Were hunter-gatherer societies among the most equal in history? What impact did the French and American Revolutions have on the concept of equality? And has equality been on the retreat over the past three decades? Darrin M McMahon, author of Equality: The History of an Elusive Idea, talks to Spencer Mizen about humanity's enduring obsession with egalitarianism.\n\n(Ad) Darrin M McMahon is the author of Equality: The History of an Elusive Idea (Bonnier, 2024). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-HistoryiPad&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fequality%2Fdarrin-mcmahon%2F9781804186831)\n\nThe HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices