WDF examines how wars broke out, how they were concluded, and their consequences. Expect juicy diplomacy, sneaky intrigue, fascinating characters, and incredible drama. By Dr Zack Twamley, qualified history nerd. Current Series: The July Crisis Patreon Series: The Age of Bismarck Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
…
continue reading
1956 - The Eventful Year is the latest history podcast project from Zack Twamley, the podder responsible for When Diplomacy Fails. 1956 is a series which examines the fascinating incidents, personalities and struggles that characterised this eventful year. It is my task and my pleasure to give you all several sample episodes from this exciting new series, where everything from the Hungarian uprising to the Suez Crisis, and many more incidents besides rocked the world and the year. For full a ...
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
#27: 25 July 1914 II - Russian to Mobilise
45:02
45:02
Spela senare
Spela senare
Listor
Gilla
Gillad
45:02
Here we address the question - now that Austria's ultimatum to Serbia had expired, and the Austrians had evacuated Belgrade, what was Russia going to do about it? The answer is as complicated as it is controversial. Russia's response revolved around military preparations; specifically, those preparations which would make the mobilisation of its eno…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
#26: 25 July 1914 I - The Last Chance for Peace?
47:47
47:47
Spela senare
Spela senare
Listor
Gilla
Gillad
47:47
By now, everyone was expecting Austria-Hungary to do something once its ultimatum expired later in the day, but what? And could this response be adjusted, and peace be preserved, if only a certain diplomatic finesse was applied? In Britain, Sir Edward Grey certainly hoped so. The solution, to him, seemed one of mediation, where the four uninvolved …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
#25: 24 July 1914 - 'It Is War This Time!'
1:08:30
1:08:30
Spela senare
Spela senare
Listor
Gilla
Gillad
1:08:30
We return to our narrative on an eventful day in world history. By the end of 24 July, Russia had established its policy towards Austria's ultimatum. But what was this policy, and why did Russia act so differently to crises in the past? We find Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Sazonov to be central to the events that transpired next. But what did Sa…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Age of Bismarck Release Date & July Crisis Update - State of the Podcast Address 23 August 2024
27:16
27:16
Spela senare
Spela senare
Listor
Gilla
Gillad
27:16
After a crazy two months, it's time we had a chat. In this episode we'll be talking about the Age of Bismarck Patreon series, which has been advertised for years, and requested for even longer. We finally have a release date, and I can't wait to welcome you all to Bismarck's world. We also talk about the July Crisis series, how it's gone for me so …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
#24: 1912-1914 - Anglo-German Relations III
1:13:00
1:13:00
Spela senare
Spela senare
Listor
Gilla
Gillad
1:13:00
By late 1912, it appeared the period of Anglo-German detente was over. The Kaiser assembled a War Council, and apparently planned for a war of domination. In fact, appearances were deceptive, and although Britain and Germany's relationship had been damaged, it was still intact. There now emerged a new opportunity to repair it, as the Balkan Wars br…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
#23: 1911-1912 - Anglo-German Relations II
1:01:13
1:01:13
Spela senare
Spela senare
Listor
Gilla
Gillad
1:01:13
By late 1911, Germany had been embarrassed by the Second Moroccan Crisis, and the Anglo-French Entente had once again rallied. We might have expected Germany to double down on its provocative naval campaign, to increase the pressure on Britain. In fact, what happened instead was the beginning of a period of Anglo-German detente. This was initiated …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
#22: 1905-1911 - Anglo-German Relations I
54:38
54:38
Spela senare
Spela senare
Listor
Gilla
Gillad
54:38
Everyone knows the story of Britain and Germany before 1914. Or at least, they think they do. Anglo-German relations following the Russo-Japanese War seemed bound to enter a period of hostility, enabled by the naval race which forced London to invest heavily in production and innovation, and produced the dreadnought as an unforeseen consequence. Bu…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
