1956 Episode 1.6 examines the tumultuous fallout of Khrushchev’s February speech in the context of Poland. What was the Polish experience of living in the Soviet orbit? Here we set the scene and trace a bit of the background. It’s a tragic kind of story if you happen to be a Pole, or care about the sovereignty of independent states, but it also makes for fascinating listening. Here we look at a specific example of a revolutionary study, which tore the lid off of Soviet occupied Poland and...

1956 Episode 1.5 examines the implications for the Soviet people, as Khrushchev’s speech is disseminated through the sprawling empire. The questions which many citizens had were to be restricted and constrained by the specific parameters set down by the Soviet authorities. In short, as we’ll see in this episode, there was a fine line between debate and dissent. Pravda liked to distinguish between dissent and debate by presenting discussion of the secret speech in the spirit of...

1956 Episode 1.4 examines the immediate storm caused by Khrushchev’s denunciations of Stalin in late February. Above all, the greatest ingredient in this storm was that of confusion. Soviet officials didn’t know what to tell the assembled crowds, and schoolteachers didn’t know what to tell their pupils. How far exactly could they go in the condemnation of Stalin? This wasn’t made clear, nor was it made clear exactly what Khrushchev hoped to gain. He seemed to vacillate between wanting people...

Episode 1.3 opens with the scene which greeted Khrushchev as he performed that incendiary speech over 24-25th of February 1956. It was a pivotal day in the history of the Soviet Union, and after we unwrap its major aspects, we then tackle the key questions – how had this speech come to be, and how had Khrushchev managed to convince his peers that it was necessary? These questions require answers if we’re to understand and appreciate the world which housed the secret speech, so I hope you’ll...

Episode 1.2 follows on from where our first episode left off. Here, the power struggle between the Soviet Union’s top men is in full swing, and power plays, character assassination, genuine assassination and even more tactics besides distinguish this period of post-Stalin Soviet history. Nikita Khrushchev’s victorious succession and confirmation as First Secretary was far from certain once the struggle began, but as his rivals continued to underestimate him, and as he worked to build up his...

What happened when the architect of the Cold War passed away? Would the Soviet Union Stalin built adapt to a new successor, or would a set of chain reactions doom the empire in its cradle? If you want to learn more about what followed after the Korean War – as a story and as a year of significance, 1956 has few equals, and we open our narrative with the event which set up all subsequent events – the death of Josef Stalin on 5th March 1953. As far as deaths of prominent characters go, the...

Welcome to 1956, an era of schemes, revolution, propaganda, intrigue and a whole lot of diplomacy! Originally brought exclusively to patrons, I've repurposed this series for all listeners, and within it you will learn exactly why I believe this eventful year is well worth your time. Our series begins with the death of Stalin, a megalomaniacal dictator who left no successor save the clique of people who had managed to survive his paranoid wrath for several years. Nikita Khrushchev, against all...

Like what you hear? Consider signing up on Patreon to access the entire series. Thanksss! For the last four+ years, this PhD thesis has been my obsession. Like pushing a boulder up a hill, the struggle was real. But, sometimes, struggle can produce great things, and I hope you'll agree that what I made is worthy of your time. This series comes exclusively to $5 patrons, but as is customary, listeners get the first episode for free. See if you like the sound of this nitty-gritty exploration of...

Welcome back! Here we talk about the State of the Podcast Address' HUGE NEWS 1) Our somewhat new series1956 and how it's all going to work. Also, is it actually interesting? 2) The new PhD Thesis series for Patrons! 3) Age of Bismarck - and of course, more! Thanksss so much for the warm welcome back history friend. I haven't stopped grinning for the last few days, and it's thanks to you! Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're back! In case you were unaware, the lack of content over the last while was because of the PhD, which is now finished. This means, yes, I am finally Dr Zack! Imagine that! I have a lot to say about the future of this podcast, and stick around for some honesty about the PhD process and how I'm doing generally after this four year plus saga. I'm really excited to dive back into podcasting after all this. And it goes without saying, but thanksss so much for all your support over the last...

Join Ole and I for a fascinating chat about History Challenge, a new way for educators and students to make history thrive! If you want to try it out for yourself, the latest version of this project is available in the link below. Thanksss! Access the Battle of Britain lesson here If you can, completing this survey on your experience would be much appreciated. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

And so it ends. After 82 episodes and what feels like thirty actual years, we finally wrap up this fascinating period of history. Thanksss so much for tuning in! Make sure to stay to the end to learn about our plans for the Thirty Years' War book, my Matchlock series, the new Delegation Game, and other PhD details. Where do we go after this? What's next for WDF? We cover that here too! **FOLLOW THESE LINKS!** 1) To support the podcast financially in return for some extra audio content, check...

The final episode of our series involves no shortage of intrigue, scheming and mistrust, yet it is also the moment when diplomacy arguably succeeded. After three decades of war, Europe, and the Holy Roman Empire in particular, had come to terms with the cost of conflict. Perhaps, in the future, things would be different? Perhaps, but as a brief look at our back catalogue shows, the post-Westphalian world was by no means free from the curse of war. Thanksss so much for following this series...

