15-Minute History14 Jul 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.

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(529)

Nationalism | A Discussion on the People, United

This week's discussion covers various types of nationalism and how each manifests within a country. Jon and Joe then delve into its effects on government policy and social cohesion, talk about the con...

26 Okt 43min

Weird History | A King, an Archbishop, and a Cesspit

In the summer of 1184, Emperor Frederick Barbarossa sent his eighteen-year-old son, King Henry VI, to Erfurt to settle a land dispute between Archbishop Conrad of Mainz and Landgrave Ludwig III of Thu...

22 Okt 9min

Pop Quiz | Jamestown (Republish)

Our first episode of "Weird History" will be delayed with our apologies!

22 Okt 8min

Nationalism | The People, United

Last episode was about imperialism, creating multi-ethnic empires that spanned the globe. This is about nationalism, concentrating state power on building and maintaining an ethnic or civic identity. ...

19 Okt 15min

Conspiracy | AI Will Kill Us All vs. The Psyop

In September 2026, an AI researcher quit Anthropic and posted a warning that the industry was gambling with our lives. Within days, insiders agreed, and a CEO called for slowing down as a senator push...

15 Okt 12min

Imperialism | A Discussion on the World, Divided

Last week, we covered imperialism through two examples, King Leopold's Congo and India under the British Empire. This week, we discuss the hard questions about imperialism, starting in Berlin, where f...

12 Okt 26min

Our First Political Chat! | "Trump Checks" and the Alternative for Germany

This season, we're giving the Pop Quizzes a break.Instead, every Thursday we'll have new content from each of our presenters. On the first Thursday of the month, we will be discussing recent political...

8 Okt 22min

Imperialism | The World, Divided

Welcome back to a new season of 15-Minute History! Jon, Joe, and the rest of the team are glad to be back for season 10, where we are looking at the forces that made us, both the good and the bad.It w...

5 Okt 19min