The History of the Twentieth Century

Mark Painter

A chronicle of the history of the twentieth century, including art, music, popular culture, science, religion, and, of course, politics and war.

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457 episodes
Updated Yesterday

Episodes457

Newest first

Apr 22, 2018 · 41 min
113 Simpson's Circus
German East Africa stood strong against British attempts to capture the territory. The key to capturing the German colony was to contest German control of Lake Tanganyika.
Apr 15, 2018 · 50 min
112 The Banana Wars II
Political instability and mounting foreign debts lead to US military intervention on the island of Hispaniola.
Apr 8, 2018 · 41 min
111 The Bulgarian Summer
By the summer of 1915, both the Central Powers and the Allies were keen to get Bulgaria to join the war on their side. The Central Powers won the bidding war, and Bulgaria became the fourth (and last) member of the Central Powers.
Mar 25, 2018 · 42 min
110 The Shell Shortage
By the spring of 1915, it was clear that the war would last for a long time and that it would be taking an economic toll on all the nations involved, and there would likely be political consequences as well. In Britain, the debate centered on whether the government was doing enough to support the French, and in particular, whether British soldiers were being supplied with enough artillery shells to get the job done.
Mar 18, 2018 · 42 min
109: I Am Ordering You to Die
In early 1915, with the Western Front in a stalemate, Winston Churchill becomes the leading voice behind a plan to do an end run around the Germans and knock the Turks out of the war.
Mar 11, 2018 · 42 min
108 This Isn't War!
In the spring of 1915, just before the sinking of Lusitania and in international women's conference aimed at ending the war through private diplomacy, Germany uses poison gas on the Western Front.
Mar 4, 2018 · 47 min
107 Too Proud to Fight
The sinking of Lusitania and the deaths of 128 Americans was a shock. While there was little support in the US for war against Germany, there was a strong feeling that *some* kind of response was necessary. It was up to Woodrow Wilson to figure out what that would be.
Feb 18, 2018 · 41 min
106 Breaking the Blockade
Germany searches for a way to break the British blockade; Britain looks for a decisive battle.
Feb 11, 2018 · 40 min
105 The Action of a Lunatic
In 1914, Germany and Britain held adjacent colonial territories in East Africa. When the Great War began, Britain attempted to seize German East Africa.
Feb 4, 2018 · 47 min
104 The Birth of a Nation
Another look at race relations in the USA. The formation of the NAACP and the B'nai B'rith Anti-Defamation League and the re-founding of the Ku Klux Klan. And the release of D.W. Griffith's "The Birth of a Nation."
Jan 21, 2018 · 47 min
103 Colonialism without Bloodshed
Germany claimed Southwest Africa as a colony in 1884. This episode reviews the history of the colony through the Great War, when it was seized by South Africa.
Jan 14, 2018 · 38 min
102 They Showed Us the Way
In 1914, the war in the West ground down to a stalemate. There seemed no sign that 1915 would be any different. Allied commanders experimented with new tactics to deal with this new warfare.
Jan 7, 2018 · 46 min
101 Strike a Blow Somewhere
The beginning of 1915 sees the Central Powers under something like a giant siege. What can be done to break out?
Dec 17, 2017 · 42 min
100 These Desert Places of the Earth
The Great War was by no means restricted to Europe. In this episode, we begin an occasional series examining the war in Africa.
Dec 10, 2017 · 39 min
099 Jihad
When the Ottoman Empire joined the war, it opened new strategic possibilities for the Central Powers. It also led to a declaration of jihad against the Allies.
Dec 3, 2017 · 42 min
098 Shackled to a Corpse
The phrase "shackled to a corpse" is often used to describe Germany's dilemma in the Great War. Surrounded by enemy nations that collectively have a greater population and larger economies, she also finds herself stuck with a disappointing alliance partner.
Nov 19, 2017 · 53 min
097 The Banana Wars I
By the beginning of the twentieth century, the USA was the major market for Central American coffee, cotton, sugar, and especially bananas, leading to US investment in the region, leading in turn to US involvement in Central American affairs.
Nov 12, 2017 · 39 min
096 The Rape of Belgium
German soldiers committed numerous war crimes against civilians in the initial offensive, especially in Belgium. The Allies made use of this for propaganda purposes, while adding lurid embellishments.
Nov 5, 2017 · 48 min
095 The Far Seas
When the Great War began, Germany had a number of naval units stationed around the world. These ships attempted to disrupt British shipping.
Oct 29, 2017 · 54 min
094 The Puritan of the North
The murder of Francisco Madero and the iron-fisted rule of Victoriano Huerta that followed might seem like the end of constitutional democracy in Mexico, but in fact the revolutionaries like the ones who had overthrown Díaz took up arms once again, and the US military occupied the Mexican port city of Veracruz.

The History of the Twentieth Century

113 Simpson's Circus

112 The Banana Wars II

111 The Bulgarian Summer

110 The Shell Shortage

109: I Am Ordering You to Die

108 This Isn't War!

107 Too Proud to Fight

106 Breaking the Blockade

105 The Action of a Lunatic

104 The Birth of a Nation

103 Colonialism without Bloodshed

102 They Showed Us the Way

101 Strike a Blow Somewhere

100 These Desert Places of the Earth

099 Jihad

098 Shackled to a Corpse

097 The Banana Wars I

096 The Rape of Belgium

095 The Far Seas

094 The Puritan of the North