When Diplomacy Fails Podcast
Detajet e Kanalit
When Diplomacy Fails Podcast
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 CrisisPatreon Series: The Age of Bismarck Hosted on Acast. See...
Episode të Fundit
744 episode
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, ti...
#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 worl...
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 ar...
#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 Ge...
#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...
#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, despe...
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 h...
#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?...
#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 tim...
#64: 4 August 1914 IV - The Final Countdown
With only hours left until the ultimatum expired, the mood in London and Berlin was anxious and excited. Was this truly it? Was the Anglo-German relat...
#63: 4 August 1914 III - A Mere Scrap of Paper
The 1839 Treaty on Belgian neutrality was a mere scrap of paper - that was the phrase which doomed Bethmann Hollweg, and Germany, to moral condemnatio...
#62: 4 August 1914 II - The Last Ultimatum
No matter what Britain did, it was impossible for Germany to evacuate Belgium. War was inevitable. Why, then, did most of Britain not even realise it?...
#61: 4 August 1914 I - Into Belgium
Germany's invasion of Belgium had finally begun. After several anxious days of negotiations, warnings, and second guessing, Berlin was firmly set on i...
#60: 3 August 1914 IV - Who Turned Out The Lights?
In the evening of 3 August, Germany finally declared war on France. The war, Berlin insisted, was caused by hostile French acts, but most knew better....
#59: 3 August 1914 III - House on Fire
Finally, Sir Edward Grey was ready to make his case to the House of Commons. Parliament had been starved of news for a week, and the press had done th...
#58: 3 August 1914 II - Brussels Doubts
The German ultimatum to Belgium had roused the Brussels government and rallied the nation, but other than this, much was still unclear by the early af...
#57: 3 August 1914 I - Illusions and Delusion
The German army was firmly in control of German policy, but its next steps were obvious to any contemporary with even the slightest grasp of the situa...
#56: 2 August 1914 IV - Let Loose World Madness
Even as Moltke examined Germany's strategic options, the world was turning against Germany. Berlin pressed its case by pointing out the Russian sins o...
#55: 2 August 1914 III - Lichnowsky's Last Stand
While Germany covered itself in infamy, the German ambassador in London did his best to maintain the fragile Anglo-German relationship. His mission wa...
The State of America w/ Thom Daly - Part 2
In this second part of my conversation with Thom, we discuss the unlawful way in which the Trump administration behaves at home, including its treatme...
The State of America w/ Thom Daly - Part 1
In this first of two episodes with Thom Daly, we focus on the United States and its position in the world following the Trump administration's many bl...
#54: 2 August 1914 II - Britain Decides On War
The traditional picture of British intervention in the First World War normally comes down to one issue - Belgium. On 4 August, Britain did declare wa...
#53: 2 August 1914 I - Into Luxemburg
The Schleiffen Plan demanded an invasion of the small Grand Duchy of Luxemburg, where German forces would seize key railway installations, facilitatin...
#52: 1 August 1914 IV - Desperate Diplomacy
Now that it was clear Germany would have to face the Entente, and likely Britain's imminent intervention, Berlin became much more active in sending di...
#51: 1 August 1914 III - The Kaiser's Rollercoaster
We open with the shattered dreams of Kaiser Wilhelm II, as the British claim a 'misunderstanding' must have occurred to make Berlin believe Britain an...
#50: 1 August 1914 II - 'There Must Be Some Misunderstanding'
In the final hours of peace, the German government was led to believe that a miracle had occurred. Incredibly, Britain had affirmed its intention not...
Trump Betrays Ukraine - What is America Doing?
After that disgraceful display in the White House, I couldn't stay silent any longer. Three years on from when I first offered my thoughts on the situ...
#49: 1 August 1914 I - Rolling The Iron Dice
We're in the endgame now, but somehow, not everyone got the message.
There was plenty of waiting to be done. Berlin was waiting on Russia's repl...
#48: 31 July 1914 V - Britain On Defence
In our final JULY episode of the July Crisis, we return to Britain, where the pressure was building to make a decision. Russian mobilisation was clear...
#47: 31 July 1914 IV - 'A Finger's Breadth From War'
Now that Berlin had accepted that war with Russia was inevitable, it remained to prepare the diplomatic ground.
German diplomacy had worked behi...
#46: 31 July 1914 III - 'We'd Like Those Chaps To Be In It Too'
As the news of Russian mobilisation and Germany's Kriegsgefahr spread across Europe, urgent telegrams followed.
Whether in London, Berlin, or Pa...
#45: 31 July 1914 II - From Russia with Lies
Russian general mobilisation was underway, and with red imperial posters announcing this grave new step, it could hardly be kept a secret. Yet, someho...
#44: 31 July 1914 I - Start Spreading the News
By now, Europe was on a knife edge.
In Berlin, more and more rumours were pouring in that Russian general mobilisation was underway. In Vienna,...
#43: 30 July 1914 V - Britain on the Fence
The 30 July was a turning point for the British Cabinet. When the German Chancellor made his bid for British neutrality, yet refused to guarantee the...
#42: 30 July 1914 IV - Smash Your Telephone!
The Russian decision to commence general mobilisation against Austria and Germany was made in the afternoon of 30 July, ultimately by the Tsar.
...
#41: 30 July 1914 III - Immediate Danger of War
Welcome to our first episode of 2025! We return to a pivotal moment in the crisis, when Germany experienced yet another 180 in policy.
A day whi...
#40: 30 July 1914 II - 'A Very Ticklish Thing'
As Thursday 30 July progressed, one thing seemed clear to the German Chancellor and Foreign Minister - Austria had to be stopped, before the crisis de...
#39: 30 July 1914 I - Caught in the Net
Use the code KAISER to get 40% off your first month of a $5 membership on Patreon - 50+ hours of exclusive content including the Age of Bismarck await...
#38: 29 July 1914 IV - Vienna Waits For You!
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...
#37: 29 July 1914 III - First Contact, Second Thoughts
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...