Best Politics & history (other) videos, as recommended on Hacker News

22 videos about politics & history (other) that Hacker News commenters keep recommending, mentioned between 2008 and 2026. Mostly explainer, commentary, interview. Channels that come up most: CGP Grey, LastWeekTonight, withDefiance, Together Louisiana. Sorted by how consistently HN recommended them over the years.

The most recommended is Try to Rule Fairly and You'll Be Overthrown: HN treats it as the standard short summary of how power and political incentives work, applied to governments, companies and workplaces.

explainerTry to Rule Fairly and You'll Be OverthrownCGP Grey · 15 HN recommenders · 2016–2025
explainerLondon Swallowed a City but Couldn't Digest It.CGP Grey · 12 HN recommenders · 2012–2024
explainerThe UK Is a Country Made of CountriesCGP Grey · 6 HN recommenders · 2015–2023
explainerAmerica Keeps Rejecting an ID Card It Already HasCGP Grey · 14 HN recommenders · 2017–2024
explainerMost Cities Got More Democratic. This One Didn't.CGP Grey · 6 HN recommenders · 2015–2023
explainerThe Voting System That's Actually Too Good for Politicians to AllowCGP Grey · 7 HN recommenders · 2015–2021
interviewDebate Noam Chomsky & Michel Foucault - On human nature [Subtitled]withDefiance · 6 HN recommenders · 2015–2026
explainerWhy Louisiana Stays PoorTogether Louisiana · 6 HN recommenders · 2018–2024
explainerThe Voting System That Gives You Two VotesCGP Grey · 5 HN recommenders · 2012–2026
explainerRSA ANIMATE: Crises of CapitalismRoyal Society of Arts · 4 HN recommenders · 2011–2016
commentaryI'm Allowed to Rob You!Larken Rose · 4 HN recommenders · 2013–2017
explainerEvery Ruler Makes the Same Mistake When They DieCGP Grey · 3 HN recommenders · 2017–2023
explainerA Third of America Belongs to AmericaCGP Grey · 3 HN recommenders · 2018–2020
explainerIs the EU Democratic? Does Your Vote Matter?Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell · 3 HN recommenders · 2019–2022
explainerThe UK Election Results Were the Worst in HistoryCGP Grey · 3 HN recommenders · 2015–2022
commentaryStadiums: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)LastWeekTonight · 2 HN recommenders · 2016–2022
lectureLESSON 1: Do Not Obey In AdvanceTimothy Snyder · 2 HN recommenders · 2023–2025
commentaryThe Problem With Human RightsJonas Čeika - CCK Philosophy · 2 HN recommenders · 2020–2024
commentaryUSPS: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)LastWeekTonight · 3 HN recommenders · 2020–2021
explainerLiquid Democracy In Simple Termspxi · 1 HN recommender · 2015–2020
explainerThe True Cost of the Royal Family ExplainedCGP Grey · 1 HN recommender · 2013–2022
talkPolitics and Language | Noam Chomsky | Talks at GoogleTalks at Google · 1 HN recommender · 2008–2018