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The Rest Is History: The World Wars

HISTORY
  • COMPLETE SERIES

    • What were the factors that lead to the outbreak of the First World War, and why was an assassination the spark for this terrible and transformative moment? How was it possible that after such horrors the Second World War broke out out in 1939? And, how did Hitler rise to power and set Nazi Germany on the road to war against Europe’s Allies? Join Tom and Dominic as they discuss in unsparing detail the chaotic outbreak of both World Wars - born of political machinations, human malice, and national greed - and the two violent, dramatic, and endlessly fascinating struggles that ensued.

    1. EPISODE 4 • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

      The Road to The Great War: Britain’s Fateful Choice (Part 4)

      On the 24th of July 1914, in London, the Liberal British Cabinet met to hear the Foreign Secretary, Sir Edward Grey, read them the Ultimatum handed to Serbia by the Austro-Hungarian Empire the day before. The world held its breath, awaiting Serbia’s response. With Germany determined to stand by Austria, and the French against them, focus now turned turned to Britain. Historically a German ally despite their naval race in 1913, it had recently adopted a policy of “splendid isolation”, its enormous empire having in some ways been something of a millstone, forcing them into protective alliances with other powers with which they may not otherwise have aligned. Regardless, the cabinet’s response to the Ultimatum was one of unanimous shock, with Sir Grey himself - a man of languid superiority - especially worried by the situation simmering in Europe. How, then, would Britain and the other great powers of Europe respond to the Ultimatum? And graver still, what would Serbia do? Join Tom and Dominic as they discuss the entangled web of European diplomacy in 1914, the British reaction to Austria’s Ultimatum, and the fascinating, comical and often deeply impressive cast of characters operating matters behind the scenes, as the countdown to war begun.

      51 min

    2. EPISODE 8 • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

      The First World War: The Battle of the Frontiers (Part 2)

      What was Britain's first military move following the outbreak of the First World War? Where did the French launch their initial attack on the Germans? Whose army was the biggest and best of all the participants in the war? And, what unfolded at the pivotal Battle of the Ardennes in August 1914, on the frontiers of France, between the Germans and the French, and what would be the consequences of the outcome for the war as a whole? Join Dominic and Tom as they discuss, in riveting, unsparing detail, the dramatic early engagements of the First World War, and the bloody Battle of Ardennes.

      57 min
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    What were the factors that lead to the outbreak of the First World War, and why was an assassination the spark for this terrible and transformative moment? How was it possible that after such horrors the Second World War broke out out in 1939? And, how did Hitler rise to power and set Nazi Germany on the road to war against Europe’s Allies? Join Tom and Dominic as they discuss in unsparing detail the chaotic outbreak of both World Wars - born of political machinations, human malice, and national greed - and the two violent, dramatic, and endlessly fascinating struggles that ensued.

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