you're on thebattlefield when the national
(09:03):
character was forged or in thestreets where the cultural
movement began.
But we will always try to beaccurate with our facts and our
history.
We'll also we'll always try toconnect those moments to their
long-term consequences today,showing how a single day or year
or decision continues toinfluence national behavior
(09:24):
decades or centuries later, toshow we'll have a global scope.
We're not limiting ourselves toany particular region or time.
The goal is to understand howtransformative moments work
across all human societies, sowe'll be traveling everywhere
from ancient empires to moderndemocracies, from tiny island
nations to continental powers,from societies that successfully
(09:47):
navigated major transitions tothose who were torn apart by
them.
I will say now, though, that alot of our history will be from
the 16th century forward,because that is when nations as
we understand them really beganto be formed.
So, with a few exceptions, ourhistory will probably stay
relatively modern.
(10:08):
Some episodes will focus oncountries that you hear about in
the news every day.
Others will explore places youmight never have considered, but
whose experience offers crucialinsights into how societies
respond to crisis, opportunityand fundamental change.
The connective tissue of all ofthese stories again, it's not
(10:28):
geography or chronology is thehuman pattern of how societies
create meaning from traumatic ortransformative experiences, and
how that meaning-making processinfluences behavior for
generations.
In addition, from time to time,we will include something
called companion episodes.
One of the things I've learnedabout history is that sometimes
(10:51):
we need to step back and buildcontext for the bigger stories.
So these episodes are shorterand focused and they only
explain the underlying conceptsthat make the main stories more
meaningful.
For example, you may not knowwhat exactly communism is and
why did it appeal to so manysocieties in the 20th century,
or how did World War I changethe basic rules of international
(11:15):
relations.
So these companion episodesaren't meant to be comprehensive
or detailed.
They're just designed to giveyou the background knowledge
that makes the main stories moreimpactful and more
understandable.
So what makes this different?
Well, first, there are lots ofgreat history podcasts out there
(11:36):
, and I listen to many of them,but most, I believe, focus on
what happened.
We are focusing on why it stillmatters.
We're not just telling thestory.
We're tracing how those storiescreate lasting psychological
patterns that continue toinfluence contemporary behavior.
We will also try to avoid thetrap of national mythology.
(11:59):
Every country has stories thatit tells about itself, heroic
narratives that explain whythey're special, why their
approach is superior, why theirvalues are universal.
We will acknowledge thosestories, but we will also try to
dig deeper, looking at howthose myths both reflect and
shape national behavior.
(12:20):
And because I'm doing this as apassionate amateur rather than
a professional academic.
Be gentle with me.
Please Send me correctionswhere needed, and obviously I
can follow my curiosity whereverit leads, spending many months
researching obscure historicalmoments just because they
fascinate me, without worryingabout whether it'll fit into an
(12:41):
established academic category orpublishing schedule.
This podcast, I think, will workbest when it's a conversation.
So if something we coverreminds you of your own family
history, of your own nation, oryou disagree with my analysis,
if there is a country and astory that you think we should
explore, please let me know.
(13:02):
You can find us atdoublehelixhistorypodcasts at
gmailcom or on social media, onX, instagram, blue Sky, facebook
.
I try to read every message andlistener suggestions often
become future episodes.
And if you find value in whatwe're doing here and like
supporting the show, please,there is a link on every episode
(13:25):
description where you can chipin and help keep this passion
project going.
Also, if you find this kind ofhistorical detective work
fascinating, here's the mostimportant thing that you can do.
You can follow the show, youcan tell others about it, rate
it, review it wherever you getyour podcast, because that is
(13:45):
how you help others discover theshow, and a growing audience
means I can invest more timeinto research and storytelling.
Oh, one last thing.
You might be wondering aboutthe name.
Why double helix?
So DNA has double helixstructures, two interconnected
(14:07):
strands that spiral around eachother carrying all the
information needed to build acomplex organism.
Similarly, national DNA has twointerconnected strands in my
mind the historical event thathappens to countries and how
those countries interpret andremember those events.
Both strands matter.
