History of the Second World War

In May 1938 a rumor would begin circulating, based on intelligence gathered by Czechoslovak and British sources, that Germany was about to launch an invasion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On September 30, 1938 one of the more controversial events of the interwar period would occur. But first, some background. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We have talked about the Maginot Line and rearmament, now it is time to look at what the French army was planning to do. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If France wanted to compete militarily with the growing power of Germany, it was going to have to start a serious effort to rearm itself. Email: historyofthesecondworldwar@outlook.comTwitter: WorldWar2PodWebsite: historyofthesecondworldwar.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Usually these interviews start with a topic and go from there, but in this case I was joined by Dr. Alexander Clarke for a wide ranging discussion on naval history. We talked about the Royal Navy, the perception of its preparations for war, the role that naval aviation played in naval planning during the interwar years, Dr. Clarke's upcoming book on British destroyers, and several other topics. You can find Dr. Clarke's upcoming book Tribals, Battles and Darings: The Genesis of the Modern Destroyer at:https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tribals-Battles-Darings/p/18442https://www.usni.org/press/books/tribals-battles-and-daringsYou can find far more Dr. Clarke over at:http://twitter.com/AC_NavalHistoryhttp://youtube.com/DrAlexanderClarke Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the last years before the war there were many different concerns in Paris, honestly too many to cover in one episode, but this episode discusses a few of them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After the wars were over, there were millions of veterans and each nation and each group of veterans found themselves in different positions. In this interview I was joined by Dr. Martin Crotty, Dr. Neil Diamant, and Dr. Mark Edele to discuss their book that looks at the experiences of veterans from many different nations after both World Wars. Check out The Politics of Veteran Benefits in the Twentieth Century here https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501751639/the-politics-of-veteran-benefits-in-the-twentieth-century/#bookTabs=1 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the victory of the Popular Front it was time to completely transform French society, to fix all of the problems they had identified in the previous years....right? RIGHT?! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The events of February 6th 1934 would result in a new unity on the French Left, enter the Popular Front. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Release Note: I was unable to record this week, so pulling forward this interview that was going to release later this year. In this interview I was joined by Dr. Michael Hankins to discuss Fighter Pilot Nostalgia before, during and after the Second World War. The conversation ends up far past the Second World War, but I simply cannot resist a discussion of jet fighters. You can follow Dr. Hankins on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HankinstienDr. Hankins' Website: http://mwhankins.com/index.htmlFlying Camelot: The F-15, the F-16, and the Weaponization of Fighter Pilot Nostalgia: https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501760655/flying-camelot/From Balloons to Drones: https://balloonstodrones.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices