A history podcast dedicated to examining the global history of the 1920s and 30s in order to explain the causes of World War II, both large and small. As you might imagine, there’s a lot of ground to cover just to contextualize how the conflict got so out of control. If you love historical deep-dives and play-by-plays of nations in way over their collective heads, this is the show for you. Best niche history podcast out there! PROTIP: If you’re a new listener and are hopelessly confused by me bouncing from topic to topic, the scope of this show has kinda gotten away from me over the years. I have included an index of miniseries in the description of Episode 1 to provide a guide for what I’ve covered so far.
Episodes
Tuesday Mar 25, 2025
Tuesday Mar 25, 2025
For France, lacking in both population count, natural resources, and industry when compared to their hostile neighbor, the colonies were indispensable. But the lackluster engagement from the Popular Front government would help drive local leaders from forming partnerships with their imperial overlords, as even a supposedly friendly government ruled with a clumsy hand. So while the major components of the empire were productive, the people actually living there began envisioning futures separate from Paris.
Bibliography for this episode:
- Jackson, Julian The Popular Front in France: Defending Democracy, 1934-38 Cambridge University Press 1988
- Roberts, AD The Cambridge History of Africa: Volume 7 from 1905 to 1940 Cambridge University Press 1986
- Conklin, Alice L et al France and Its Empire Since 1870 Oxford University Press 2011
- Thomas, Martin The French Empire at War, 1940-45 Manchester University Press 1998
- Brocheux, Pierre and Daniel Hemery Indochina: An Ambiguous Colonization 1858-1954 University of California Press 2009
Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com
Tuesday Mar 18, 2025
Tuesday Mar 18, 2025
The honeymoon period of the Popular Front was basically nil within the actual French government. The establishment may have been willing to entertain limited reforms, but sweeping changes were out of the question, killing the momentum of the entire movement and dooming it to failure.
Bibliography for this episode:
- Jackson, Julian The Politics of Depression in France, 1932-1936 Cambridge University Press 1985
- Jackson, Julian The Popular Front in France: Defending Democracy, 1934-38 Cambridge University Press 1988
- Bernard, Philippe and Henri Dubief The Decline of the Third Republic, 1914-1938 Cambridge University Press 1988
- Adamthwaite, Anthony Grandeur and Misery: France 1914-1940 Arnold, 1995
- Wright, Gordon France in Modern Times, 4th Ed WW Norton Company, Inc, 1987
- Fortescue, William The Third Republic in France 1870-1940 Routledge, 2007
- Weber, Eugene The Hollow Years: France in the 1930s WW Norton & Company Inc 1994
Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com
Tuesday Mar 11, 2025
Tuesday Mar 11, 2025
By the time the Popular Front came to power it seemed like nothing would be the same in France. Politics were polarizing, the Communists became a viable electoral force, and the old order appeared dead and buried. Strikes were sweeping the nation and the business class appeared to be in retreat. It wouldn't last, but it felt great at the time.
Bibliography for this episode:
- Jackson, Julian The Politics of Depression in France, 1932-1936 Cambridge University Press 1985
- Jackson, Julian The Popular Front in France: Defending Democracy, 1934-38 Cambridge University Press 1988
- Bernard, Philippe and Henri Dubief The Decline of the Third Republic, 1914-1938 Cambridge University Press 1988
- Adamthwaite, Anthony Grandeur and Misery: France 1914-1940 Arnold, 1995
- Wright, Gordon France in Modern Times, 4th Ed WW Norton Company, Inc, 1987
- Fortescue, William The Third Republic in France 1870-1940 Routledge, 2007
- Weber, Eugene The Hollow Years: France in the 1930s WW Norton & Company Inc 1994
Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com
Thursday Feb 27, 2025
Thursday Feb 27, 2025
Switching topics to France in the mid-to-late 1930s, today I cover the early coming together of the Popular Front in France. Expect becoming re-acquainted with the political and economic situation there at the time, as well as an introduction to the key factions and figures that would comprise the Front.
