When Diplomacy Fails Podcast

#16: April-June 1914 - The Entente Part 3

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 191...

#15: Jan-March 1914 - The Entente Part 2

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 Sa...

#14: 1912-1913 - The Entente Part 1

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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 b...

#13: 13-14 July 1914 - Berchtold Supreme

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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 Tis...

#12: 8-12 July 1914 - Hartwig's Last Act

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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 S...

#11: 7 July 1914 - Joint Council Meeting

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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 crucial moment in its hi...

#10: 6 July 1914 - Saving Austria-Hungary

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 surroundi...

#9: 5 July 1914 - Drafting the Blank Cheque

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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 t...

#8: 1-4 July 1914 - 'Are You Certain of Germany?'

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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 i...

#7: 29-30 June 1914 - Vienna Chooses Violence

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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, Au...

#6: 28 June 1914 - Assassination in Sarajevo

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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 ...

#5: The Balkans and Other Wars (1911-1913)

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How do you kill the status quo? By forming a league of extraordinary states, who want nothing less than to destroy the empire which has ruled over them for centuries. When the Balka...

#4: The Bosnian Annexation Crisis (1908-1909)

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In our second background episode, we cover the Bosnian Annexation Crisis from 1908-1909!

From late 1908 to spring 1909, European attentions were intensely occupied by the Aust...

#3: Ententes and Alliances (1871-1907)

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In our first background episode, we look at the formation of the Triple Alliance and Triple Entente.

By 1890, the new German Kaiser Wilhelm II officially 'dropped the pilot', ...

#2: Historiography of the July Crisis

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How do historians explain the outbreak of the First World War, and how have these views changed over the last century? Were they influenced by new perspectives, new motives, or new ...

WDF Presents: The July Crisis

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Welcome history friend, to this exciting new series!

110 years to the day since Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo, and a decade on from our July Crisis Anniversary ...

1956 - Conclusion

After nearly forty episodes, and many fantastic discoveries, what can we learn from this incredible year in history? Was it a turning point for the decolonising Europeans, or simply a signal that t...

1956 - The Suez Crisis #2.21: From Eden

Here we finish 1956, with the final episode in the series wrapping up Eden's story, and the Conclusion episode, wrapping up this eventful year.

The Prime Minister, once so revered, had irrepa...

PhD Thesis: Conclusion Part 2

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Seriously, this is the final episode - let's wrap everything up in a satisfying bundle. It has been an honour, history friend.

PhD Thesis: Conclusion Part 1

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Well, we've made it! It's now time to conclude this thesis we've spent so many weeks exploring, so I hope you enjoy it! Thanksss so much for giving me the platform to bring it you.<...

1956 - The Suez Crisis #2.20: Americans And Soviets

At long last, we bring the events in Hungary full circle with events in Egypt, and assess whether Anthony Eden’s crimes doomed Hungary after all. In short, we bring everything full circle in 1956...

PhD Thesis: Episode 6.3

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In this final look at Chapter Six, we consider how Britain fared in its wars against multiple enemies across the world. After acquiring such a triumph in Berlin, Disraeli would be f...

1956 - The Suez Crisis #2.19: Not All Heroes Wear Capes

1956 Episode 2.19 examines Eden efforts to completely redefine what the Suez Crisis had meant, and what Britain’s role in the crisis had been.

From the afternoon of 6th November, with a cea...

PhD Thesis: Episode 6.2

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In this section of Chapter 6, we look at Russia in the throes of its great coup - the Treaty of San Stefano, which was dictated to the Ottoman Empire in March 1878. The Treaty grant...

1956 - The Suez Crisis #2.18: The Art Of Backing Down

1956 Episode 2.18 brings us to a critical point in the narrative, where Anthony Eden decided that a ceasefire was in fact favourable after all!

So just what had changed? Thanks to Harold Macm...

PhD Thesis: Episode 6.1

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In our sixth and final chapter, we are transported to a new era. It is 1874, and Benjamin Disraeli has just won the Conservative Party its largest majority in history. In this momen...

1956 - The Suez Crisis #2.17: Britain Knows Best

1956 Episode 2.17 looks at Anthony Eden’s furious efforts to shape the debate on the British intervention in Egypt in the first few days of November, 1956.

Our story on 5th November where, ...

PhD Thesis: Episode 5.3

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Are YOU sick of the Schleswig Holstein question yet? Britain was thoroughly sick of it by summer 1864, but they had to persevere, because the opposition was about to get its chance ...

1956 - The Suez Crisis #2.16: My Canadian Friends

Eden’s efforts to control the discussion continued, as the Prime Minister sought to make the British people see things wholly his way. To some extent he would succeed, but much like his French co...

PhD Thesis: Episode 5.2

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In this episode, we delve deeper into the domestic situation in Britain during the Sch;eswig Holstein crisis. After proving embarrassingly ineffective, the government's diplomacy wa...