#59: 3 August 1914 III - House on Fire

#59: 3 August 1914 III - House on Fire

Finally, Sir Edward Grey was ready to make his case to the House of Commons. Parliament had been starved of news for a week, and the press had done their best to fill in the gaps, but the whole country was desperate for an update. What would the government do if the rumours were true, and Germany had invaded France? Was neutrality on the table? And what of Belgium, who was protected by a treaty? How would Grey rally the House to his side, and did it even matter if he could not, since the Cabinet had already been convinced of the need to act thanks to various pressures?


Grey was tasked with answering many of these questions, but there were many that he did not answer, and a surprising amount that he did not say. In this episode we give Grey's speech in the Commons - and the subsequent reactions - their proper attention. In a day suffused with monumental, watershed moments, not limited to Germany's declaration of war on France, Grey's speech represented the public culmination of a struggle which had gone on in private for several weeks. His seventy minute speech set the tone for what was to come, and effectively spelled out that Britain was bound to transform this European war into a world war.


Support the July Crisis series, join the conversation, and find out more through these links:

  1. Do you want ad-free episodes with scripts attached, and bonus content? Support us on Patreon and you can suggest July Crisis episodes!
  2. Join our Facebook group as we make our way through this fascinating series!
  3. Click here to see our July Crisis workspace in Perlego, you'll find every source you need!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jaksot(744)

Versailles #62: A Wild Soviet Bavaria Appears

Versailles #62: A Wild Soviet Bavaria Appears

The German delegation had arrived in Paris, but despite the confident exterior, Ulrich von Brockdorff-Rantzau would have known full well that all was not well back home. Germany was tottering on the e...

3 Touko 201931min

Versailles #61: The Last Day of April

Versailles #61: The Last Day of April

The 30th April was a strange day. It was barely a microcosm in the grand scheme of the Paris Peace Conference, and it was wedged awkwardly between the Italian walkout and the German arrival, not to me...

30 Huhti 201931min

Versailles #60: The Germans Arrive

Versailles #60: The Germans Arrive

At long last, the German delegation has arrived in Paris, and resides in the exact same hotel where in 1871, the French government was forced to kowtow to Bismarck. What a coincidence! Leading the del...

29 Huhti 201924min

Versailles #59: OTD 28th April 1919 - A League Come True

Versailles #59: OTD 28th April 1919 - A League Come True

OTD 100 years ago, perhaps the most infamous international organisation in history was officially blessed by the plenary conference of the Paris Peace Conference. This made it essentially impossible t...

28 Huhti 201930min

Delegation Game #13: Foch's Five Pillars

Delegation Game #13: Foch's Five Pillars

As the Conference at London works towards several compromises, we tune in to some new arrivals, some storm conference scenes, and a weighted meeting between the President Marshal, Ferdinand Foch, and ...

28 Huhti 201952min

Versailles #58: Reparations and War Guilt

Versailles #58: Reparations and War Guilt

It's time we cleared the air about reparations and war guilt, arguably the two most controversial elements of the Treaty of Versailles. Here, making use of studies long since ignored or forgotten, we ...

27 Huhti 201943min

Versailles #57: Danzig and the Rhine

Versailles #57: Danzig and the Rhine

Here we take stock of the situation by the last week of April 1919 by focusing our microscope on two apparently unrelated, but hugely important issues – specifically the future of the Rhine, and the s...

26 Huhti 201935min

Versailles #56: OTD 24th April 1919 - The Italians Walk Out!

Versailles #56: OTD 24th April 1919 - The Italians Walk Out!

On 24th April 1919, Italy left the Paris Peace Conference. This stunning development was a long time coming, and was a natural result of the behaviour of the big three. Notwithstanding the justness of...

24 Huhti 201956min

Suosittua kategoriassa Historia

olipa-kerran-otsikko
gogin-ja-janin-maailmanhistoria
mayday-fi
huijarit
mystista
rss-ikiuni
konginkangas
tsunami
totuus-vai-salaliitto
rouva-diktaattori
rss-i-dont-like-mondays-2
rss-sattuu-sita-suomessakin
historiaa-suomeksi
rss-subjektiivinen-todistaja
rss-peter-peter
maailmanpuu
historian-nurkkapoyta
sotaa-ja-historiaa-podi
hippokrateen-vastaanotolla
rss-kirkon-ihmeellisimmat-tarinat