Early successes gave way to embarrassing defeats as Franz Joseph I was outsmarted by savvier leaders on the world stage. In 1914, when his successor was assassinated in Serbia, Franz declared war — and within weeks, the first World War had begun.
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Nov 2022
Thanksgiving Special: Just Add Arsenic
Over the ages, arsenic has had many lives — beauty fad, household product, medical prescription… and weapon of choice wielded by killers everywhere from Alabama to ancient Rome. Brine your turkey, knead your dough, and listen to our Thanksgiving Special on the regime-changing, as ... Show More
42m 41s
Nov 2022
Famous Revolutionaries: Maximilien Robespierre Pt. 2
In 1791, France adopted a new constitution, placing power in the hands of the people. Robespierre’s job was done... or so he thought. War was coming, and with it, the growing threat of enemies both internal and external. In his quest to squash the counter-revolution, Robespierre ... Show More
46m 37s
Jun 2024
465. The Murder of Franz Ferdinand: The Killer (Part 1)
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to one of the world’s greatest empires, in June 1914, set in motion a series of events that would culminate in the First World War, where more than 15 million people would lose their lives. Franz Ferdinand’s assassin, Gavrilo Pr ... Show More
1h 6m
Mar 2021
Adolf Hitler Part 2: Hitler in the First World War
June 1914, Sarajevo. An assassination on the street disrupts the entire balance of power in Europe. The First World War explodes into action. Adolf Hitler relocates to Munich. After dodging the draft, he later embraces life as a soldier. But then, serving in Flanders in 1918, a t ... Show More
44m 18s
Mar 2023
Early Years: Hitler in the First World War
June 1914. Sarajevo. An assassination on the street disrupts the entire balance of power in Europe. World War One explodes into action. Adolf Hitler relocates to Munich. After dodging the draft, he later embraces life as a soldier. But then, serving in Flanders in 1918, a traumat ... Show More
42m 1s
Apr 2024
World War I | Preparedness | 1
In June 1914, a gunman assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir apparent to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. This event set off a chain reaction that plunged Europe’s major powers, and the wider world, into all-out war. President Woodrow Wilson was determined to keep the Unite ... Show More
40m 33s
Dec 2019
François Darlan Pt. 1: Fernand Bonnier de La Chapelle
When German forces occupied France during World War II, French leaders such as Navy Admiral leader Fançois Darlan sided with Adolf Hilter and joined forces. The French government was fractured, and a resistance was soon forged, targeting the Admiral toward his removal from power. ... Show More
41m 2s
Dec 2022
Causes of WW1 – Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand
We did it folks. We’re finally here.
On today’s episode, we discuss the build up to the “shot heard round the world”.
We take a look at the political situation in Bosnia, how it connected to secret Serbian nationalist societies, and dive into the back stories of both Franz Ferdin ... Show More
2h 2m
Mar 2014
“If you do not want to see God’s hand in everything, even in the most unbearable, you are lost.” Experiencing the First World War Alongside Kaiser Wilhelm II
Leeds University's Professor of Central European History, editor of An Improbable War?The Outbreak of World War I and European Politicsl Culture before 1914, views the war through the letters of one of the Kaiser's generals to his wife.
52m 35s