When Diplomacy Fails Podcast

Dec 01 2024 706 ep. 42 mins 27.7k
When Diplomacy Fails Podcast artwork

WDF examines how wars broke out, how they were concluded, and their consequences. Expect juicy diplomacy, sneaky intrigue, fascinating characters, and incredible drama. By Dr Zack Twamley, qualified history nerd.

Current Series: The July Crisis

Patreon Series: The Age of Bismarck
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#38: 29 July 1914 IV - Vienna Waits For You!

Dec 01 2024 39 mins  
Use the code WDF24 at checkout and get 50% off a $5 monthly membership on Patreon! This offer will expire soon!By the evening of 29 July, a new wave of panic was overcoming the German government. In Berlin, the question of restraining Austria had long been treated with a wink and a nod, but news of Russian mobilisation seemed to change everything.For Bethmann Hollweg and Jagow, thi

#37: 29 July 1914 III - First Contact, Second Thoughts

Nov 24 2024 39 mins  
Use the code WDF24 at checkout and get 50% off a $5 monthly membership on Patreon!Austria's bombardment of Belgrade represented the first shots of the First World War, though contemporaries could not have known this yet - they were more focused on what Russia was doing.As news of Russia's partial mobilisation filtered through Europe, it caused a major crisis in the German Foreign O

The Age of Bismarck Wants YOU!

Nov 21 2024 27 mins  
As we release our fifth episode of the Age of Bismarck, I decided to take advantage of Patreon's new special offer feature, and give you the chance to get 50% off your first month of support! Maybe you're unsure, so why not listen to this extended teaser from the first episode of the Age of Bismarck?If you want the rest of it and more, make sure you listen in, where you'll be given

#36: 29 July 1914 II - Shifty Shades of Grey

Nov 17 2024 66 mins  
As they had done up to this point, the British continued to try to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis, even as the opportunities shrank before their eyes. Amidst warnings pinged between London and Berlin that under certain circumstances, their respective neutrality could not be guaranteed, the German Chancellor sent an ill-advised appeal for the British to stay out. The effor

#35: 29 July 1914 I - Hissing Cousins

Nov 10 2024 63 mins  
The dawn of a new day did not bring any new peacemaking opportunities. In their own way, Austria, Germany and Russia were immovable in their main goal - they would not back down, even if it cost them everything.That such a roadblock sat in the way of peace did not prevent Kaiser Wilhelm and Tsar Nicholas from engaging in their famed, eleventh hour telegram exchange. The Nicky-Willy

#34: 28 July 1914 III - Britain Tries Again

Nov 03 2024 64 mins  
Although the Austro-Serb War was now a reality, Britain did not know this until the evening of 28 July. In the meantime, Sir Edward Grey was determined to do all he could to make the mediation scheme work. But not everyone Grey dealt with could be described as sincere, and this included members of his own Cabinet.Churchill had acted provocatively and pre-emptively in mobilising the

Are the Sanctions Against Russia Working? - 'Punishing Putin' by Stephanie Baker

Oct 27 2024 53 mins  
For two and a half years, Russia has been waging a full scale war against Ukraine. In response, the West has mobilised an economic coalition of states determined to level sanctions against the aggressor, ideally, to force it to the peace table. Clearly, Russia has not been deterred, but how much of an impact are the sanctions really having? In her book Punishing Putin, Stephanie Ba

#33: 28 July 1914 II - Austria Declares War

Oct 20 2024 49 mins  
After weeks of delay, hesitation and complications, Austria-Hungary finally delivered its declaration of war on Serbia shortly after noon on 28 July 1914.This, we are often told, represented the beginning of the First World War. But was it as straightforward as that? Contemporaries did not necessarily believe that all hope for peace had been lost. A degree of optimism remained, eve

#32: 28 July 1914 I - The Kaiser's Conundrum

Oct 14 2024 50 mins  
The 28 July 1914 is best remembered today as the point of no return, as Austria declared war on Serbia.However, as we will see in this episode, the announcement of this Austro-Serb war, made in the afternoon, and reaching Europe's capitals by the evening, did not ruin the prospects for peace as we might expect. Many contemporaries still believed that it was possible to preserve pea

#31: 27 July 1914 II - Don't Stop Me Now!

Oct 07 2024 44 mins  
On this otherwise unassuming Monday in 1914, Austria-Hungary was preparing to declare war on Serbia.The declaration would come the following day, but in the meantime, Germany assisted Austria in keeping up appearances. Those tenacious Brits were at it again, and Grey's mediation proposal still hung in the air. Could a rejection of this scheme worsen the crisis? Perhaps, so it was n