When Diplomacy Fails Podcast

Welcome to this episode (11/12) on the Second Anglo Dutch War! Herein we examine the first half of 1666, and the efforts both sides made to bring about an effective victory that would bring them an advantageous peace, or at least convince their allies of their power. It leads us with a series of fascinating anecdotes and background pieces nicely into the final showdown waiting for us in the next e...

In this episode (10/12) we examine autumn 1665, and how the indefatigable Johan de Witt managed to balance the different parties of opinion at home. We hear about the difficulties in getting the French on side, the low Dutch morale and we receive a refresher course on the lay of the land in Dutch provincial matters. Thanksssssss! Remember history friends, you can help this podcast and ensure that...

In this episode on the Second A-D War (9/12) we look at the opening moves of the war, with a British naval victory, plague in London and Dutch stubbornness. What does the first year of the war say about what's to come? Have a listen and find out! Thankssssssssssss! Remember history friends, you can help this podcast and ensure that this is where history thrives! Support us by going to www.patreon....

In this episode (8/12) we examine how in the final year of semi peace, Britain and the Netherlands finally came to blows. It's a story of court conspiracy, costly bluff, underestimation, foreign theatres and home pressures, but it culminated in the outbreak of war for the second time in March 1665. Thankssssss! Remember history friends, you can help this podcast and ensure that this is where histo...

Welcome to ep 7/12! As we make our way through the story, I may have gotten a tad excited. Good lord that intro, how did I do? Please forgive me, as within this episode we examine the important background to the Anglican Royalists, William III and more. It's more building blocks folks, but it forms vital parts of the story we're trying to tell, and it's pretty darn entertaining to boot! So thankss...

Welcome to the war! (almost) episode 6/12 is here, and herein we examine how Johan de Witt of Holland managed to pile the pressure onto Denmark, as the campaign for the hearts and minds of Frederick III's agents continued. How would de Witt use his cards against the Danes, what secret deals did France have, and could all three of them join forces in a triple alliance of their own? Let's find out,...

Welcome to episode 5/12! Herein we examine the unnatural lengths Charles II of GB went to in order to acquire the diplomatic insulation against the Dutch that he thought he needed. While Charles worked to get his triple alliance in the early 1660s, he also had to be wary of the machinations of his cousin, Louis XIV, and Holland's Grand Pensionary, Johan de Witt. How did he fare in his efforts? Let...

In this episode (4/12) we look at Charles II's marriage and alliance with Portugal, and how while on the surface it may seem like another example of Charlie coming under his cousin's spell, the truth is far more interesting, and revealing of Charles' character. So check it out - hopefully by the end you'll have a better idea of what's going on in Europe and why Charles seemingly went against the g...

Welcome to episode 3/12! In this episode we examine Charles' landing in Britain and how he managed to redirect his country back towards the House of Stuart after a decade of monarchical drought. It's an enjoyable episode, and though it doesn't contain much diplomacy per se, it does set us up well for all the juicyness that is to come, so I hope you enjoy it! Thankssssss Remember history friends, y...

In this episode (2/12) we examine what brought young and hopeful Charles II to the moment of truth - standing across the Channel, poised for his return. What forces brought him here, and why did the British and Irish people collectively decide to bring their king back, after killing their last one (and his father) only a decade before. Hope you enjoy it, and let me know what you thought through th...

The drought is over, the dust is settling and a new war is on the horizon. Who are we? We are When Diplomacy Fails, and we are back to our roots looking at the series of wars and events which occurred during the era of Louis XIV - the Sun King. In this episode we intro you all to the first of our twelve parter (I know!) on the Second Anglo-Dutch War, a critical war for the history of the era in it...

You and I, we've been through a lot together. Now is the time to fill you in on where I've been and what I've been up to over the past half year or so. It's quite a loaded episode, but by the end of it, hopefully you'll be as excited as I am! Remember history friends, you can help this podcast and ensure that this is where history thrives! Support us by going to www.patreon.com/WhenDiplomacyFailsF...

