When Diplomacy Fails Podcast

Cold War Crash Course IV

[PATRONS]  

The question of Germany and how the east-west divide played a role in answering that question forms the basis of the latest episode in the series. The repairing and restructuring of Germany, so that it was strong enough to contribute to Europe's rebuilding, but not so strong that it pulled another war of revenge out of its hat, was a critical balancing act. It profoundly unnerved some people and inspired others. It puzzled some and excited others. Above all though, it was the ...

Cold War Crash Course III

[PATRONS]  

In our latest installment of the series, we look at the person of Josef Stalin, a dominant figure for our wider Korean War series, and his security blanket he was in the process of creating in Eastern Europe. The spread of communism in Europe's shattered cities, combined with the looming threat of the Red Army and the sweeping impact of its soldiers into the East, created a new dynamic in Europe. At the head of this new dynamic was the will and ambition of Stalin, who had a di...

Cold War Crash Course II

[PATRONS}

In the second episode of the CWCC, we look at how the US managed to tie Western Europe closer to its orbit through political strategy, closer cooperation and sheer economic investment. The Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan and NATO were critical building blocks in the Euro-American relationship in the late 1940s, and we get to grips with them here.

As the US worked with its beleaguered allies, the chronic lack of food as much as coal threatened disaster. With the doll...

Cold War Crash Course I

[PATRONS]  

"I thought you’d be there waiting for me…what greeted me instead was the lingering stench of ashes and the empty sockets of our ruined home."
Polish citizen Samuel Puterman returns to Warsaw in late 1945.

We begin our examination of the post-WW2 world by looking at the sheer impact the conflict had on the peoples, infrastructure and industry of Europe. Once considered the centre of the world, now Europe was its shattered, gloomy shell. It would take an immense amo...

KW: Introduction II - Forgotten Still

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Is it the forgotten war, or simply a war we need to look at differently? Let's investigate.

We need to make some things clear. We have to set out the structure and scope of this project, outline what sources we used and of course, talk a bit about how each one of the episodes will be structured. What music will we used? What will Patrons get? What will the series actually look like? This is the place to find out - the Sources and Structure of the series will be learned o...

KW: Introduction I - Forgotten Still

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The Korean War is a project which I have been preparing for for several months. It is in this episode that I drop some knowledge on you guys, such as, above all, what my take on the Korean War will look like, and what exactly I have here that is so potentially controversial. My revisionist take on the conflict is a brave approach considering the conventional views, but I do hope you'll give it a chance. Either way there are some fascinating stories to get through, and we have ...

The Korean War: Prologue

[PATRONS] I just couldn't wait any longer. For the next few days, we'll be introducing you guys to the Korean War, and I had to start early because we simply have SO MUCH GOOD AHEAD OF US!

The Korean War was fought from 195-1953, and while many of us today have a rough idea of how it went, to most it is those two lines in a textbook, an irrelevant blip on the Cold War radar. An unimportant, unappreciated event in the crowded literature of the 20th century. To me, the Korean War is many things,...

WDF State of the Podcast Address 1st January 2018

[PATRONS] Here we are as promised, opening up the new year with a detailed look at where WDF is going next, why it's going there and why you should care! We address the following issues within:

- massive thanksss given all round for a fantastic year.
- we read out the Patrons at the end
- we talk about having to launch an archive feed!
- we talk about whether or not we should launch a Facebook group
- we unwrap the upcoming series; the Korean War, the Patrons' exclusive 1956, the V...

WDF XTRA: Jan Sobieski Bio XII

[PATRONS] Here we are the final, somewhat tragic part, of our series on Jan Sobieski. After what you've just heard I hope you're prepared for what's to come in May 2018, as we launch Poland Is Not Yet Lost!

 "Am I to meet my creator?"
"Yes, Inshallah", came the reply.

At this brief conversation, Kara Mustafa, Grand Vizier and perhaps the sole driving force behind the last siege of Vienna, understood that his Sultan had sentenced him to die. Incidentally, it was not ...

WDF 30: The Long War XVI

[PATRONS] It's here! The conclusion to our 16 part story which we've been building towards for several weeks, months and years. Since we began the tale of the Thirty Years War, our narrative has, in several ways, been moving towards this incredible culmination of east meeting west. On 12th September 1683, the forces of the Ottoman Empire under Kara Mustafa met and did battle with the relief army comprised of several troops from countries as diverse as Poland, Saxony, Austria, France, Bavaria, Sp...

