Episode 234 - Desolation of Empire

Today marks the start of the Spanish Civil War miniseries, and true to form I'm going to do some table setting. Today I introduce the conflict, why it was important, and focus in on Spain's imperial experience to explain the long-term conditions that made Spain so unstable.    Bibliography for this episode:  Kamen, Henry Empire: How Spain Became a World Power 1492-1763 Perennial 2004 Elliott, J.H. Imperial Spain 1469-1716 Penguin 2002 Thomas, Hugh The Spanish Civil War Modern Library 2001   Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]

Hey all, it's been a while since I took a break on making this show, and I've hit a nice little stopping point, so I'm taking some time off! Additional details in the recorded announcement. 

The British response to Axis aggression concludes with a brief overview of its foreign policy, which yeah can be summed up with the word "appeasement." Feeling themselves behind in rearmament compared to the Axis, especially Germany, the UK took the course of offering concessions to buy time to build a military that could counter the emerging threats. Too bad for them a reckoning is exactly what the Nazis wanted, which turned their approach on its head.    Bibliography for this episode:  Taylor, AJP The Oxford History of England, Vol 15 Oxford University Press, 1978 Moway, Charles Loch Britain Between the Wars Methuen & Co, 1972 Shen, Peijian The Age of Appeasement: The Evolution of British Foreign Policy in the 1930s Sutton Publishing Limited 1999 Roi, Michael L. Alternative to Appeasement: Sir Robert Vansittart and Alliance Diplomacy, 1934-1937 Praeger Publishers 1997 Davis, Richard Anglo-French Relations Before the Second World War: Appeasement and Crisis Palgrave Macmillan 2001   Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]

The tour of the British Empire concludes with a quick check-in on the four Dominion countries that fought alongside the UK during WWII.    Bibliography for this episode:  Brown, Judith & Louis, Roger The Oxford History of the British Empire: Volume IV - The Twentieth Century Oxford University Press 1999 Roberts, AD The Cambridge History of Africa: Volume 7 from 1905 to 1940 Cambridge University Press 1986 Darwin, John The Empire Project: The Rise and Fall of the British World System 1830-1970 Cambridge University Press 2009 Bothwell, Robert The Penguin History of Canada Penguin Books Ltd 2006 Bashford, Alison and Stuart MacIntyre The Cambridge History of Australia Volume 2: The Commonwealth of Australia Cambridge University Press 2013 King, Michael The Penguin History of New Zealand Penguin Books 2003   Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]

For this latest installment on the British Empire during the 30s, I am taking a look at the major Asian holdings. This includes both the formal colonies in the east, and the more informal imperial network in the west.    Bibliography for this episode:  Brown, Judith & Louis, Roger The Oxford History of the British Empire: Volume IV - The Twentieth Century Oxford University Press 1999 Fromkin, David A Peace to End All Peace: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East Holt Paperback 1989 Darwin, John The Empire Project: The Rise and Fall of the British World System 1830-1970 Cambridge University Press 2009 Tarling, Nicholas The Cambridge History of Southeast Asia, Volume 2: The 19th and 20th Centuries Cambridge University Press 1992   Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]

Since I missed a couple weeks I figured I'd do a little catch-up on the release schedule. Today I provide a (very) basic overview of conditions in British Africa, how the colonies contributed to the UK's capabilities, and also touch on Britain's complex relationship with the Egyptians.    Bibliography for this episode:  Brown, Judith & Louis, Roger The Oxford History of the British Empire: Volume IV - The Twentieth Century Oxford University Press 1999 Roberts, AD The Cambridge History of Africa: Volume 7 from 1905 to 1940 Cambridge University Press 1986 Darwin, John The Empire Project: The Rise and Fall of the British World System 1830-1970 Cambridge University Press 2009   Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]

The struggle for India never truly stopped during the 1930s, although the resistance to the British Raj was hardly ever as straight-forward as it is portrayed in the West. Bouts of open protests and resistance marked the first half of the decade, but the second half saw the opening up of political offices across the country. This result in a rush for power that stabilized the Raj, but only just.    Bibliography for this episode:    Sarkar, Sumit Modern India 1885-1947 Macmillan India Ltd 1983 Brown, Judith Modern India: The Origins of an Asian Democracy Oxford University Press 1994   Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]  

Leaving the British isles behind for now, I'm going to be spending the next couple of episodes covering its empire's crown jewel, India. The turn of the decade to the 30s saw the British Raj in crisis as laws confirming the colony's system of government had to be approved, and the Indians were not about to have the status quo get reaffirmed. Resistance would materialize in the form of Gandhi's celebrated Salt Satyagraha, but that would merely be the first round in the renewed struggle with the British authorities.      Bibliography for this episode:    Sarkar, Sumit Modern India 1885-1947 Macmillan India Ltd 1983 Brown, Judith Modern India: The Origins of an Asian Democracy Oxford University Press 1994   Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]

Today is the last of the military overviews for the foreseeable future, and I'm covering the Royal Air Force! They were famous for their fighters, but their extensive pool of bombers dominated the attentions of the branch's planners until close to the outbreak of the war.    Bibliography for this episode:    Philpott, I.M. The Royal Air Force 1930-1939 Pen & Sword Books Ltd 2008 Bishop, Chris The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II Barnes & Noble Inc 1998 Chant, Chris Allied Fighter Aircraft 1939-45 Amber Books Ltd 2009 James T.C.G. Growth of Fighter Command, 1936-1940: Air Defense of Great Britain, Volume 1 Routledge 2013   Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]

Now that I've gone off on the army leadership for the British, I switch topics to the actual weapons they used. Which was a far brighter story, just don't ask about the tanks.    Bibliography for this episode:    Gordon, David Weapons of the WWII Tommy Pictorial Histories Publishing Co. 2011 Bishop, Chris The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II Barnes & Noble Inc 1998 Porter, David World War II Tanks: Western Allies 1939-45 Amber Books 2009 Taylor, Dick The Second World War Tank Crisis: The Fall & Rise of British Armor 1919-1945 Pen & Sword Books Ltd 2021   Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]