In 1945, weeks before the Western Allies arrived in Hitler's capital the Red Army controlled the city and began to quietly impose a new generation of German communists. Amid the ruins and devastation, ordinary Berliners, aware of their country's crimes, began to rebuild. This episode draws on Berlin by Sinclair McKay.

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In the mid-1930s, with the shadow of one great war still looming and the threat of another growing darker, Britain faced a vexing national crisis: should it rearm? This episode delves into the complex political, economic, and social debates that defined this critical period.

We explore the profound public anxiety shaped by the memory of World War I and the terrifying new prospect of aerial warfare, as seen in newsreels from Guernica and Nanjing. Drawing on Daniel Todman's Britain's War, we unpack the immense financial cost of building a deterrent force and the fierce political arguments it ignited. Why was borrowing for defense seen as acceptable while spending on social welfare was not?

Join us as we examine the clash between Winston Churchill's thunderous calls for urgent, state-led industrial mobilization and the Baldwin-Chamberlain government's cautious approach, which feared destroying Britain's export economy for a war that might never happen. From the inter-service rivalries and industrial bottlenecks to the ingenious "shadow factory" scheme that would prove vital in the Battle of Britain, this is the story of a democracy grappling with the monumental challenge of preparing for a war it desperately wanted to avoid.

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In this episode of Explaining History, we delve into the intricate web of diplomacy, ambition, and betrayal that led the Ottoman Empire into the Great War. Drawing from Eugene Rogan's "The Fall of the Ottomans," we explore the Empire's precarious position in the years before 1914, caught between the competing interests of Europe's great powers.

Discover Germany's strategic "Weltpolitik," which saw the Ottomans as a key partner to challenge British and Russian dominance, leading to ambitious projects like the Berlin-to-Baghdad railway and the controversial appointment of a German military mission to modernize the Ottoman army. We'll unpack the diplomatic crisis that this provoked with Russia, which viewed Istanbul and the Straits as its own sphere of influence.

As the clouds of war gathered over Europe in the summer of 1914, the Ottoman leadership desperately sought a powerful ally to protect its vulnerable territory. We'll follow the fascinating, and ultimately failed, attempts to forge an alliance with Britain and France. Learn about the final act of betrayal—Britain's seizure of two newly built Ottoman dreadnoughts—that served as a national humiliation and pushed the wavering Empire into a secret alliance with Germany, a decision that would seal its fate and reshape the Middle East forever.

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Explaining History helps you understand the 20th Century through critical conversations and expert interviews. We connect the past to the present. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and share.

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