(14:27):
The same historical event cancreate completely different
national DNA, depending on howit's interpreted, remembered and
passed down to futuregenerations.
Understanding both strands,what happened and what it meant,
is how we decode the blueprintthat makes nations who they are.
(14:50):
Anyway, that's our introductionto Double Helix Blueprint of
Nations.
We've got stories from everycontinent and every century
coming up Tales of triumph,tragedy, of societies that
successfully reinventedthemselves and others that were
torn apart by change Of momentswhere individual decisions
changed the course of millionsof lives.
(15:11):
Change the course of millionsof lives.
Some will be dark, some will beinspiring, but all of them will
help us understand why nationsare the way they are today.
Until next time, I'm Paul De LaRosa.
Thank you for listening.
We will see you soon.
(15:43):
© transcript Emily Beynon.
Hey, how are you?
So you're tuning in for thefirst time and you're trying to
figure out what is this doublehelix blueprint of nations all
about?
So I'll tell you.
One day I was having dinnerwith my family and one of my
curious kids asked me somethingthat stopped me cold and made me
(00:22):
start thinking of otherquestions.
They asked why is Germany soobsessed with efficiency?
I sat there for a minute and Irealized that there were similar
questions about every singlecountry in the world.
For instance, why does Japanprioritize collective harmony
(00:44):
over individual expression?
Why do Americans seem tobelieve they can reinvent
themselves at will, while theBritish are still having
conversations about class?
That began centuries ago?
And so I realize these are notjust cultural quirks, they're
not accidents of geography orrandom social habits that
(01:07):
somehow stuck around.
These are like psychologicalfingerprints left by specific
historical moments thatfundamentally rewired how entire
societies think aboutthemselves and the world, and
because of that I came up with aconcept of a show.
(01:27):
So here it is.
You know how they say you can'tunderstand someone until you
walk a mile in their shoes.
Well, I'd argue, you can'tunderstand a nation until you've
walked through its history, notjust the highlight reel or the
sanitized version you find intextbooks.
(01:47):
I mean really getting into itsDNA, those defining moments that
shaped everything that cameafter, those moments where paths
were chosen, where decisionswere made in palaces and
backrooms and city streets thatchanged the course of millions
of lives.
I'm your host, paul, and thisis Double Helix Blueprint of
(02:09):
Nations, where we unravel thegenetic code of countries to
their most transformativemoments.
Think of it like ancestrytesting, but for entire nations.
We dig deep into the historicalDNA, finding those crucial
moments that made countries whothey are today.
Hey everyone, my name is PaulDe La Rosa and, as you just
(02:42):
heard, this is Double HelixBlueprint of Nations, a podcast
where we will decode thehistorical DNA that makes
countries who they are today.
So the first question, naturally, is why am I doing this?
First, let me start by beingcompletely upfront with you.
I am not a professionalhistorian.
(03:04):
I don't have a PhD, I don'tteach at a university and I'm
not affiliated with an academicinstitution.
Please don't turn it off.
I am going to tell you that Iam just someone who is
absolutely fascinated by historyand found myself falling down
rabbit holes of research abouthow specific moments shaped
(03:24):
entire nations.
This podcast started as apersonal outlet and as an
inspiration from someone else.
First, the inspiration when Iwas in high school, I had a
wonderful history teacher, drMilton.
He was an amazing storyteller.
He would take us into theEngland of Henry VIII.
(03:44):
He was an amazing storyteller.
He would take us into theEngland of Henry VIII and make
us feel like we were there withhim.
He would walk us through theBattle of Britain as if we had
been in London during the Blitz.
And so the love that I alreadyhad for history was joined by a
passion for hearing it told in away that made it relevant and
(04:05):
real.
And then, as I grew older, Itook a look at my kids and
indeed many other people who areabsolutely despondent and
detest history and they say it'sbecause it's boring, it's just
a bunch of dates and I realizedthat the way it was being taught
to them was absolutely wrong.
Something had to be done.
I would also find myselfreading about some historical
(04:28):
event, maybe after watching amovie or a show, and I would get
obsessed with understanding notjust what happened, but why it
still matters today.
