The Seminal Catastrophe Podcast
This is a narrative history podcast that will cover the entire history of the First World War, from the geopolitical and cultural setup to the war in 19th century, all the way to the Treaty of Versailles which officially ended the war in 1919.
Episodes
32 episodes
24. Recap
So no, I didn't die or anything. And better yet, I'm back! First, a bit of catchup.
•
15:03
Supplemental 7. A Seminal Catastrophe Halloween Special
Happy (late...) Halloween!Sources: Hart, Peter. The Great War: A Combat History of the First World War. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013.Herwig, Holger H. The First World War: Germany and ...
•
Season 5
•
33:18
23. Into the German Liver
The climactic showdown of the First Battle of the Marne now comes to a decisive, bloody end.Please feel free to visit our sponsor, the WYLD Gallery!
•
Season 5
•
Episode 3
•
38:32
22. The Battle of France
“Now, as the battle is joined on which the safety of the country depends, everyone must be reminded that this is no longer the time for looking back. Every effort must be made to attack and throw back the enemy. A unit which finds it impossible...
•
Season 5
•
Episode 2
•
25:50
21. Gentlemen, We Will Fight on the Marne
We return to the narrative on the Western Front, to see how the French and British will plan their last desperate attempt to halt the German advance on Paris at the beginning of September, 1914.IMAG...
•
Season 5
•
Episode 1
•
23:27
Supplemental 6. Military Theory
This episode concludes our two week digression from the narrative. In it, we discuss some basic, fundamental military concepts and theories that have existed and been refined for millennia.
•
52:46
Supplemental 5. Army Organization
Instead of plowing ahead with the narrative, for the next couple weeks we're going to pull back and examine some fundamental concepts of military organization and practice. In this episode, we examine the unit structure and rank hierarchy of th...
•
37:30
20. Masurian Lakes
In the course of less than a week, the Russians went from looking like they could take Berlin at their leisure to having half their invasion wiped out, with the other half falling back in panic. Now Hindenburg and Ludendorff turn their army aga...
•
Season 4
•
Episode 4
•
38:17
19. Tannenberg
Today we discuss one of the most pivotal battles of the First World War: the Battle of Tannenberg, as well as explore the personalities of and relationship between the rising team of Hindenburg and Ludendorff.
•
Season 4
•
Episode 3
•
43:53
18. Revenge of the Northern Crusades
Today, we watch as the Russian and German Armies on the Eastern Front begin to dance around one another in 1914, upon a land that had seen wars between these two peoples for centuries, in anticipation for the great climactic showdown that may v...
•
Season 4
•
Episode 2
•
38:10
17. The Clumsy Giant
Today we take a look at the men who will lead the Russian Army at the outbreak of the First World War, as well as the Czar to whom they owed their allegiance. Long story short...they're not exactly the best and the brightest.Sources:...
•
Season 4
•
Episode 1
•
29:56
16. Retreat
Welcome back! Today we watch the Allied Armies stumble back from their defeats of August, 1914, as they try to figure out how in the hell they can turn back the German advance on Paris.Sources:Hart, Peter. The Great Wa...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 3
•
32:59
15. Belgium Burning
Listen as today the Germans march through Belgium, making...rather a mess of things for the civilians, while the British try to stop them.MAP FOR TODAY'S EPISODESources:Har...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 3
•
43:25
14. The Battle of the Frontiers
As the war breaks out in earnest along the Western Front, French generals will be taught a bitter lesson about modern combat, paid for with the lives of thousands of their men.IMAGES FOR TODAY'S EPI...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 2
•
50:16
13. Baptism of Fire
A group of chocolate soldiers decide to humble the mighty German Army.IMAGES FOR TODAY'S EPISODESources:Doughty, Robert. Pyrrhic Victory: French Strategy and Operations...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 1
•
36:06
Supplemental 4. Militarism Run Stark Mad
Boy, Europe sure had a lot of enormous armies in 1914, didn't they?IMAGES FOR TODAY'S EPISODESources:Davis, Tenney L. The Chemistry of Powder and Explosives. Bosto...
•
Season 3
•
59:59
Supplemental 3. Damned Are the Peacemakers
Damned are the peacemakers; for they shall doom the world to Armageddon.Sources:Tuchman, Barbara. The Guns of August. New York: The Random House Publishing Group, 1962.Gordon, Hal. The Fallen Monarch: R...
•
Season 2
•
52:12
12. The Lamps Are Going Out
"The lamps are going out all over Europe; we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime."Portraits of the Players in the July Crisis.Sources:Clark, Christopher. The S...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 4
•
56:59
11. Ultimatum
Boy, I sure do hope Austria-Hungary doesn't use the murder of their prince and princess to do something ridiculously aggressive and provocative.Sources:Clark, Christopher. The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 19...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 3
•
48:22
10. The Blank Cheque
The heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary has been murdered. I sure do hope that nobody in Vienna or Berlin overreacts to this.Sources:Clark, Christopher. The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914. New York...
•
Season 2
•
Episode 2
•
39:34
9. A Day in June
Today we cover what is probably the most famous assassination in history: the assassination of Archduke Franz FerdinandEmail: seminalcatastrophe@gmail.comIMAGES FOR TODAY'S EPISODE
•
Season 2
•
Episode 1
•
28:09
Supplemental 2. The Great Game
Today we discuss the history of 19th century European colonialism.IMAGES FOR TODAY'S EPISODEPatreon Page<...
•
Season 1
•
41:02
8. The Calm Before the Storm
Between 1871 and 1914, the Great Powers of Europe took a short break from trying to kill one another. Let's take a look at what they did to occupy themselves in the meantime, shall we?IMAGES FOR TOD...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 8
•
44:12