#21: 23 July 1914 - The First Ultimatum
35:47
35:47
Spela senare
Spela senare
Listor
Gilla
Gillad
35:47
Austria-Hungary finally delivered its ultimatum to Serbia nearly four weeks after the assassination of Franz Ferdinand. The journey had been incredibly slow, and the outcome was nothing like the fait accompli its statesmen had originally envisioned, but Austria had officially taken the bold step towards war. What did this infamous ultimatum contain…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
#20: 20-22 July 1914 - France In Russia
38:51
38:51
Spela senare
Spela senare
Listor
Gilla
Gillad
38:51
On 20 July, the French President, Premier, and other statesmen docked at Kronstadt, aboard the fittingly named France. It began a tremendous spectacle of Franco-Russian cooperation, just as rumours were swirling of Austria's nefarious intentions. The allies could not know for sure what Vienna was planning, but they could send some strongly worded w…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
#19: 19-22 July 1914 - Finalising Fatalism
33:17
33:17
Spela senare
Spela senare
Listor
Gilla
Gillad
33:17
As the French sailed for St Petersburg, the Austro-Hungarian government gathered in Vienna for a meeting of historic importance. It was here on 19 July 1914 that the infamous ultimatum to Serbia was finalised, but also the question of what kind of war Austria expected to fight. Shockingly, the question of Russian intervention barely registered. The…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
#18: 16-20 July 1914 - France at Sea
25:07
25:07
Spela senare
Spela senare
Listor
Gilla
Gillad
25:07
As the French President and Premier made their way to Russia, on board the France, they tried their best to keep up to date with what was happening outsides the confines of their vessel. Troubling rumours were not hard to come by, but they could not be wholly ignored. The Central Powers kept up a front of ignorance, even luring Sazonov into a false…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
#17: 15-18 July 1914 - Secrecy and Haste
54:11
54:11
Spela senare
Spela senare
Listor
Gilla
Gillad
54:11
With the Austro-Hungarian government on the same page at long last, it remained to follow through with the ultimatum. To Berchtold, this meant moving as quickly and as secretly as possible, so that once the ultimatum arrived in Serbia, Europe would be presented with a fait accompli. The Germans were similarly anxious, and emphasised the necessity o…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
#16: March-June 1914 - The Entente Part 3
57:52
57:52
Spela senare
Spela senare
Listor
Gilla
Gillad
57:52
In our final episode looking at the Entente, we bring our story up to the eve of the July Crisis. How had past lessons influenced the way Russia and France interpreted the world by spring 1914? Was war certain? Had new military reforms so affected the balance of power that war was now inevitable? What did the position of Britain mean for the two al…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
#15: Jan-March 1914 - The Entente Part 2
1:03:25
1:03:25
Spela senare
Spela senare
Listor
Gilla
Gillad
1:03:25
In our second installment of this Entente analysis, we look at the Liman von Sanders crisis. By late 1913, a new crisis in Russo-German relations centred on the status of General Liman von Sanders, appointed to command the 1st Army Corps at Constantinople. To the Germans, this was a useful way to assert their influence in the Ottoman Empire and reb…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
#14: 1912-1913 - The Entente Part 1
58:15
58:15
Spela senare
Spela senare
Listor
Gilla
Gillad
58:15
In this first of three episodes, we look at the pre-war position of the Entente! Before we bring our narrative further, it would be useful to turn our attention to what came before. The Franco-Russian alliance was formed in 1894, and over the next twenty years, the two allies experienced their share of ups and downs. Even as new crises shifted the …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
#13: 13-14 July 1914 - Berchtold Supreme
26:27
26:27
Spela senare
Spela senare
Listor
Gilla
Gillad
26:27
As Belgrade burned with rage following the death of Ambassador Hartwig, Berchtold was on the verge of his greatest triumph. After several intense weeks of pressure, Stefan Tisza seemed finally to be seeing the light. A combination of factors, including German pressure, agitation from his subordinates, fear of Romania, outrage at Serbia, and probabl…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
#12: 8-12 July 1914 - Hartwig's Last Act