WDF Xtra: Jan Sobieski XI

[PATRONS] Our story reaches a fever pitch, and you'd have to be MAD to miss out!

"I know Sobieski well, where he is, flight is our only refuge. Look out upon the firmament and you will see that even Allah himself is against us! The Pasha of Damascus was right when he advised you not to attack Vienna. You have done a foolish thing, Kara Mustafa, in coming here, as half of Christian Europe is united against us. I am distressed to participate in this battle when you sit ...

WDF 30: The Long War XV

[PATRONS] They're Here!

After several months of waiting and buildup, we finally reach that incredible tale - when for two grisly months, the defenders of Vienna worked miracles to protect their city from the relentless Turk, and when Count Stahremberg used every fibre of his being to keep his men in high enough spirits to continue onwards in their bloody business. Incredible tension, great drama and a story almost too fantastic to be true are contained in this episode...

WDF XTRA: Jan Sobieski Bio X

[PATRONS]

Before we begin, a note on the changes in Patreon's charging system. Essentially, it will now cost you MORE to pledge to me. How much more depends on how much you are already pledging. A flat fee of $0.35 will apply to all pledges, and a 2.9% surcharge as well. Please see the links below for more information. I am both sorry and immensely uncomfortable about this.

2017-12-08 00:01:01 +0000 UTC View Post

WDF THINKS: Queen Elizabeth I's Portuguese Plot

[PATRONS] Something special for all lovely fans of WDF for the month of December, it's...something completely unrelated to Christmas!

In this episode of WDF THINKS we ask the very relevant question - was Queen Elizabeth I of England all that great at diplomacy? Sure there was that whole Armada thing, but what about her actual talents and abilities as a diplomatist, particularly a female diplomatist in a world where few such things existed? Well, WDF is proud to take up the challenge by examini...

WDF 30: The Long War XIV

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 They're here! After so many weeks of marching, Kara Mustafa's terrifying host reaches the walls of Vienna, but after a few critical days' worth of preparations, Vienna's remaining populace were as prepared as they would ever be for what was to come. Grimly reconciled to the arrival of their greatest foe, only great acts of bravery, tenacity and ingenuity would hold back the Grand Vizier's determined assault. As we can see in this handy homemade diagram of the Vienna defences, s...

WDF Xtra: Jan Sobieski Bio IX

[PATRONS] Our story is really heating up, as the Grand Hetman finally reaches the top of the greasy pole (Pole?)

"Your time has come and you know what I mean. You know that I despise any man who could have become something powerful and failed. If events crush him the way Hamlet and Macbeth were overwhelmed, alright. Or if evil forces bring him down the way Othello fell, alright again. But to fail because of ignorance."

Marie sought to spur her husband forward. H...

WDF 30: The Long War XIII

[PATRONS] First things first - DON'T MIND ME! Whatever I call it, it's the River Raab not the River 'Raba'. I think the phlegm has moved into my brain!

In our latest episode examines the moment when Kara Mustafa finally did it. Overcoming the expectations and assumptions of the high command of the Habsburgs in their Vienna seclusion, the Ottomans outmanoeuvred Charles of Lorraine completely, heading due north-west, crossing the River Raab, bypassing Gyor and utterly f...

WDF XTRA: Jan Sobieski Biography VIII

[PATRONS] This is definitely my favourite episode yet! Somebody make this man into a Netflix series please!

"From our army, in these heavy times, many good men perished. Because so manly and valorous a force, as had been this Ottoman army, I know the ages never had foreseen their defeat. But because of our men’s extraordinary resolution in our good cause, especially among the hussar banners, we held on and won. Nevertheless the enemy was defeated in three hours. The...

WDF 30: The Long War XII

[PATRONS] Our story continues, as the Habsburgs scramble their forces together in the midst of increasingly worrying news across all fronts. Stahremberg  makes an appearance, and sets to work building up the defences of Vienna for whatever may transpire. Meanwhile, Charles of Lorraine is celebrated as the man in charge of Habsburg forces, but this ragtag bunch of Europeans will have to shape up before they face up to the terrible might of the Turks. All the while, Kara Mustafa seems to move...

WDF XTRA: Jan Sobieski Biography VII

[PATRONS] Our coverage of Sobieski's incredible life and times continues!

"Beloved Lord Jesus, I cannot wait even one day longer, because great is the misery of my people as they die under the Tartar lash. We can no longer bear the humiliation. It is disgraceful and an offence in the nostrils of God that an infidel nation darkens our great homeland. I am determined to be brute and merciless against these savages, and I expect you to do the same. We have d...

