Assassination! (Why Powerful People Get Killed)

Ep15.

Download • 87KB

NEW - Quizlet Flashcards: click here for link to vocabulary cards from this episode

[00:00:00.800] - Oliver (Host)

Hello and welcome back to English and Beyond Intermediate English podcast. I'm Oliver and today we're exploring something darker. A topic that exists in every culture, in every century. A subject that has changed history, sometimes with a single blade or a single bullet. Assassination, the deliberate killing of a public figure.

[00:00:26.160] - Oliver (Host)

Deliberate meaning carefully planned, not random or emotional. Assassination is usually political, often symbolic. It's not just about removing a person, it's about removing what they stand for. From ancient Rome to modern democracies, assassination has destroyed empires, started wars and created powerful stories, myths that stay in our collective memory for decades or even centuries. And even today, in our supposedly peaceful and democratic Western societies, assassination has not disappeared.

[00:01:08.340] - Oliver (Host)

It's changed shape. It's arguably more complicated, less predictable. In this episode, we'll look at some famous examples from history, talk about why assassination happens, and reflect on a relatively recent high profile case that that shocked many people. The killing of Brian Thompson, CEO of United Healthcare. But what is assassination really?

[00:01:35.680] - Oliver (Host)

Well, assassination is not the same as a regular murder. It's not random violence usually; it's planned, it's strategic, and often it's meant to send a message, not just to kill. In many cases, the goal is not only to kill the person, but but to destroy what they represent: a government, a movement, an idea. That's why assassination is often used as a tool of power. Sometimes it's done to take control, sometimes it's for revenge, sometimes it's done by people who feel unheard and hopeless and want to make a statement when nothing else seems to work. But the thinking is almost always the same: take out a leader and maybe, maybe the system behind them will collapse.

[00:02:29.790] - Oliver (Host)

To understand the impact of assassination, let's look at some of the most famous and history changing examples. And we'll begin, as I often do, in Ancient Rome. Julius Caesar, 44 BC. He was stabbed by Roman senators who believed he was becoming a dictator.

[00:02:50.270] - Oliver (Host)

Someone with total, unchecked power. They hoped that by killing him, they would protect the Roman Republic, their democratic system. But it had the opposite effect. Civil war followed and within a few years, the Republic collapsed. In its place, ironically, rose the Roman Empire, ruled by autocratic emperors, essentially monarchs, kings, and not by elected leaders - that is, everything that the Romans had feared.

[00:03:22.240] - Oliver (Host)

Centuries later, in mediaeval England, another assassination would shake the balance of power, this time between church and state. We're going to look at Thomas Becket, in 1170. The Archbishop of Canterbury, one of the highest religious figures in England, was murdered inside a cathedral, after a long conflict with King Henry II. The King didn't give a direct order for his assassination, but his angry words may have inspired the killing. The collective shock was so great that Henry later allowed monks to publicly whip him at Becket's tomb. This dramatic act of penance, this self punishment designed to seek forgiveness, showed just how powerful the Church still was, even over Kings.

[00:04:16.670] - Oliver (Host)

Let's jump way forward now to the 19th century and we can see how assassination deeply affects a country in transition. Abraham Lincoln, in 1865. He was shot just as the American Civil War was ending. Lincoln had been working to reunite a divided nation, north and south, after four brutal years of fighting. His assassination didn't just remove a leader, it slowed the healing process, and many say the political and emotional wounds of that moment can still be felt in parts of the USA today. Sometimes an assassination doesn't just change a country, it changes the world.

[00:05:04.960] - Oliver (Host)

Archduke Franz Ferdinand, in 1914. He was killed in Sarajevo by a young nationalist. It may have seemed like a regional political act, but that single gunshot triggered a chain reaction, one that led to the First World War, a conflict that killed millions, destroyed empires and changed the shape of Europe and the world forever. And in the modern age, where events unfold on camera and in real time, assassination continues to leave a lasting legacy.

[00:05:41.910] - Oliver (Host)

John F. Kennedy, JFK, in 1963. He was shot in broad daylight in front of cameras, in front of the world, in fact. His death was more than just the end of a presidency. It introduced a new era of fear, suspicion and conspiracy - one that still influences how many Americans view politics and power today. These weren't just dramatic moments, they were turning points. Moments where history shifted and the future took a different path. But how has assassination changed? In the past, assassins usually went after kings, queens, emperors and other traditional rulers. They were easy to identify.

[00:06:29.970] - Oliver (Host)

They wore crowns, they gave orders, they held public ceremonies. Today, the idea of power is arguably more complicated. Assassins don't just target politicians anymore. They might attack journalists, business leaders, scientists or activists. They might act alone, without any group or army behind them.

[00:06:53.200] - Oliver (Host)

And so let's look at a recent example that many people found deeply shocking. In December 2024, a man named Luigi Mangione, just 26 years old, was arrested for killing Brian Thompson, the CEO of United Healthcare, one of the biggest healthcare companies in the world. Mangione wasn't a member of any political party. He wasn't part of a religious group or terrorist organisation. He was a wealthy young man from Maryland.

[00:07:24.700] - Oliver (Host)

And according to police, he acted alone. So why did he do it? In handwritten notes found in his home, Mangione wrote about his hatred for the healthcare system in the U.S. he called it parasitic, like a parasite, something that feeds off others and corrupt, that is dishonest and broken. His actions seemed to come from personal anger and frustration, not political strategy, not as part of a broader formal revolution.

[00:07:57.510] - Oliver (Host)

But still, they carried a strong message. Because today, power doesn't just sit in governments. It sits in corporations, in media, in the people who run big systems. And sometimes when people feel powerless or unheard of, they direct their anger at those who seem to them to have control. In today's world, we have better protection than ever before.

[00:08:24.690] - Oliver (Host)

Bodyguards, cameras, security services, intelligence agencies. And yet assassination continues. Why is that? Well, the answer is because as long as there is power, there will be conflict. Power creates admiration, but it also creates jealousy, frustration and hatred.

[00:08:47.820] - Oliver (Host)

Some assassins are cold and calculating. Others act in moments of desperation or mental instability. Some believe that they can change history. Others just want to be remembered or to make others feel their pain. In all cases, assassination shows us that human emotions, anger, fear, the need to be heard are still stronger than any system.

[00:09:14.440] - Oliver (Host)

If you look back through history, from Caesar to Kennedy, from Becket to Thompson, you see a pattern. Power attracts attention. Attention creates risk. The more visible a person is, the more vulnerable they become. We like to believe that history is logical, slow and predictable.

[00:09:36.950] - Oliver (Host)

But sometimes it changes in an instant because of a single act of violence. And when that happens, the world after can never be quite the same as the world before. Thanks for listening today. You can find the full transcript and free flashcards at www.morethanalanguage.com. it's a great way to read, learn and improve your English as you listen.

[00:10:03.210] - Oliver (Host)

And here's something to think about this week. What moment, in your opinion, would have been completely different if one person had not pulled the trigger? Thank you very much for watching and see you again next time.