The Diplomatic Mistakes That Caused World War One

[@restishistorypod]

This video is a Saturday 'catch up' episode, where it is a video release of an audio podcast released earlier in the year. This episode is parts 3 and 4 of our audio podcast series on the outbreak of WW1 from earlier in the year, combined into one video.

[@CatFindsStuff]

This was an excellent way to spend 2 hours on a Saturday afternoon! Thank you.

[@j.b.3825]

Thank you! I am always looking for these versions from your podcasts. I love the playlists! Thanks for catching up!

[@annaboo27]

@@restishistorypod Thanks! I’m going back in the podcast library as well… Every episode is thoroughly engaging and madly enjoyable. Thanks so much for all the work y’all put into this show.

[@kellybaxter2558]

Hi. Do you have the link for parts 1 and 2 plse?

[@thew8belt169]

Quite shocking that Dom would go two buttons down for such a serious topic. My wife had to leave the room. Scandalous.

[@sloths-df3gf]

Well, now you're making me feel bad. I'm sitting here, listening to them in nought but my undercrackers.

[@thew8belt169]

@sloths-df3gf quite shocking indeed

[@Girl-so7yk]

😂

[@jthunders]

Another sign of a civilization in decline

[@Que.Miras_Bobo-d2j]

😂😂😂

[@natelyons8327]

So far, I've watched your series on Custer, The French Revolution, and the Roman invasion of Britian. I find you guys brilliant, informative, and extremely entertaining as a fan boy from "across the pond". I can only imagine the amount of work and preparation required to produce such great content. Keep up the great work but please don't get burned out guys. Thanks again!

[@restishistorypod]

Thank you !

[@billythedog-309]

The Romans never invaded Britian.

[@natelyons8327]

@@billythedog-309 Yes, I stand corrected. It was not an invasion and I was struggling for the appropriate word. What would you call it? Perhaps a conquest of Britain starting with Emperor Claudius? Based on the series, it seems that tribes in Southern England engaged in Roman trade and culture during the intervening years of Julius Ceaser and Claudius.

[@billythedog-309]

@@natelyons8327 l think it's more pertinent that there's never been a country called Britian.

[@dynamohums]

@@billythedog-309 Britain is the name of the island and the Romans did conquer (parts of) it. Don't be so pedantic. You know what the OP meant to say.

[@nigelmcconnell1909]

Muscular Aussie farmer here I'm going to have to listen to this again as halfway through I was stuck in a mental looping image of the British foreign minister negotiating with statesmen via the Monty python's fish slapping skit

[@nigeh5326]

The whole saga reminds me of a weird mix of Monty Python and Blackadder 😃

[@nigelmcconnell1909]

@nigeh5326 or the stop motion animation show "The Magic roundabout". (Except no-one came down in the end on a spring announcing "Time for bed")⏰

[@nigeh5326]

@@nigelmcconnell1909 it’s now almost 01:00 so I’m off to bed lol 😂 Boing boing (I’m a West Bromwich Albion fan)

[@nigeh5326]

@ oh b4 I go to kip great name Nigel 👍🇬🇧

[@nigelmcconnell1909]

@@nigeh5326 👍🇭🇲

[@alexs_toy_barn]

That Calliux murder case in France 25:10 deserves a whole episode in and of itself. Basically what happened was that the wife shot the newspaper guy becuase the politician husband wouldnt challenge him to a duel after he published their love letters to each other from when they were each married to other people. Then, when she was arrested and charged with murder, her lawyer's defense was 'when her husband refused to duel the victim, as was his responsibility as a man, she had to take on his masculine role, but since she's a woman, and women only act emotionally and not rationally like men, her brain couldn't handle it. Therefore she was temporarily insane and can't be found guilty' And of course she was found innocent. First time in Europe that defense was used, here in America it was used before the civil war in an extremely similar case involving a guy named Dan Sickles and his wife and Francis Scott Key's son.

[@johndaven1]

Yes! Ol Dan Sickles. The Gettysburg national park service does a lecture on him you can find on KZbin. A real character

[@sifridbassoon]

d'accord!

[@alexs_toy_barn]

@@johndaven1 potential history has a great human meme video about him too

[@danielshoudy265]

Lmao that’s hilarious and sad but, since we’re so removed from it and I need a laugh rn it’s funnier than sad rn for me. (And it’s absurd af) Man I fn love history. It’s so fascinating and you can never learn enough. Thanks for sharing.

