About this episode
Rutger Bregman discusses how small groups of committed citizens can change the world, drawing on historical examples.
Dutch historian Rutger Bregman gives the second of his 2025 Reith Lectures, called "Moral Revolution." History, he says can be "a reservoir of hope." He outlines how small groups of people have changed the course of history such as Elizabeth Fry, who brought compassion into the prison system; Emmeline Pankhurst and the suffragettes who won the vote for women and Norman Borlaug, whose Green Revolution saved millions from famine. And he argues that this is as relevant now as it ever was: that small groups of committed citizens can still change the world. The Reith Lectures are presented by Anita Anand and the programme was recorded in front of an audience in Liverpool, who asked questions afterwards. The series is produced by Jim Frank. The Editor is Clare Fordham. The programmes are mixed by Neil Churchill.
People in this episode
Host: Anita Anand
Guest: Rutger Bregman
Topics covered
- moral revolution
- history
- social change
- activism
- suffrage
- compassion
Keywords
- moral revolution
- Rutger Bregman
- history
- activism
- suffragettes
- compassion
- social change
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: BBC Radio 4
Places: Liverpool
More episodes of The Reith Lectures
- 4. Fighting for Humanity in the Age of the Machine. · December 16, 2025 · 57 min
- 3. A conspiracy of decency · December 9, 2025 · 57 min
- 1. A Time of Monsters · November 25, 2025 · 58 min
- Moral Maze debate: Rutger Bregman’s call for a moral revolution · November 25, 2025 · 57 min
- Can we change violent minds? · December 17, 2024 · 58 min
- Does Trauma Cause Violence? · December 10, 2024 · 58 min
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