For those of you who haven't found these yet, I recommend these BBC 4 podcasts: Great War of Words.
They are introduced by Michael Portillo and feature archive material and very good historians discussing the outbreak of the war & war guilt.
I downloaded them to my iPod and have listened to them in the car today, driving to and from work.
I have to say that I feel really vindicated. These are proper historians, from proper universities, from varying backgrounds and they seem to be saying what I thought was the case with modern thinking*, rather than the out of date stuff that medievalist was spouting that was rooted in the 1960s.
The second podcast on war guilt is really, really interesting as it goes into the historiography of the subject and explains why our thinking is so badly messed up.
Excellent. Well done Aunite Beeb again.
(BTW - Haven't tried the Women's Hour broadcasts, but the write up looks interesting for those as well.
*I was part way through writing "and they agree with me" before realising how arrogant that would be. I agree with them, not the other way round. They probably have no idea who I am.
They are introduced by Michael Portillo and feature archive material and very good historians discussing the outbreak of the war & war guilt.
I downloaded them to my iPod and have listened to them in the car today, driving to and from work.
I have to say that I feel really vindicated. These are proper historians, from proper universities, from varying backgrounds and they seem to be saying what I thought was the case with modern thinking*, rather than the out of date stuff that medievalist was spouting that was rooted in the 1960s.
The second podcast on war guilt is really, really interesting as it goes into the historiography of the subject and explains why our thinking is so badly messed up.
Excellent. Well done Aunite Beeb again.
(BTW - Haven't tried the Women's Hour broadcasts, but the write up looks interesting for those as well.
*I was part way through writing "and they agree with me" before realising how arrogant that would be. I agree with them, not the other way round. They probably have no idea who I am.
Thanks very much for linking these, I am really looking forward to giving them a listen.
ReplyDeleteRegards
John
Enjoy. I'm just so impressed with the consistent quality that's being put out.
DeleteThanks for the podcast recommendation. I'm always on the hunt for more listening material.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome. Now I'm driving 3 hours a day, near enough, I've started to look at podcasts more closely.
DeleteEspecially now I'm up to date with Welcome to Nightvale...
Thanks, I look forward to listening to them tonight.
ReplyDeleteHopefully whilst you're painting some toy soldiers!
DeleteThe little of the recent BBC out put that I have actually caught has subtly changed my view of WW1- even about the Western Front.
ReplyDeleteI still find some chaps obcession with it a tad uncomfortable- the British Military History group on Lined-in ALWAYS seem to have 1 or 2 discusiins on WW1 Western Front. but perhaps that is just my perception.
In some ways the Battle of The Somme looms larger in the collective consiousness than the whole of WW2 put together- even today and while I don't think we should forget I wonder if its altogether healthy
I think the obsession is understandable. The army of the Great War was the UK's biggest ever mobilisation and a true citizen army.
DeleteThe First Day of the Somme is a cultural phenomenom in the UK, rather than the whole Battle of the Somme, and your point on it being more significant to that extent than WW2 is probably correct. I know in my family my Grandfather's role in the First Day attack is a defining family event.