[@davidr2802]

@@johndaven1 I fight mits Sickles!

[@peterbaker8629]

There’s a story about some members of a gentlemen’s club in London on 28 June 1914, getting a message on the tickertape: A member read it and declared “Damn it, not one of my horses in the first three!”

[@debbiecarter6430]

Tom’s impressions are getting so immersive, he almost became Winston Churchill there, or have I eaten too much cheese before bedtime? 😉😁

[@danielshoudy265]

Cheese is one of the great things of life and I’m sure sir Winston would agree. So it’s not that. N ya it was. Basically nailed the speech impediment which is HARD to do.

[@Marcus-Spurius-Furius]

I'm loving these discussions. You two make a great team.

[@softshoes]

You guys are great. Working my way thru your back catalogue.

[@restishistorypod]

Thank you !

[@MalikF15]

Love the line about how you guys said how being the most kindest and and decent Russian foreign minister is a really low bar to be on

[@jessicarowley9631]

As a patriotic listener, I have to say, I love your podcasts. I often find history incredible, but on occasions, you manage to make it hilarious. Very good Churchill vibes as well!

[@Doc_Tar]

One of the most interesting crisis in world history and you two are doing a wonderful job covering it from all angles. I'm looking forward to your next episodes and will be revisiting these in the future.

[@DarkFire515]

Brilliantly narrated episode as usual. When all is said & done on this subject it'd be very interesting to hear an episode covering how the 20th century might have turned out had all the protagonists pulled back from the brink in 1914.

[@fastpublish]

Perhaps mention should be made of the effect Austria's failure to support Russia in the Crimea in the 1850s had on what developed - Austria drifted into the orbit of Germany, having previously been Russia's usual ally. Russia's move into the Balkans in the 1850s pushed Austria away, while Britain and France came together after centuries of antagonism - and thus began the realignment in Europe which came to a head in 1914

[@johnking6252]

Absolutely love your discussions of different world events, your discussions on WW1 could go on forever and somehow I think they are. Keep it up, there's still more to the story ? Excellent 👍

[@JpPJ-p8e]

Hello from New Zealand. Absolutely love it when you veer off on tangents.

[@danielshoudy265]

As an amateur historian and tutor etc, “we” (not putting myself on their level by any means) live on tangents lol 😂 I always have to write bold “Keep Tangents in Check” all over my lesson outlines 😂

[@brunoornelas7240]

Dominic Sandbrook (googled the fury of the vikings book) you sir, are a breath of fresh air. I listen to these stories like i'm listening to an old friend. Normally I find it difficult to discuss these subjectsl, because its hard to explain to people that everything in history is much more complicated than what is the "general consensus". We keep forgetting that the more we know, it gets apparent how much we don´t know. Anyway, just wanted to say that i keep finding amazing stuff in your videos.

[@Floody77]

Been waiting for this perfect timing gents🎉

[@englishdogs]

Dominic, will you be my dad?

[@afctaylor12]

I want to hear the bedtime stories about Alastair Campbell when he found out trump won for the second time

[@thenewmilescopeland805]

🤣​@@afctaylor12

[@Floody77]

😂😂😂😂

[@tropics8407]

😂 he should write a book 🤣

[@ep-we2bn]

Mine too please, you have to share 😂

[@andreroeck8026]

Oh gosh, i love every second of it. Thanks for lighten up this grey november day. You did win a new fan in Lusatia. :D

[@annaboo27]

I can’t believe I actually caught an episode premiere! This makes the incredibly emotional week I’ve had feel somewhat better. Hearing your voices soothe my soul. Sidebar: I just got the free trial this week and I’ve been binging the heck out of your podcast. I’m gonna have to go for a full subscription. ::cough:: I’m an Alabamian ::cough:: there is something absurdly wonderful about listening to y’all talk Alabama politics. 😂 sigh* I feel particularly vindicated living in this state, so I thank you for that. Lols

[@kelvindobson1898]

Thank you: you two are saviours to the wayward mind .

[@asha802]

Great podcast. Events leading up to WW1 explained in a very lively and nuanced way. New fan 👍

[@michael7324]

Ah, it seems there are not enough hours in the day to absorb the abundance of remarkable knowledge set before me. I am enthralled-utterly captivated, in fact. I implore you, do not cease; let the torrent of wisdom continue to flow!

