What If? | A Lasting Peace at Tilsit (Republish)
15-Minute History14 Heinä 2025

What If? | A Lasting Peace at Tilsit (Republish)

During the summer break, the 15-Minute History podcast team are republishing some of their favorite episodes. This episode originally aired on July 12, 2021.

___

The raft floated in the midst of the River Niemen. On it were two beautiful pavilions, one for the Emperor of the French and the other for the Czar and Autocrat of All the Russias. In the French tent, Napoleon Bonaparte argued with his foreign minister, Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand, over how harsh the peace terms with the defeated Russians should be. Talleyrand, a servant of every revolutionary government since 1789, was a snake in silk stockings, but he knew foreign policy better than anyone else in the emperor’s entourage. He begged the emperor to treat Russia gently and put an end to fifteen years of war. But Napoleon, flush with the victory at Friedland earlier that year, was determined to humiliate Alexander I, and Talleyrand, ever the obedient servant in public, fell silent. What if Napoleon had heeded Talleyrand’s advice in 1807 and treated the Russians with more respect? What would our world look like today if history had taken a different course? In this series of bonus episodes on “15-Minute History,” Joe and I will be sharing some of our favorite “What If?” scenarios from this series with you. Building on the theme of Season Four, learning from history, we hope to provide some lessons on how individuals shape the destinies of large groups and entire nations.

Jaksot(461)

Changing the Constitution | The Progressive Amendments

Changing the Constitution | The Progressive Amendments

American progressives at the turn of the 20th century saw major flaws in the United States Constitution and worked to correct them through the process of amendments. Each one was the subject of debate...

9 Helmi 15min

Sketches in History | The President Who Slept Under the Stars

Sketches in History | The President Who Slept Under the Stars

The 15-Minute History Podcast team welcomes you back to another Sketches in History. This segment, just for kids, shows that history isn't just a story; it's an adventure. Join Lottie Archer as she di...

5 Helmi 10min

Theodore Roosevelt | A Discussion and Reckoning

Theodore Roosevelt | A Discussion and Reckoning

"What struck you most about Roosevelt?" The question hangs in the air as we return to last week's episode. The spectacles, the gymnasium, the Badlands, the Bull Moose - each moment revealing layers we...

2 Helmi 57min

Pop Quiz | Monopolies

Pop Quiz | Monopolies

Why do so many large corporations, especially the tech giants, seem to avoid federal antitrust legislation?Join us every Thursday for pop quizzes and Sketches in History episodes, and leave a comment ...

29 Tammi 5min

Theodore Roosevelt | A Strenuous Life

Theodore Roosevelt | A Strenuous Life

"You must make your body." An asthmatic boy in wire-rimmed spectacles nods. Decades later, shot in the chest, he'll deliver a 90-minute speech: "It takes more than that to kill a Bull Moose."Theodore ...

26 Tammi 21min

Sketches in History | The Panama Canal

Sketches in History | The Panama Canal

The 15-Minute History Podcast team welcomes you back to another Sketches in History. This segment, just for kids, shows that history isn't just a story; it's an adventure. Join Lottie Archer as she di...

22 Tammi 11min

"Daring Mighty Things" | A Discussion on the Panama Canal and America's Role in Latin America

"Daring Mighty Things" | A Discussion on the Panama Canal and America's Role in Latin America

In this week's discussion, we cover more detail about the building of the canal and the herculean medical and engineering feats American and Panamanian workers achieved. (Joe even gets to put on his d...

19 Tammi 33min

Pop Quiz - Iran, then and now

Pop Quiz - Iran, then and now

With events in Iran moving hour by hour, Joe asked about the Iranian Revolution of 1979, how that regime could hold onto the country for so long, and why we are now seeing a possible change in governm...

15 Tammi 7min

Suosittua kategoriassa Historia

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