45:45
45:45
Spela senare
Spela senare
Listor
Gilla
Gillad
45:45
Now that German support had been acquired, and the delivery of an ultimatum to Serbia was virtually guaranteed, Berchtold had one final mission - to persuade the Hungarian Premier Stefan Tisza of the necessity of war. This was easier said than done, since Tisza had good reasons for resisting calls for a war which he believed was unnecessary and dan…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
#11: 7 July 1914 - Joint Council Meeting
1:01:28
1:01:28
Spela senare
Spela senare
Listor
Gilla
Gillad
1:01:28
By 7 July 1914, Austria-Hungary's leading officials gathered in Vienna. The key item on the agenda was what to do about Serbia, but an unspoken item amounted to what to do about Hungary. With German support for the punitive strike on Serbia now assured, all that remained was for the Habsburg government to maintain a degree of unity at such a crucia…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
#10: 6 July 1914 - Saving Austria-Hungary
32:58
32:58
Spela senare
Spela senare
Listor
Gilla
Gillad
32:58
With the blank cheque secured, Austria had received its ally's blessing to pursue a punitive strike against Serbia - what would happen next? The morass of questions surrounding this development deserve greater examination, but you may be wondering, just how widespread was the pro-war party in Vienna? How many officials believed that only war with S…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
#9: 5 July 1914 - Drafting the Blank Cheque
48:28
48:28
Spela senare
Spela senare
Listor
Gilla
Gillad
48:28
Among all the controversies of the July Crisis, perhaps few compare to Germany's decision to provide Austria-Hungary with a 'blank cheque' for whatever policy it intended to adopt towards Serbia. In fact, word from Berlin suggested that the German government was impatient, and wanted Austria to strike Serbia as soon as possible. But, did this repre…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
#8: 1-4 July 1914 - 'Are You Certain of Germany?'
48:39
48:39
Spela senare
Spela senare
Listor
Gilla
Gillad
48:39
Now that Vienna had decided to use war against its Serbian neighbour, the mission became one of guaranteeing German support. As we discuss in this episode, in Austria's estimation it was far from certain that Berlin would give this support. The record of diplomatic crises and cooperation in recent years suggested that Germany might even try to cont…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
#7: 29-30 June - Vienna Chooses Violence
43:34
43:34
Spela senare
Spela senare
Listor
Gilla
Gillad
43:34
With the shots heard round the world, how would Austro-Hungarian statesmen react to the news that the heir to their throne had been murdered in Sarajevo? In fact, as we see here, Austrian patience towards Serbia had been so exhausted by 1914 that a violent, warlike response was virtually inevitable. At least, Habsburg Foreign Minister Count Berchto…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
#6: 28 June 1914 - Assassination in Sarajevo
36:25
36:25
Spela senare
Spela senare
Listor
Gilla
Gillad
36:25
On 28 June 1914, Franz Ferdinand was assassinated by Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb terrorist. What followed was the July Crisis, as Austria-Hungary attempted to gain a measure of justice, or even revenge. No story of the July Crisis is complete without beginning here, but considering its infamy, what is there left to learn about this assassinatio…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
#5: The Balkans and Other Wars (1911-1913)
2:01:27
2:01:27
Spela senare
Spela senare
Listor
Gilla
Gillad
2:01:27
In this teeny tiny episode, we look at the Italian invasion of Libya and the Balkans Wars! But first, get a load of these links! Do you want ad-free episodes with scripts attached, and bonus content? Support us on Patreon and you can suggest July Crisis episodes! Join our Facebook group as we make our way through this fascinating series! Click here…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
#4: The Bosnian Annexation Crisis (1908-1909)
1:20:58
1:20:58
Spela senare
Spela senare
Listor
Gilla
Gillad
1:20:58
In our second background episode, we cover the Bosnian Annexation Crisis from 1908-1909! But first, get a load of these links! Do you want ad-free episodes with scripts attached, and bonus content? Support us on Patreon and you can suggest July Crisis episodes! Join our Facebook group as we make our way through this fascinating series! Click here t…
…
continue reading