74.2 The Russo-Japanese War and Revolution of 1905
Tsar Alexander II of Russia is assassinated in March 1881. He was probably the most liberal of all tsars of Russia, but succeeded by reactionary leaders Alexander III and then Nicholas II. Nicholas un...
10 Feb 202324min
74.1 First World War - Introduction, and Treaty Of Berlin 1878
A summary of the main events from the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 to the beginning of the First World War in 1914At the end of the nineteenth century the Balkans had multiple crises. The Treaty...
3 Feb 202320min
73.3 Russo-Turkish War 1877-78
In April 1877, two Russian armies invaded the Ottoman empire. The focus of the war became the siege of Plevna in Bulgaria. The strong resistance there gave the Turks real hope for a final victory, or ...
16 Dec 202222min
73.2 Russo-Turkish War 1877-78
In April 1876 news spread across Europe of appalling atrocities being committed in Bulgaria, by Turks against local uprisings. These occurred soon after similar events elsewhere in the Balkans region ...
9 Dec 202215min
73.1 Russo-Turkish War 1877-78 - Background
In 1875, the Balkans entered a period of turmoil as various nationalities (Serbians, Bulgarians, Macedonians, Albanians and Romanians) struggled for independence from the Ottoman Turks. Uprisings quic...
2 Dec 202223min
72.1 Philippa Gregory Interview
Philippa has written novels set in several different historical periods, especially the Tudor period. We discussed the period around the Glorious Revolution 1688 when the Prince of Orange invaded Engl...
11 Nov 202218min
71.2 Franco-Prussian War 1870-71
For centuries, Europe’s German centre had been politically fragmented and weak. The continent had been dominated by states on the periphery, whose interest was to maintain the power vacuum at the cent...
4 Nov 202227min
71.1 Franco-Prussian War 1870-71 - Background
Following Prussia's victory at Königgrätz in 1866, the North German Confederation became an instrument for Prussian dominance. All northern German states not directly annexed by Prussia were put in th...
28 Okt 202223min
