#65: 5 August 1914 - 'This Frantic Stampede to Hell'

#65: 5 August 1914 - 'This Frantic Stampede to Hell'

The world was at war, and there was much to do. In London, attention turned to the British Expeditionary Force. The BEF had been ruled out several times before, but that did not have to matter. How many divisions could Britain send, and to where? What of the Dominions, or India, or Egypt? How could one balance imperial possessions with European defence imperatives? At least, the Cabinet was mostly on the same page, and in Parliament, war credits were approved, though not without some vocal dissent.


The mood in Germany was both anxious and defiant. The sheer extent of the challenge posed by the Triple Entente made gathering more allies all the more urgent, but it also entailed a kind of desperation, where Germany must be prepared to fight to the end. Austria would also be pressured to clarify matters, and declare war on Russia and France. The First World War as we know it was taking shape, yet very few fully understood how it had happened. Where complex analysis was unavailable and sources lacking, governments turned to propaganda and noble causes. The war could still be seen as a kind of adventure, but within weeks, romanticism would collide with the brutal reality of industrial slaughter.


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.

Avsnitt(744)

Goodbye For Now

Goodbye For Now

Between working full time and the impending arrival of baby WDF, I would be lying if I pretended as if nothing was going to change. It is, in fact, time to accept that I am only one man. But that's ok...

6 Okt 202514min

#70: July Crisis Q&A

#70: July Crisis Q&A

During this series we have encountered a wide variety of fascinating characters and controversial decisions, but even though the story of why the world went to war in 1914 is finally finished, that do...

30 Juli 202558min

State of the Podcast Address 21 July 2025

State of the Podcast Address 21 July 2025

It's been a while since I last checked in with you, and I've been sitting on some incredible news for a while now. If you'd like to know how things are about to change, then make sure you listen in! H...

21 Juli 202529min

#69: The First World War - Whose Fault Is It Anyway? Part 3

#69: The First World War - Whose Fault Is It Anyway? Part 3

In our final part, we bring this saga of a series to an end by focusing our attention on the most focused on country of all - Germany. We know what Germany did from 1 August, from the declarations of ...

21 Juli 202549min

#68: The First World War - Whose Fault Is It Anyway? Part 2

#68: The First World War - Whose Fault Is It Anyway? Part 2

For generations, examinations of the First World War excluded arguably the most important actor - Russia. In this episode, we will hone in on the Tsar's court and his ministers. We will analyse their ...

14 Juli 202537min

#67: The First World War - Whose Fault Is It Anyway? Part 1

#67: The First World War - Whose Fault Is It Anyway? Part 1

By now we've seen the absolute worst that Europe had to offer in 1914. We've seen naive statesmen, misinformed statesmen, distrustful statesmen, desperate statesmen, and everything in between. But whe...

7 Juli 202545min

The Unreality of Realism w/ Alexander von Sternberg

The Unreality of Realism w/ Alexander von Sternberg

Something special for you here - Alex and I had a great conversation about realism in international relations on his History Impossible podcast, and he was good enough to let me publish it on my feed....

3 Juli 20252h 18min

#66: The July Crisis - Conclusion

#66: The July Crisis - Conclusion

What have we learned after 65 episodes of background, analysis, and day-to-day coverage of the most consequential diplomatic failure in human history? What can we say about those responsible for what ...

30 Juni 202541min

Populärt inom Historia

massmordarpodden
historiska-brott
p3-historia
motiv
kod-katastrof
historiepodden-se
olosta-mord
rss-historien-om
rss-seriemordarpodden
rss-historiska-brottslingar
rss-brottsligt
historianu-med-urban-lindstedt
rss-massmordarpodden
krigshistoriepodden
militarhistoriepodden
harrisons-dramatiska-historia
obskyr-historia
nu-blir-det-historia
vetenskapsradion-historia
mannen-utan-spar