Why does that moment continueto influence how people think
and act decades or evencenturies later, and so this
concept of Double Helix was bornfundamentally as a labor of
(04:50):
love.
I do all the research, all thewriting, all the producing, all
the hosting.
It is my hobby and, like somehobbies, it maybe is getting
completely out of hand, butthat's okay.
I love every minute of it.
My goal is to share thesestories with people who might be
as fascinated by them as I amand maybe learn something new
(05:12):
together in the process.
We're aiming to releaseepisodes every other week,
though if I'm really feelinginspired and the research is
flowing, we might go weekly fora stretch.
And so what are we doing here?
I want you to think of this showlike ancestry testing, but for
entire nations.
As I said in the intro, youknow how a genetic test can tell
(05:33):
you that maybe 23% of your DNAcomes from Ireland, 31% from
West Africa, 12% from theMediterranean.
Well, we're doing somethingsimilar, but instead of tracing
genetic markers, we're tracinghistorical moments that left
permanent marks on nationalcharacter.
I believe that every countryhas its own psychological DNA, a
(05:59):
unique combination of definingexperiences that shape how it
sees itself, how it relates toother nations and how it
responds to crisis, and how itresponds to crisis and, just
like biological DNA, thisnational character gets passed
down through generations,influencing decisions by people
who weren't even alive when theoriginal moment happened.
And here's the thing Likebiological DNA, historical DNA
(06:25):
can be understood.
We can trace exactly when andhow these national
characteristics form.
We can pinpoint the momentswhen paths were chosen, when
possibilities were closed off,when entire societies
collectively decided,consciously or not, who they
were going to be.
Now these transformative momentscome in all shapes and sizes.
(06:47):
Sometimes it's a devastatingwar that reshapes everything,
like the American Civil War,which didn't just end slavery
but also established lastingpatterns about federal power,
racial dynamics and regionalidentity that still influence
American politics to this day.
Sometimes it's a culturalexplosion that creates new ways
(07:08):
of being, like Jamaica's ReggaeRevolution, which became a form
of cultural independence thatinfluenced how the entire world
thinks about post-colonialidentity.
An economic collapse, maybe areligious reformation or a
colonial encounter, or evensomething as seemingly simple as
(07:37):
four teenagers from Liverpoolstarting a band that
fundamentally changes how theircountry projects itself to the
world.
The common thread isn't thetype of event or the person.
It's that these moments createdlasting psychological patterns
that continue to influence how anation behaves and sometimes
how it feels about itself andthe rest of the world.
(07:58):
So we're going to tell thesestories through various types of
episodes.
Some of our episodes are goingto be standalone deep dives into
a single transformative momentor an individual.
Others are multi-part seriesthat trace how one event rippled
through decades or centuries ofnational development.
To start off, I will cover somekey civil conflicts around the
(08:19):
world, starting with theColombian conflict and how
decades of violence have shapedmodern Colombian identity.
We will also revisit theAmerican Civil War, where we are
going to learn about how itinfluences American politics to
this day.
We'll talk about the Rwandangenocide and how a nation can
fracture so completely that itseems like rebuilding is
(08:41):
impossible afterwards, and somuch more.
So please tune in as theepisodes begin flowing.
Each series and each episodewill take you deep into the
historical moment.
Trying to use detailedstorytelling, I want you to feel
like you're there in the room,like Dr Milton used to make me
feel, like you're on thebattlefield when the national
(09:03):
character was forged or in thestreets where the cultural
movement began.
But we will always try to beaccurate with our facts and our
history.
We'll also we'll always try toconnect those moments to their
long-term consequences today,showing how a single day or year
or decision continues toinfluence national behavior
(09:24):
decades or centuries later, toshow we'll have a global scope.
We're not limiting ourselves toany particular region or time.
The goal is to understand howtransformative moments work
across all human societies, sowe'll be traveling everywhere
from ancient empires to moderndemocracies, from tiny island
nations to continental powers,from societies that successfully
(09:47):
navigated major transitions tothose who were torn apart by
them.
I will say now, though, that alot of our history will be from
the 16th century forward,because that is when nations as
we understand them really beganto be formed.
