The History of the Twentieth Century

Under Nazi rule, German officials had to create a legal system that would define who was and wasn't "Aryan," because you can't oppress the "non-Aryans" until you know who they are.

After the vindication of the 1934 mid-terms, Franklin Roosevelt further enlarges his agenda.

In the early twentieth century, sovereignty over the Chaco Boreal in central South America was still unsettled. Bolivia and Peru went to war over their conflicting claims.

Animated short films were already popular during the 1920s, but the rise of sound and color in motion pictures, pioneered by Walt Disney, revolutionized the form.

Animated drawings, in the form of flip books and zoetropes, already existed at the beginning of the twentieth century, but the rise of motion pictures also made possible the beginning of animated motion pictures.

Explore the dramatic rise of Hitler as he secures his domestic power and shifts focus to foreign ambitions. Delve into the tense diplomatic negotiations surrounding arms reduction and Germany's violations of the Treaty of Versailles. Learn about Austria's struggle for independence and the failed Nazi coup. Witness Britain grappling with the growing threat from Germany, including the establishment of the Luftwaffe. Discover how Hitler's early hopes for an alliance with Britain quickly turned into ambitions that would reshape Europe.

Adolf Hitler was already effectively dictator of Germany, but in the first 18 months, he moved to tighten his grip, even going so far as to murder his own supporters in the SA and elsewhere.

Discover the political intrigues in the UK before World War II and the Labour Party's struggles. Explore Canada's push for autonomy during a volatile era, and delve into France's Maginot Line strategy against Germany. Uncover the dawn of aerial warfare and the growing threat of bombers. Listen in on a riveting Oxford Union debate reflecting the public's mixed responses to war fears and the League of Nations as tensions mount across Europe. The groundwork for conflict is laid amid rising militarization and geopolitical shifts.

In this episode, we finish up a couple of New Deal programs we didn't get to talk about last time, and examine the Roosevelt Administration's efforts to restore confidence in Wall Street and in a dollar no longer backed by gold.

Franklin Roosevelt's administration began with a bang.