WDF 30: The Long War XI

[PATRONS] We're not QUITE ready to watch the Turk batter down the walls of Vienna - instead, we're spending a few more minutes examining the motives of the Ottoman's two leading men. Is it really possible to properly grasp what led these two figures, Kara Mustafa and Sultan Mehmed IV, in their charge for the Golden Apple? 

Furthermore, is it possible to gauge a point when peace ended and war began, or are things far less straightforward than that? Indeed history friends, sometimes simple ...

WDF Xtra: Jan Sobieski Biography VI

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"Soldiers, I am determined to make no change in my plans. The event will show it be well laid or not. As to what remains, I lay not restraint upon such as have not the courage to face a glorious death. Let them retire and die in flight by the sword of a Tartar or Cossack. For myself I shall remain here with those brave soldiers who love their country. This crowd of robbers makes no impression upon my mind. I know that God often gives the victory, in a just cause, to the small ...

WDF 30: The Long War X

[PATRONS] Our coverage of the complex and juicy diplomacy continues! While the main event is the examination at last of the Habsburg-Polish treaty of alliance, the events leading up to such an event are also something to behold. The French threat remained strong and Louis XIV's presence across the Rhine remained a menace to those German potentates who otherwise would have jumped at the chance to crusade against the Turk. This, as we've by now learned, was no accident. B...

WDF XTRA: Jan Sobieski Biography V

[PATRONS] A very involved episode ahead, including marriage, war, war and...more war!

 "Jan and Marie, because you come from special families, you must accept special obligations. The Crown needs your services. The Crown needs your help in preserving its freedom. Jealous enemies beset us on every side and we must defend ourselves against them. You must build in your hearts a love for Jesus Christ so that you will be ready to defend his freedom too. The church is ...

WDF Collab: Norman Ohler - Blitzed

[PATRONS] What an incredible treat we have for you today! Norman Ohler, internationally bestselling author responsible for one of the most significant new perspectives on the Third Reich and Adolf Hitler joins us on the podcast for a very special collaboration. Ohler's ideas have been plucked straight from the previously underrated notes of Dr Theodor Morell, Hitler's personal physician, so you know they hold water, as Morell saw Hitler more than anyone else in the last portion of his life. ...

WDF Jan Sobieski Biography IV

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"Most curiously shaped, with a large head, an enormous belly and small feet, surely he did not give the impression of a charming and handsome man. However, his appearance was unmistakably powerful with his large brown, penetrating eyes, surrounded by deep, dark shadows. His fashionable moustache gave him a noble but sinister look..."

In such a way did Jan Sobieski's biographer, Miltiades Varvounis, describe Jan Sobieski (pictured) as the 26 year old Polish noblemen looke...

WDF 30: The Long War IX

[PATRONS] Our story is heating up, and we have loads to get through!

Albert Caprara has a really bad time in this episode, as he is plucked from his far more enjoyable job in the University of Bologna and selected by Leopold to negotiate with the Turks. These same Turks who had been preparing themselves for war for the last few months, were found by Caprara to have been - surprise surprise - preparing themselves for war, rather than preparing themselves to sign a new peace treaty wi...

Jan Sobieski Biography 3

[PATRONS]  "Have you come to avenge your country"

Asked Jan Sobieski's mother Zofia in 1648, when Jan and his brother Marek returned to the fortress town of Zamosc, near their place of birth, to help deal with the emerging Cossack threat under Bogdan Khmelnitsky.
Jan Sobieski could not have known it yet, but he was about to embark upon the first of a series of campaigns which would exhaust his homeland, imbue him with invaluable military experience and, in time, cement his legend.<...

WDF 30: The Long War VIII

[PATRONS] We now take the opportunity to FINALLY tackle the diplomacy leading up to the last siege of Vienna!

 You have all been very patient, so I am so excited to finally begin unpacking the incredibly fascinating and interconnected era of the 1680s. This episode here should tie us back to the first three episodes we did on Louis XIV, because it relates Leopold’s concerns to the military and diplomatic situation in the west, and explains why exactly Leopold believed until it was almos...

Jan Sobieski Biography 2

[PATRONS] Welcome to part two!

"Learn from other nations, study their culture and bring their ideas with you. Even if our nation offers the finest democracy since Ancient Athens, even if we don’t allow dictatorship, nor savage rule, still you will learn a lot of things by visiting the western lands. I recommend you stay in Paris for further studies. There is no other city like this in Europe."

These were the words of Jan Sobieski's father Jakub (pictured), as he waved his ...