Although the Dutch and Spanish had made their peace, 1648 had room for one more campaign, and there had arguably never been so much on the line. With warfare came the chance to secure more leverage at the peace table, but the Franco-Swedish allies faced problems of its own. How were the Swedes to settle the impossibly high wage bill of so many thousands of unpaid soldiers? How were the French going to pacify the many elements within society who were sick and tired of being squeezed for...

Please consider supporting our podcast friend Benjamin Jacobs during this difficult time. In this special episode, Thom Daly joins me to rant about the state of education in America, how Republican ideologues ban what they don't understand, how misinformation and scaremongering replaced proper political discourse, and whether he has much hope that it will actually improve. I then discuss Brexit, explaining what it means, the different types of trade arrangements, how this affects Northern...

Here, in our third-last episode of the series, we take the time to analyse Cardinal Mazarin's motives. What kind of role did religious motivations, strategic motivations, political or economic or any other kind of motivation have upon his behaviour? Was he fighting for French security, or future French expansion? In line with this, we look at the religious question in the Empire, which had appeared like an impossible riddle in previous years. How was it possible to make everyone happy,...

As the war raged, Maximilian of Bavaria was forced to reconsider his position towards his Emperor. As the Habsburgs' most faithful and important German ally since the beginning, the rumours that Max was contemplating a truce had to be taken seriously. One thing was clear though - the wily Bavarian Elector had made his name by identifying the most advantageous course, and whatever decisions he made, they would be for Bavaria and Bavaria alone. **FOLLOW THESE LINKS!** 1) To support the podcast...

By the end of 1646, two massive problems plagued the negotiators. For France, the matter was Alsace, a huge chunk of territory along the sensitive Rhine region, which had long served as a buffer between the French and Imperial spheres. For Sweden, Pomerania, a slice of land along northern Germany's Baltic coast, was the central issue. The process by which the powers solved these questions, the compromises they agreed, and the implications they had, are all examined here. Although in the...

Check out our series Diplomacy: Britain vs America to nerd out on a forgotten era of Anglo-American confrontation, complete with war scares, gunboat diplomacy, and me pronouncing many things incorrectly! It's time to get all emotional, as we tie up the Eighty Years' War between the Spanish and Dutch, which had formed an integral part of the Thirty Years' War in its earlier phase, but which had, from 1645, effectively been relegated to a sideshow of the larger war. The Dutch, and its House of...

The Battle of Jankau in 1645, followed by Allerheim later in the year, confirmed that the Emperor could expect few miracles from the battlefield. Bavaria seemed teetering on the edge, making secret moves towards the French, while the Spanish buckled, and the Swedes rampaged throughout the Habsburg Hereditary Lands. Ferdinand III understood that his greatest chances for self preservation lay in Westphalia, and his agent, Trauttmansdorf, was sent with very specific instructions. Here, we cover...

The wide range of interests and powers that gathered at the two Westphalian cities each tell a fascinating story. Whether it was the two French agents that loathed one another; the Dutch tradition of representing each of the seven provinces; Swedish desires to legalise its control over Pomerania; Johan Oxenstierna's frequently drunken state, when he wasn't insisting on trumpets blasting to announce his presence; the Franco-Swedish request on having all Imperial estates represented at...

After so long dancing around the issue, here we finally look at the moment when the Westphalian towns of Osnabruck and Munster hosted delegates from all across Europe and the Empire. Why were the French so eager to arrive with an enormous entourage? How did the delegates get their mail? How did warmer creatures cope with the cold, rainy mud of Germany? We get into it here, as well as contextualising these key early steps of the most famous peace congress of the early modern era. **DON'T...

Don't forget that for a limited time you can get 16% off an annual Patreon membership - sign up now to get 40 hours of exclusive content AND listen to our new series on Anglo-American diplomacy from 1838-1846. Your support will help me become Dr Zack! Yes, I do still exist! In this episode we examine how the French coped with the sudden absence of Sweden, which had turned its attention to the Danes. France had to contend with several fronts, particularly along the Rhine, in the Netherlands,...

Don't forget that for a limited time you can get 16% off an annual Patreon membership - sign up now to get 40 hours of exclusive content AND listen to our new series on Anglo-American diplomacy from 1838-1846. Your support will help me become Dr Zack! By late 1643, one could be forgiven for expecting Lennart Torstensson, the Swedish commander in Germany, to take stock of his situation and plan for a new campaign in the new year. But such plans were placed on hold, because a letter from the...

Don't forget that for a limited time you can get 16% off an annual Patreon membership - sign up now to get 40 hours of exclusive content AND listen to our new series on Anglo-American diplomacy from 1838-1846. Your support will help me become Dr Zack! It's about time I dropped my research on you guys, so in this episode we'll be plumbing the depths of something I've mentioned many times, but rarely taken the time to define or explain properly - national honour. What was it, where did it come...