[@2Esaias2]

First time you said something that upsets me: "Russian salad" also known as Olivier is DELICIOUS!! In addition it was invented by a French chef in Petersburg and the ingridents used to be: "Earlier, it always included cold meat such as ham or veal tongue, or fish. The mid-20th century restaurant version involved not just vegetables, but also pickled tongue, sausage, lobster meat, truffles, etc. garnished with capers, anchovy fillets, etc. Some versions molded it in aspic." (Wikipedia)

[@fastpublish]

The Question is usually: How can it be that they went to war when they were all so intimately related? The reality was that it was precisely because of the family relationships that war was inevitable - spend Christmas with your extended family. It is far easier to make peace with strangers than relatives.

[@hazchemel]

Aah, surely true as a plum pudding sixpence

[@tedwarden1608]

@@hazchemelthere can’t be many of them around these days.

[@hazchemel]

@@tedwarden1608 no, for sure, and fair while since I found one hahaha. Actually preferred the threepence, a tiny coin.

[@tedwarden1608]

@ We stopped years back when the sixpence got swallowed. Just didn’t seem right putting it back into another pudding. 🤣

[@joeobyrne9348]

Frankly if they spent time with their extended family it would have been ten times more apocalyptic a war...

[@random666777]

Needs to be made into a "Death of Stalin" type of movie.

[@danielshoudy265]

lol! Great idea!

[@pablopeter3564]

EXCELLENT +++++ Golden opportunity to listen two expert historian talking about a difficult subject. As a descendant of a Great War soldier I give you my sincere respect and gratitude.

[@jakobfromthefence]

So, Brits call it Russian salad. French call it Salad Macedonaise. Balkan peoples (along with the Russians?) call it French Salad. A true product of international affairs it would seem.

[@tarvisponsdebeaumont794]

And it's also delicious.

[@Kol2388]

It's delicious and we, from Balkan call it Russian salad, while Russians call it Olivier salad.

[@olly5896]

My fondness for Tom Holland has never been shaken quite so much as by the revelation that he thinks well of Jolyon Maugham. It's hard to come back from here. The Rubicon may not have been crossed, but Tom is skipping gaily along its banks, pulling aside his kimono and flashing a bathing suit adorned with an Anna Soubry likeness. I can only hope Dominic makes an intervention. I don't want to overstate the gravity of this situation and I abhor hyperbole in all its forms, but 52% of the public require urgent clarification, as this makes the petty squabbles covered in this episode seem frivolous in comparison.

[@mackenshaw8169]

Excellent episode.

[@restishistorypod]

Thank you !

[@bankotsu2a]

​​@@restishistorypodwhere did you find the footage of Winston Churchill!? 😂

[@edwardakhparian3014]

This channel and these two gentlemen are top drawer. We are fortunate to have them

[@billbegg1139]

Another brilliant episode.

[@erinaltstadt4234]

This is MUCH better than how it was presented in high school

[@nigeh5326]

When Tom was talking about fly fishing and how he can cast perfectly when thinking of Sir Edward Grey I thought of my desire to be a great comedian and thought of Boris Johnson lol 😃

[@ANGLORUSSIANCZ]

Best cliffhanger yet...

[@fastpublish]

To this day, Russia still has an eye on Constantinople

[@davidr2802]

And Washington DC. Oh, thats now in the bag.

[@johnking6252]

The straits to this day are extremely important for multiple reasons. 🌎✌️🌍

[@natelyons8327]

@@davidr2802 parrot that narrative David. I suppose establishing good diplomatic relations with Russia, and ending the grift, death, and destruction in the Ukraine is something that your not in favor of?

[@mebsrea]

@@natelyons8327The death and corruption are occurring on the Russian side of the line, my friend. Russia is a fascist, terrorist state, and its investment in Donald Trump and the Republican Party has been the most spectacularly successful intelligence operation since the cracking of Enigma.

[@rtaj247]

They should take it. Ergun has now resumed the use of the Hagia Sophia as a mosque, where for a long time it was left as a museum.

[@fastpublish]

Sir Edward Grey is said to have been the model for JR Hartley, I understand

[@crobertbrooke5321]

Brilliant Boys just Love listening! All the Best..

[@restishistorypod]

Thank you !

[@richcurtis9485]

Thank you chaps. Exceptional content

[@simonkay575]

Best series yet ! Is there anymore in this series - still not sure why we Brits had to get involved

[@simonkay575]

So we got involved in a terrible mechanised war to protect India and our empire which crumbled away less than 50 years later anyway

[@MrJohnTownes]

The Guns of August, The Fishing Rods of July

[@charlesfenwick6554]

A great book.

