History Hermanos

¡Hola a todos! In this episode, Tom reviews two books that dissect Germany's imaginings of and relationship with its Eastern European neighbours in the modern period. Under discussion are, “The German Myth of the East: 1800 to the Present,” Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius (OUP, 2011), and “Germany's Wild East: Constructing Poland as Colonial Space,” Kristin Kopp (University of Michigan Press, 2017).

Join Simon and Tom, as we delve into the influences and impacts of German agrarian and agricultural policy, leading up to and during the period of Nazi Germany. This episode is primarily based on Tom's reading of "The Plough and the Swastika: The NSDAP and Agriculture in Germany 1928-45", JE Farquharson (Sage Publications, 1976), and "Hitler and the Peasants: Agrarian Policy of the Third Reich, 1930-1939", Gustavo Corni (Berg, 1990).

Welcome to the first of a new series of episodes! Join us as Tom reviews Robert K Massie's "Castles of Steel", the sequel to "Dreadnought", which details the naval conflict between Britain and Germany during the First World War. Tom covers the main topics of discussion, the broader context presented, and some points of particular personal interest; as ever Simon is ready with some compeling questions.

Join Simon and Tom as they look over their history reading of the year so far. As ever, Tom is keen to review elements of modern German history, and Simon shares an eclectic mix of books covering battles and armour from the early modern period.

Don't call it a comeback! Join Simon and Tom for a monster-length review of our history highs and lows. We discuss our favourite history books and events from 2023, and our goals for next year.

In this episode of the History Hermanos, we review "The Men Who Lost America: British Command during the Revolutionary War and the Preservation of the Empire" by Andrew O'Shaughnessy and published by Oneworld. The book is a history of the American War of Independence, told from the perspective of the British, and more specifically, the senior politicians and military commanders who presided over the British defeat.

In this episode, Simon and Tom talk about "Enduring the Whirlwind: The German Army and the Russo-German War 1941-1943" by Gregory Liedtke. The book is nothing if not an extremely thorough re-examination of the German/Axis war effort on the Eastern Front during the critical war years of 1941-43, focussing particularly on the German army's ability to make good on their losses during this period of time.

In this episode of the History Hermanos, we discuss "The Vanquished: Why the First World War Failed to End, 1917 - 1923", written by Robert Gerwarth and published by Penguin Books. Gerwarth's work deals primarily with the situation in Eastern Europe following the Armistice of 1918, charting the collapse of the old Imperial powers and the wave of violence that was unleashed by the resulting instability.

We review "The Taste of War: World War Two and the Battle for Food," which is a fascinating exploration of the Second World War from the perspective of food and food logistics.

In episode 4 of the History Hermanos, we review "The Fall of the Ottomans: The Great War in the Middle East", which explores the First World War from the perspective of the Ottoman Empire; its leadership and peoples.