When Diplomacy Fails Podcast

This is it! Finally after all the waiting, all the work, all the preparation, all the stress, all the hints, all the excitement and all the curious riddles, we are LIVE! This is WDF Remastered, and this project has five weeks to run wild! Within this introduction episode you will learn all there is to know about what I've got planned for this incredible project, and you patrons have it super good, as every single episode is released RIGHT NOW to you guys. To the regular listeners, you guys are in it for the long haul, as every day for five weeks you'll have at least two episodes a day to feast upon! The sheer scale and scope of this project is incredible, and if you want more info, this episode will serve it all up in spades. We have remastered episodes, original content, topic deep dives, fantastic conversations with talented creators, podcasters and professionals and so much more. All of this is because of you, because you stuck with WDF and made it such a great place to be for the last five years. This... Get bonus content on Patreon

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My agora friends and others are going to be in New York for a special conference on 29th June - meet Mike Duncan, Kevin Stroud, David Crowther and more! Search Intelligent Speech Conference now! Use the code WDF to get 5% off your ticket!

Within this episode we tell the incredible story of Scapa Flow, that infamous event in the twilight of the peace conference, where the German admiral von Reuter determined that he had no choice other than to scuttle his ships. As we will learn here though, the decision which the German admiral took was not a straightforward case of a German doing bold things, and debate rages on to this day over whether or not the act was a result of misunderstanding, or deliberate sabotage.

We also provide some background to the situation at Scapa Flow. How long had von Reuter's 74 ships been at this harbour, and why were they interned, rather than simply handed over as a surrender? What did the allies plan to do with his ships, and how did they plan to overcome thier disagreements? Could anyone really afford to add these 74 ships to their naval arsenal, or should they be used instead as a beacon of hope, by handing them to the League of Nations? Maybe they should just be destroyed in a grand ceremony, the symbol of the Anglo-German naval race sinking beneath the waves. As we will learn, the scuttling didn't merely embarrass the British, it also saved any potential antagonism between the British and Americans. Perhaps, in some respects, the act was even a blessing in disguise?

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Vittorio Orlando, George Clemenceau, David Lloyd George and Woodrow Wilson. Four men, who over the last eight months, had been more central to the development of the peace, and thus the development of the 20th century, than any other figures. In this episode, we remember each man and his story during this eight month period. What struggles did each face, what triumphs did they enjoy, and what has history come to say about each of them? Can any one of them truly claim to have succeeded? If all had some qualms with the Treaty, was that Treaty even worth anything? A century later, how do explain the behaviour of these men, and what does it tell us about the Treaty which emerged afterwards?

Was there a good guy and a bad guy? Not quite, and just like in 1914, there was no smoking gun. The big four were four men in a sea of others, who tried their best to change the narrative, and to make something new. Each man differed as to exactly what he wanted, but all were united on one thing - a desire to avoid at all costs, a repeat of the Great War. Unfortunately, it is impossible now to avoid the conclusion that they failed, but as we've also learned, not a single one of them went down without a fight. In fact, for a few, the struggle which followed the Treaty truly was a matter of life and death.

Track down the song Whirlwinds of Danger which we used in our intermission by clicking here

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The Versailles Anniversary Project is possible because of your support and interest - make sure to spread the word, engage with the debate, and look at the different ways you can help this project succeed!

->Visit the homeland for this new project!

->Become a delegate and play the Delegation Game for just $6 a month!

->Support the podcast financially and access ad free episodes with transcripts from just $2 a month!

->Follow WDF on Twitter!

->Join the Facebook group!

->Subscribe on iTunes!

Get bonus content on Patreon

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Sure, you could listen to the real story of the Thirty Years' War, but why not listen to a fictional story, set during this same period? Matchlock is a historical fiction series set during the Thirty Years' War, beginning in 1622, when Matthew Lock lands in Europe to investigate the brutal murder of his parents. If epic drama, conflict and adorable characters are your thing, Matchlock will be ideal for you!

Order your copy of Matchlock and the Embassy by clicking here.

Welcome to the Thirty Years War...like you've never seen it before! Learn here how the personal rivalry and hatred between Emperor Ferdinand and his subject Frederick pushed Europe to the brink of the abyss...

Over three decades, this history spat out a wide range of fascinating stories and tales, but in this episode I'm going to focus on one in particular - the incredible story of Frederick V's rise, fall then rise and then fall again! It's a winding tale, but it's also emblematic of the wider war, which could make winners out of loser in the space of a day, and where everything, across the continent of Europe itself, could be changed.

This is the Thirty Years War at its most dramatic and captivating, and I believe if we look at the story of Frederick from the beginning, the escalation of the conflict into the 30 year mess we know today makes much more sense. Frederick's departure represented the beginning of a free for all for the sake of power and influence, but so long as he was alive, Frederick's rivalry with Emperor Ferdinand did more than any other relationship to further the war's flames, until virtually every power of consequence was sucked into the vortex.

I hope you'll listen in to see what you think, and I hope listeners new and old will be able to take something from this story too. What's your favourite story, and do you have a pressing question you need answered about this conflict? Then be sure to tune into our Q&A on Wed 16 September, and make sure you send YOUR QUESTIONS into me as well, because I want to answer them!

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Our endless flurry of Korean War content continues as we pave the way towards the Versailles Anniversary Project! Stay tuned!

Episode 45: The Culminating Factors brings several threads of our story together, as we count down towards the establishment of peace amidst the political climb of Dwight D. Eisenhower, who would be elected President of the US and wave goodbye to the Truman administration. The story of how Eisenhower got there, and why he decided that “I will go to Korea” is a fascinating one which we examine here. At the same time, we look at what the departing Truman administration meant for American foreign policy. Was Truman sad to leave, or did he believe that he had done his duty for American security, and left a lasting legacy on that office?

In addition to examining these aspects of the story, we look as well at the coercive diplomacy used by Eisenhower. Was Eisenhower’s diplomatic approach, as the historical consensus suggests, sprinkled with several sticks and threats, in a bid to force the communists out of the war? A great deal of evidence exists to suggest that the Eisenhower administration did engage in a great deal of coercive, even nuclear, diplomacy, from 1953. However, while this does fit quite nicely with the idea that NSC68 made America more powerful and thus better positioned to actually lob threats at its rivals, we will see in future episodes that the reality is not so straightforward.

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