[@GoBlueGirl78]

@@charlesfenwick6554It’s terrible if you know real history

[@edinburgh1578]

Bismarck said: "The Balkans aren't worth the bones of a single Prussian soldier." So you have to wonder how events would have unfolded had the pilot not left the ship.

[@otfriedschellhas3581]

Actually, " the bones of a single Pommeranian grenadier", butvhey, same thing.

[@edinburgh1578]

@@otfriedschellhas3581 Right you are, thanks.

[@jameswebb4593]

Just discovered this site and spent over three hours totally engrossed in a subject that hitherto had little interest for me. Bravo .

[@browngreen933]

Making Germany the enemy was the worst mistake of the 20th century. 😢

[@docastrov9013]

Dude. Ever hear of The Holocaust?

[@subcitizen2012]

The Germans were never the enemy, their regimes were enemies of humanity.

[@johnnydavis5896]

We fail to realize it but he world and especially Europe never fully recovered from WW1.

[@pillberry305]

Didn’t I listen to this already? Was this released as a podcast sometime ago?

[@AttilatheNun-xv6kc]

My apologies if someone has already mentioned these points, but in Margaret MacMillan's book THE WAR THAT ENDED PEACE she wrote that after Paul Cambon's 16 years in Britain he could communicate in "slow, simple English". He routinely did so, she wrote, with Sir Edward Grey, and Sir Edward spoke to him in slow, simple French. However, Cambon was such a linguistic chauvinist and Sir Edward was so well known for his inability to speak anything but English that it's impossible to imagine such an arrangement. Cambon was also (i) reportedly scornful of Oxbridge academics' pronunciation of Latin and (ii) totally dismissive of la cuisine anglaise. He was probably not the first Frenchman to express (i) and he was definitely not alone when it came to (ii). Also, at 1:37:32 Dominic mentioned Italy was officially an ally of Austria and Germany but actually "hated the Austrians". This hatred - mostly in government circles and not much of a factor among the general Italian population - was due to strong revanchist sentiments regarding Austria-Hungary's Italian territories. In the spring of 1915 Italy decided it could no longer stand aside and it declared war on Austria. Some ally!

[@johnrohde5510]

Re mobilisation: Austria mobilising against Serbia made it impossible for them to mobilise fully against Russia. That hampers Central Powers planning and the Von Seeckt in his postwar analysis of the German defeat reckoned the only way the Germany could have won would have been if they could have convinced the Austrians to join them in attacking France before turning on Russia.

[@mebsrea]

Given the experience of warfare in the age of the machine gun, Germany might well have succeeded had it not invaded Belgium and instead turned eastward. Britain would likely have stayed out of the war, Russia might have been defeated by 1916, and France might well have exhausted itself in bloody assaults in Alsace-Lorraine and eventually sought peace.

[@johnrohde5510]

@mebsrea but the victory in the East would have had to be quick. Given the spaces involved, it was unlikely to be so. German mobilisation plans would have given the Entente powers prior knowledge of the plan and the Russians, far from hurling themselves to defeat in Prussia, would have defended and when necessary, given ground. Meanwhile the French would be attacking the necessarily few German forces left in the West. That was von Seeckt's observation. The elder von Moltke's pre-Schlieffen plan had been to defend on all fronts and wear the enemy down but Germany's growing dependency on imported food and resources, compounded by Britain's adherence to the Entente scuppered that. The need to keep supply lines open against the French fleet led to naval building and naval building helped a bit to prod Britain into the Entente. Added to all that, Austria mobilised primarily against Serbia rather than Russia, undermining, which is why the French thought it such a fine time to have a war.

[@rhysnichols8608]

Makes no sense since Russian armies were already crossing into Austria within 2 weeks. If significant Austrian armies were sent against France they’d likely be steamrolled by Russia

[@johnrohde5510]

@rhysnichols8608 which is why Von Seeckt accepted that it could never have been agreed to. His point was that the only way the Central Powers could win would be by accepting Russia overrunning the East, while they knocked out France and then turning back on Russia. He's basically saying Germany couldn't win. That France did to Germany in 1914 what Prussia had done to France in 1870, wasn't a truth Germans were eager to accept. Given the cost of the war, France wasn't keen to brag about it either. So the French went on about German aggression and the Germans droned on about a stab in the back; two perspectives on the same basic narrative.

[@AidanFusco-u3y]

Im confused, is this a new series or a replay of the one done over summer?

