5-3: The Ottomans And Germany

The military doctrine of Marwan II reshaped the final years of the Umayyad Dynasty as he attempted to stabilize a rapidly fracturing empire. In this episode of the Islamic History Podcast, we explore the chaotic period leading to the end of the Umayyad Caliphate, starting with th ...  Show more

The Assassination of Caliph Walid II serves as the violent climax to an era of mounting tension, marking the definitive start of the Third Fitna civil war. This episode explores the roots of this collapse, beginning with the Early History and Passive Protest of Sufism, where figu ...  Show more

Many thought that Germany was capable of winning World War One until the very end. Unlike World War 2, in which the Allies believed that victory was inevitable as early as 1943, this was not the case with the Great War. It is also easy to assume that German defeat was inevitable ...  Show more

Germany wins World War I—but then what? We run an AI-driven counterfactual scenario exploring how a victorious Germany could have reshaped Europe, triggered an early Russian Revolution, and avoided the Treaty of Versailles altogether. Would France collapse? Would the U.S. stay is ...  Show more

Early successes gave way to embarrassing defeats as Franz Joseph I was outsmarted by savvier leaders on the world stage. In 1914, when his successor was assassinated in Serbia, Franz declared war — and within weeks, the first World War had begun. Learn more about your ad choices. ...  Show more

Following the declaration of war in 1914, how did the outbreak of the First World War unfold? What were the earliest military engagements of this terrible, totemic event? Who were its key political players and how did they respond? What was the attitude to the war in Germany? Wer ...  Show more