It's time to say good bye, as we wrap up the era and conclude on all of its issues, themes and lessons in a style that you hopefully appreciate, with a body of work that you have hopefully enjoyed. Please let me know what you thought, and please visit the blog as I suggested wdfpodcast.blogspot.ie if you want even more of 1916! MUSIC: 'The Leaders Will Be Court Martialled', '1916 Theme', 'Surrende...

Covering a list of issues far too long to list off here, the epilogue is where we examine where our story goes next. WB Yeats, all the usual martyrs and retrospective ingredients make this a must listen. Ideally it should explain why I hold the views I do, because of the journey Irish history went on and the contradictions such a journey provides for the current narrative, which states that 1916 w...

In our final episode (and also our longest!) we examine the complex series of events which led Ireland to exterminate its Irish Parliamentary Party in the 1918 General Election, to replace it with the Sinn Fein Party - the political arm of the 1916 Rising, and the vehicle through which revolutionary violence would dominate Ireland for the next few decades. It is a winding listen, tying together a...

In this episode we bid farewell to our protagonists, many of whom we've followed from their early days. The British act of executing the 15 rebels, who varied from leaders to random captains, would ingrain a sense of injustice in the Irish people at the whole proceedings, and would also fulfill the prophecy of men like Pearse, who had believed in the power and necessity of sacrifice to awaken Irel...

The world was a strange place in 1916. In this episode, we'll do some more contextualising (don't sigh at me like that) by examining an unlikely mirror image of Patrick Pearse in the thoroughly nationalist France of 1914. Additionally, we'll examine in closer detail the beliefs of the rebels on their deathbeds, and what they expected to come after their sacrifice. We also take a look at how the re...

In ep 13 we look at what happened once the rebels officially handed over their weapons and placed themselves in the custody of the totally overwhelmed and unprepared British, who responded in various blankety ways. Some rebels looked at the surrender in grave terms - wishing they had done more or fought for longer. Others saw the surrender as merely the beginning of their plan to awaken Ireland fr...

In ep 12 we continue our coverage of the rising's military events, as the city of Dublin and the island of Ireland take our attentions. The 'price of defiance' was paid not just by the rebels, but by average civilians such as those living in North King Street during the rising, or by the relatives of the Kent family in Cork, or by average citizens all across Ireland, in Dublin or elsewhere. The pr...

We're back again! Episode 11 returns to the narrative of the 1916 rising and examines its early running battles. We also tell you the story of Francis Sheehy-Skeffington (whose name is really hard to say at times). Between these anecdotes, the beginning of shelling of the rebel positions by a thoroughly brutalised British response and the spreading of fires, a strong figure was needed on the Briti...

In this episode we bring you a different angle on the whole situation. We take a step back from straight up coverage to take you down a different path, where you must use your imagination to picture a very different world than the one we have today. Hopefully by doing this, you'll be set up to listen to my spiel on the moral aspects of the 1916 Rising, and why I remain convinced today that it just...

In this episode we detail the final hurdles that almost prevented the rising from going ahead, only for the Military Council to surge on regardless, dooming the rising's limited chances of success to a fool's errand, and committing all that took part to certain failure. Some within the organisations that took part would have told you though, it was not military success that mattered, so much as an...

Welcome to ep. 8! Herein we'll take a good look at the people behind the rising and weigh in on their beliefs. Did Patrick Pearse really see himself as a messianic like figure? Did other moderates within the group want to die? What did they seek to aim by sacrificing their lives? We also delve into the structure of the IRB a little more, and detail how a small fringe group within the larger organi...

In this episode, we look at the beliefs and passions of men like Patrick Pearse, Tom Clarke and James Connolly, as well as set the scene for the radicalisation of Pearse following his return home from the United States. We unwrap the structure of the IRB, and detail how a minority came to take over the group and control it with radicals. It's a critical building block for what's to come in the ser...

In this episode we examine the world's descent into the First World War and how it impacted the escalation in tensions between the nationalists and unionists, who by 1914 had received large illegal shipments of guns. Now armed, both sides looked to the passing of the Home Rule Bill, since the House of Lords could no longer veto the Bill. The war forced both sides to look to events other than those...