[@theoldmule3619]

Hey Dominic . Just finished Who Dares Wins . Absolutely amazing . Really loved it . When’s the next book you mentioned coming ?

[@claudermiller]

I love the sardonic banter.❤

[@cristosl]

The British had absolutely no interest in what was happening in the Balkans, they were very interested in what was happening across the Channel

[@allancarey2604]

Not planned, but it looks like I’ll finish listening just before 11am on the 11th

[@druharper]

What was that X complex the half German/half British guy had? It was a bit garbled there.. around 1:47..

[@launiesoult3248]

Grayson was like my kind of guy man let's go fishing and canoeing great idea buddy🎉

[@sifridbassoon]

Paleologue (the French ambassador) wrote a two volume diary during this time that is very good and entertaining.

[@cristosl]

Britain allied with France and Russia in order to maintain an equilibrium of power on the Continent and thus preventing any one power from gaining dominance, and it has been the central plank of English diplomacy on the Continent for hundreds of years? That the alliance offered benefits in regards India would have only emphasised the advantages of the Entente Cordial to British interests. You haven't mentioned the German reasoning behind starting the Anglo/German Naval Race or the implications of that, a continental power with an army massively larger and a navy that could match or even outmatch the RN

[@Kol2388]

Amazing podcast been listening to it for a while now, and I won't go into history of things you guys covered that really good, but to say Russian salad is awful is to offend so many people it's basically a must have dish in Serbia during the winter, and it's delicious.

[@Woclshejtiknew1]

Absolutely no idea how, but in naples-italy, Russian salad is a traditional Christmas eve (and Christmas day) starter. It is absolutely dreadful however we always had it!!! Absolutely disgusting, no idea how it came all the way to Naples of all places.

[@kestrel8787]

Dominic - My junior high school art teacher told me something similar. You’re not alone.

[@ArianeQube]

Why are these WW1 episodes not available also in the podcast player?

[@cathybowden9751]

They are, they were released back in the summer, and I think this is 2 podcast episodes put together.

[@cathybowden9751]

Episodes 469-474, mid-July 2024, 6 parts of 'The Road to the Great War'. This is parts 3 and 4.

[@daveharris9916]

Thank you!

[@Onetwelvefourth]

You guys should feature Prof Sarah Paine on one of your episodes. She’s a brilliant historian.

[@piushalg8175]

The part of Lorraine and Alsace the Germans took in 1870 was in fact de iure part of the eastern Empire due to the oaths of Strassburg of 843 when Charlemangne's sons Charles the Bald and Ludwig the German partitioned the land of their brother Lothar whom they had defeated. And these territories remained part of the Reich until the 16th and17th century when the French annexed them. Strassburg for istance was a free imperial city which fell to Louis the 14th in 1681 by treason. The imperial city Metz was occupied by the French in 1552 and fell to France in 1648 (treaty of Wesphalia) due to the weakness of the Reich.Therefore one could argue that The Germans had the better historical claim, not least because the inhabitants were still mostly German speaking people..

[@russellhargraves7397]

Dominic didn’t know that the tea is named for the man? My world is shaken to its foundations.

[@barbararice6650]

Britain was totally conned into that awful war by the french, damn them

[@Sean-p3o]

And private nods and winks from senior figures inc Grey 😡

[@eliseleonard3477]

It’s true that these guys didn’t have email or phones, but they DID have the telegraph. It seems crazy that they didn’t use it for diplomacy.

[@lindsayb5537]

Is there a book/reading list?

[@DrKim503]

I have looked and looked for your series on Sarajevo that you have mentioned repeatedly. I can't find it. What is it titled?

[@fezmancomments]

Starring; Ian Holm…President Raymond Poincaré Paul Daneman…Czar Nicholas ll Jack Hawkins…Emperor Franz Joseph John Gielgud… Count Leopold von Berchtold John Clements… Gen Helmuth von Moltke Kenneth More… Kaiser Wilhelm Il Ralph Richardson… Sir Edward Grey Meriel Forbes… Lady Grey Wensley Pithey… Archduke Franz Ferdinand Ruth Kettelwell… Duchess Sophie “Would the Italian and Turkish gentlemen move in a little closer please.”

[@victoriator8863]

Brilliant!

[@justynagraczyk8640]

You're offending the Spanish by saying russian salad is horrible 😅 It's one of the most popular tapas here. If prepared well and from fresh ingredients it can be really nice. Funnily enough, we have it in Poland too, almost exactly the same, but we don't call it russian, just vegetable salad😂

[@jiggersotoole7823]

Just started watching this, havent watched part one yet. Is this leading up to Wilhelm's failure to renew the reinsurance treaty with Russia?

