Peace In Their Time

Episode 24 - The March of the Freikorps

With revolution gripping Germany, the nation's establishment turned desperate. They unleashed the Freikorps, paramilitary units composed of angry and embittered veterans returning home, all across Germany. What resulted was a nightmare of retribution as the soldiers not only fought to prevent Socialism from taking root, but also took out their frustrations from losing WWI on their own people. 

 

Bibliography for this episode: 

1. Evans, Richard The Coming of the Third Reich Penguin Books, 2003
2. Peukert, Detlev The Weimar Republic Suhrkamp Verlag am Main, 1987
3. Harman, Chris The Lost Revolution, Germany 1918 to 1923 Haymarket Books 2017
4. Weitz, Eric Weimar Germany: Promise and Tragedy Princeton University Press 2007
5. Jones, Nigel The Birth of the Nazis Constable & Robinson Ltd 2004

 

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com

Episode 23 - Abdication

With World War One lost, the edifice of Imperial Germany falls apart. But as one door closes, another is opened, and a free for all begins to decide on what a post-Kaiser Germany will look like. The workers and soldiers of the nation take to the streets while the old establishment scrambles to keep as much of their power as they possibly can. 

 

Bibliography for this episode: 

1. Evans, Richard The Coming of the Third Reich Penguin Books, 2003
2. Peukert, Detlev The Weimar Republic Suhrkamp Verlag am Main, 1987
3. Harman, Chris The Lost Revolution, Germany 1918 to 1923 Haymarket Books 2017
4. Weitz, Eric Weimar Germany: Promise and Tragedy Princeton University Press 2007
5. Jones, Nigel The Birth of the Nazis Constable & Robinson Ltd 2004

 

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com

Episode 22 - A History of Violence

Oh boy, it's the Germans. You've either been waiting for or dreading this one. The instability of 20s Germany was critical in making sure a lasting, peaceful equilibrium could not be established in Europe. And that instability was caused by the disintegration of Imperial Germany under the stress of WWI. Turns out staking your legitimacy on militarism only works if you win every time, and to start things off, Germany lost big. 

 

Bibliography for this episode: 

1. Evans, Richard The Coming of the Third Reich Penguin Books, 2003
2. Peukert, Detlev The Weimar Republic Suhrkamp Verlag am Main, 1987
3. Harman, Chris The Lost Revolution, Germany 1918 to 1923 Haymarket Books 2017

 

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com

Episode 21 - The Great Strike

This week is the wrap-up on the UK during the 1920s, and all the labor tensions that have plagued the nation up to this point bubble over into a general strike. Workers all over the country walk out and for a brief window Britain is shutdown in a final attempt to rectify working conditions. Plus there's the general wrap-up on the decade up to the Great Depression, and a look at how Britain used its time of predominance post-WWI. 

 

Bibliography for this episode: 

1. Taylor, AJP The Oxford History of England, Vol 15 Oxford University Press, 1978
2. Moway, Charles Loch Britain Between the Wars Methuen & Co, 1972
3. Hattersley, Roy Borrowed Time Little, Brown, 2007

 

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com

Episode 20 - Old Labour

Returning to the domestic UK, the political character of the nation at the end of 1923 continued to evolve beyond the simple conservative/liberal split of yesteryear. It was time for the Labour party to finally move out of opposition and into a leadership role. And like so many things from these years, it didn't go well. This episode has everything. Politics! Economics! That's everything. 

 

Bibliography for this episode: 

1. Taylor, AJP The Oxford History of England, Vol 15 Oxford University Press, 1978
2. Moway, Charles Loch Britain Between the Wars Methuen & Co, 1972
3. Hattersley, Roy Borrowed Time Little, Brown, 2007

 

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com

Episode 19 - Ticked Turks

Not content with its gains in the Middle East, Britain also wanted to secure its influence in Turkey after WWI. With their Greek allies taking the lead in occupying Turkish lands and Britain itself securing its influence over vital waterways, it initially looked as though things would go their way. But a mixture of imperial rivalry and Greece's lack of resources meant the whole thing was destined to blow up in everybody's faces. 

 

Bibliography for this episode: 

1. Taylor, AJP The Oxford History of England, Vol 15 Oxford University Press, 1978
2. Moway, Charles Loch Britain Between the Wars Methuen & Co, 1972
3. Hattersley, Roy Borrowed Time Little, Brown, 2007

 

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com

Episode 18 - The Ireland Interlude, Part II

With the Irish War for Independence escalating into a problem that could no longer be played down by the UK, the violence started to get out of control. But so soon after WWI the British were not inclined to commit to a full occupation of the island, and would start looking for an exit from one of their oldest imperial possessions. 

 

Bibliography for this episode: 

1. Hopkinson, Michael The Irish War of Independence Gill & Macmillan, 2014
2. Taylor, AJP The Oxford History of England, Vol 15 Oxford University Press, 1978
3. Moway, Charles Loch Britain Between the Wars Methuen & Co, 1972
4. Hattersley, Roy Borrowed Time Little, Brown, 2007

 

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com

Episode 17 - The Ireland Interlude, Part I

If the post-wars years after WWI saw the British momentarily triumphant, they also found themselves having to address all the problems they had been putting off. Closest to home was Ireland. After having failed for years to make a satisfactory settlement on the self-governance of the island, Britain would be directly challenged by a rebellion, just at the time its focus was firmly turned elsewhere. 

 

Bibliography for this episode: 

1. Hopkinson, Michael The Irish War of Independence Gill & Macmillan, 2014
2. Taylor, AJP The Oxford History of England, Vol 15 Oxford University Press, 1978
3. Moway, Charles Loch Britain Between the Wars Methuen & Co, 1972
4. Hattersley, Roy Borrowed Time Little, Brown, 2007

 

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com

Episode 16 - A Jittery Start

With the United Kingdom moving into the post-war years, the nation had to grapple with the changes wrought by WWI. Internationally the world looked very different, and Britain's attentions had to be split across the globe. It was internally though that presented the biggest challenges, as a nation that had previously been very big into small government found itself with a sprawling administration that many preferred to keep around. And lastly we'll touch on labor unrest that is going to be a defining characteristic of Britain in the 20s. 

 

Bibliography for this episode: 

1. Taylor, AJP The Oxford History of England, Vol 15 Oxford University Press, 1978
2. Moway, Charles Loch Britain Between the Wars Methuen & Co, 1972
3. Hattersley, Roy Borrowed Time Little, Brown, 2007

 

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com

Episode 15 - Rule Britannia

This week we get started on the last of the big western Entente powers, the United Kingdom. Often overlooked against the wreckage of the big battles of WWI, the war years transformed British life all out of recognition. What was once a very laissez faire country found itself centralized to an unfathomable degree, and it would be in an environment of political transition that the British would have to grapple with their new realities. 

 

Bibliography for this episode: 

1. Taylor, AJP The Oxford History of England, Vol 15 Oxford University Press, 1978
2. Moway, Charles Loch Britain Between the Wars Methuen & Co, 1972
3. Hattersley, Roy Borrowed Time Little, Brown, 2007

 

Questions? Comments? Email me at peaceintheirtime@gmail.com