So, with a few exceptions, ourhistory will probably stay
relatively modern.
(10:08):
Some episodes will focus oncountries that you hear about in
the news every day.
Others will explore places youmight never have considered, but
whose experience offers crucialinsights into how societies
respond to crisis, opportunityand fundamental change.
The connective tissue of all ofthese stories again, it's not
(10:28):
geography or chronology is thehuman pattern of how societies
create meaning from traumatic ortransformative experiences, and
how that meaning-making processinfluences behavior for
generations.
In addition, from time to time,we will include something
called companion episodes.
One of the things I've learnedabout history is that sometimes
(10:51):
we need to step back and buildcontext for the bigger stories.
So these episodes are shorterand focused and they only
explain the underlying conceptsthat make the main stories more
meaningful.
For example, you may not knowwhat exactly communism is and
why did it appeal to so manysocieties in the 20th century,
or how did World War I changethe basic rules of international
(11:15):
relations.
So these companion episodesaren't meant to be comprehensive
or detailed.
They're just designed to giveyou the background knowledge
that makes the main stories moreimpactful and more
understandable.
So what makes this different?
Well, first, there are lots ofgreat history podcasts out there
(11:36):
, and I listen to many of them,but most, I believe, focus on
what happened.
We are focusing on why it stillmatters.
We're not just telling thestory.
We're tracing how those storiescreate lasting psychological
patterns that continue toinfluence contemporary behavior.
We will also try to avoid thetrap of national mythology.
(11:59):
Every country has stories thatit tells about itself, heroic
narratives that explain whythey're special, why their
approach is superior, why theirvalues are universal.
We will acknowledge thosestories, but we will also try to
dig deeper, looking at howthose myths both reflect and
shape national behavior.
(12:20):
And because I'm doing this as apassionate amateur rather than
a professional academic.
Be gentle with me.
Please Send me correctionswhere needed, and obviously I
can follow my curiosity whereverit leads, spending many months
researching obscure historicalmoments just because they
fascinate me, without worryingabout whether it'll fit into an
(12:41):
established academic category orpublishing schedule.
This podcast, I think, will workbest when it's a conversation.
So if something we coverreminds you of your own family
history, of your own nation, oryou disagree with my analysis,
if there is a country and astory that you think we should
explore, please let me know.
(13:02):
You can find us atdoublehelixhistorypodcasts at
gmailcom or on social media, onX, instagram, blue Sky, facebook
.
I try to read every message andlistener suggestions often
become future episodes.
And if you find value in whatwe're doing here and like
supporting the show, please,there is a link on every episode
(13:25):
description where you can chipin and help keep this passion
project going.
Also, if you find this kind ofhistorical detective work
fascinating, here's the mostimportant thing that you can do.
You can follow the show, youcan tell others about it, rate
it, review it wherever you getyour podcast, because that is
(13:45):
how you help others discover theshow, and a growing audience
means I can invest more timeinto research and storytelling.
Oh, one last thing.
You might be wondering aboutthe name.
Why double helix?
So DNA has double helixstructures, two interconnected
(14:07):
strands that spiral around eachother carrying all the
information needed to build acomplex organism.
Similarly, national DNA has twointerconnected strands in my
mind the historical event thathappens to countries and how
those countries interpret andremember those events.
Both strands matter.
(14:27):
The same historical event cancreate completely different
national DNA, depending on howit's interpreted, remembered and
passed down to futuregenerations.
Understanding both strands,what happened and what it meant,
is how we decode the blueprintthat makes nations who they are.
(14:50):
Anyway, that's our introductionto Double Helix Blueprint of
Nations.
We've got stories from everycontinent and every century
coming up Tales of triumph,tragedy, of societies that
successfully reinventedthemselves and others that were
torn apart by change Of momentswhere individual decisions
changed the course of millionsof lives.
(15:11):
Change the course of millionsof lives.
Some will be dark, some will beinspiring, but all of them will
help us understand why nationsare the way they are today.
Until next time, I'm Paul De LaRosa.
Thank you for listening.
We will see you soon.
(15:43):
© transcript Emily Beynon.
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