[@johnrohe1547]

You guys rule!

[@nigeh5326]

Many of the characters in this episode remind me so much of Monty Python 😃 lol They are either eccentric or mad as hatters

[@maryedoolan7868]

Have you guys considered an episode or two on Guy Fawkes? I was astonished to hear, when I voted in my local USA election (I’m a naturalized citizen) had to fill out a form and said out loud “Oh it’s Guy Fawkes day” and the Yanks on either side of me started to exclaim “Please to remember… “. We might all really enjoy a couple of hours of your views

[@Woloh]

I was greatly surprised by Lenin's work "About the right of nations for self-identicication" where he has a heated argument against fellow-bolsheviks, all of whom just loath Austria-Hungary for giving the Ukrainians their own local Assembly. It just underlines how much pre-war Russians hated Austria-Hungary. Also, do not forget personal competition between Sazonov, who was the son-in-law of the prime minister Stolypin, and pan-Slavic hardliner ambassador Hartwig, whose position Sazonov de-facto stole. The role of Hatwig in masterminding the events in Sarajevo needs to be further investigated.

[@ЕгорПещерский]

I believe gents, in a hundred years there's gonna be a vid on "Mistakes that caused WW3".

[@thevale2456]

I highly doubt it as there wouldn’t be human life left if WW3 went Nuclear.

[@btd0ja]

13:41 “and that just shows what terrible people they are”

[@johnnydavis5896]

Russia should have been saying to themselves no matter what - no war until after they are industrialized and the army has completed modernization.

[@rhysnichols8608]

In hindsight yes. Their lack of infrastructure really let them down in the war

[@thais6236]

Thanks for recommending a link to Wikipedia KZbin. Can't have these two historians saying whatever they please without a reminder of the REAL authority!

[@joelhansen8649]

Sir Edward Grey? How about the “Grey Cup” , the Canadian Football League’s annual Championship prize and the game will be played next weekend in Vancouver British Columbia.

[@kevinmcinerney1959]

"Specktackl". Laying it on thick there.

[@JosePerez-vz1qq]

1:05:44 fascinating

[@cristosl]

The Boer War was even unpopular in Australia and considering how much Australia was wedded to the Empire that's saying something

[@milztempelrowski9281]

If only they'd given poor Dominic a more caring arts teacher, maybe even put him in one of those viennese schools. His life could have been significantly different. He could have used his stunning rhetoric for good. And so much pain would have been avoided. 55:55 I thought Joe Rogan hit it out of the park this week with his appearances. But these two chaps got the infamous Churchill to perform his own words in their (second) intro. I'm speechless. The Golden Age of youtube is back. 1:10:25 Living on prussian land, it pains me to admit this.

[@b.alexanderjohnstone9774]

Yes, we 'really are kith and kin' out here in the colonies, thank you Tom!

[@rafaelsanz3441]

Brilliant.

[@jimred100]

Where is the rest of the French revolution series please. It disappeared without further mention. You sharpened the blade, hoisted it up , never fell. ( I have to know whether the royal family got pardoned (: )

[@markuspfeifer8473]

„You had nothing in writing“ - sounds a bit like the reassurances that there would be no NATO expansion

[@mariashagina623]

Borscht is Ukrainian!

[@TheClanAdventures]

And Ukraine is Russian

[@jean-charlesblanc8454]

why is the partial mobilisation a defensive measure,?? The shocking thing, it all looks so familiar of our time right now.

[@Alanpie314]

"Russia, world's largest country" ... China: "Yeah, sure." Uh, please explain why I should listen to these two geniuses.

[@123kido]

By size it’s comfortably the largest

[@gerokollmer733]

I wonder why it all historians complain about our militarism - that was one of our nicer sides

[@JosePerez-vz1qq]

1:08:03 the thesis of Admiral Mahan's book

[@valike10]

it would be very nice if graphics of maps are overlaid over these stories

[@pepechen]

Spain makes a mean Russian Salad, in fact, in the summertime it's a staple, a very common dish, so you are courting conflict from unexpected quarters with your disparaging of Russian Salad. I can't vouch for russian Russian Salad though...

[@beback_]

49:50 "and he's just making sh... making stuff up!"

[@keithsperspective8424]

What would the world have been like if Britain aligned with Germany and 🇦🇹???