Bibliography for this episode:
- Jackson, Julian The Politics of Depression in France, 1932-1936 Cambridge University Press 1985
- Jackson, Julian The Popular Front in France: Defending Democracy, 1934-38 Cambridge University Press 1988
- Bernard, Philippe and Henri Dubief The Decline of the Third Republic, 1914-1938 Cambridge University Press 1988
- Adamthwaite, Anthony Grandeur and Misery: France 1914-1940 Arnold, 1995
- Wright, Gordon France in Modern Times, 4th Ed WW Norton Company, Inc, 1987
- Fortescue, William The Third Republic in France 1870-1940 Routledge, 2007
- Weber, Eugene The Hollow Years: France in the 1930s WW Norton & Company Inc 1994
Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com
Tuesday Feb 18, 2025
Tuesday Feb 18, 2025
Today I finally wrap this miniseries with a look at the Hitler Youth, how it developed and its role in the Nazi state. I also touch on the effects of Nazism on the German educational system. Like most things it had any effect on, it wasn't great!
Bibliography for this episode:
- HW Koch The Hitler Youth: Origins and Development 1922-1945 Cooper Square Press 2000 (originally Barnes & Noble Books 1975)
- Evans, Richard J. The Third Reich in Power Penguin Press 2005
- Gellately, Robert Hitler's True Believers: How Ordinary People Became Nazis Oxford University Press 2020
Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com
Wednesday Feb 12, 2025
Wednesday Feb 12, 2025
Today I take a look at the development of the Nazi security apparatus while under the supervision of the SS. This will include a proper description of the activities of the Gestapo, as well as how the regular police fit into the picture, and how these groups interacted with the SD. Plus, a guest appearance from the SA.
Bibliography for this episode:
- Hohne, Heinz The Order of the Death's Head: The Story of Hitler's SS Penguin Books 2000
- Weale, Adrian Army of Evil: A History of the SS Penguin Books 2010
- Siemens, Daniel Stormtroopers: A New History of Hitler's Brownshirts Yale University Press 2017
Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com
Thursday Feb 06, 2025
Thursday Feb 06, 2025
Today is the first of a two-parter covering the General SS. The sub-section of the group covered a lot of the administrative activities, but also oversaw the efforts to merge the police forces of Germany into the organization. This would never be totally completed, but the closeness of the SS and law enforcement in Germany was such that they would be linked for most of the Third Reich's existence. On top of that, there was the SD lurking around offering yet another instrument of monitoring and control.
Bibliography for this episode:
- Hohne, Heinz The Order of the Death's Head: The Story of Hitler's SS Penguin Books 2000
- Weale, Adrian Army of Evil: A History of the SS Penguin Books 2010
Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com
Thursday Jan 30, 2025
Thursday Jan 30, 2025
Name of the episode says it all. Today covers the pre-war development of the SS-TV, the Concentration/Death Camp guards, and the SS-VT, the early form of the Waffen-SS.
Bibliography for this episode:
- Hohne, Heinz The Order of the Death's Head: The Story of Hitler's SS Penguin Books 2000
- Weale, Adrian Army of Evil: A History of the SS Penguin Books 2010
Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com
Friday Jan 24, 2025
Friday Jan 24, 2025
No story of the militarization of German society would be complete without talking about the SS. Possibly the most iconic image of Nazi Germany, aside from images of its victims, was the ominous, black-clad figure. This first installment will introduce the group, its general composition, as well as some of its high-level developments to start off this miniseries within a miniseries.
Bibliography for this episode:
- Hohne, Heinz The Order of the Death's Head: The Story of Hitler's SS Penguin Books 2000
- Weale, Adrian Army of Evil: A History of the SS Penguin Books 2010
Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com
Thursday Jan 16, 2025
Thursday Jan 16, 2025
The lengths that I covered last week that the Nazis went to in order to keep the people happy were not done for the love of leisure. The demands of the Third Reich and its rearmament drive were all-consuming and behind the facade of a happy, prosperous Germany was a reality of unrelenting labor.
Bibliography for this episode:
- Kershaw, Ian Popular Opinion & Political Dissent in the Third Reich: Bavaria 1933-1945 Oxford University Press 1983
- Gellately, Robert Hitler's True Believers: How Ordinary People Became Nazis Oxford University Press 2020
- Tooze, Adam Wages of Destruction: The Making and Breaking of the Nazi Economy Penguin Books 2006
- Evans, Richard J. The Third Reich in Power Penguin Press 2005
- Kershaw, Ian Hitler 1936-1945: Nemesis W.W. Norton and Company 2000
- Kershaw, Ian Hitler 1889-1936: Hubris W.W. Norton and Company 1998
Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com