In Relevant History, solo podcaster Dan Toler examines the trends and ideas that shape our modern world. The first season is about the idea of nationalism, and how different societies understand their national identities. From France to Ethiopia, from the Delhi Sultanate to the Dutch Republic, we travel through time and space to explore the roots of cultures around the world, and how those national trends have shaped their history.
Episodes
Sunday Oct 23, 2022
Sunday Oct 23, 2022
In 1759, Europe is in its fourth year of war. North America is in its sixth. There, a new British commander named Jeffery Amherst partners with Native American allies to take the fight to the French. If successful, Amherst can force the French out of Canada altogether.
In Europe, France and Britain fight to a stalemate. But British-allied Prussia is in grave danger as Frederick the Great tries to fight off the combined might of Austria, Russia, France, and Sweden. Will Prussia survive and maintain its position in Central Europe? Or will Austria regain her supremacy in Germany?
CORRECTION: At one point, I said that Gen. Wolfe led an attack on Montreal. Since I said “Quebec” every other time, I hope the error is obvious.
MAP OF EUROPE IN 1759: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bf/Europe_1748-1766_en.png/1280px-Europe_1748-1766_en.png
PARTIAL MAP OF NORTH AMERICA: MAP: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/French_and_Indian_War_map.png
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Episode transcript (90% accurate): https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vTIvrQA45QmvijAZazSi3O27aTVyW5Aaj97oB0gVwx4oJKtXzq30syUBX4tMqRzWnIfSmOmeHl-dwg9/pub
Music credit: Sergey Cheremisinov - Black Swan
Thursday Sep 22, 2022
Thursday Sep 22, 2022
In 1756, the French and British war over North America spills over to Europe. Prussian leader Frederick the Great, a British ally, takes the opportunity to make a pre-emptive attack on French-allied Austria, Poland, Saxony, and Russia. Soon, Sweden joins the counterattack against Prussia, and virtually all of Europe is at war.
But the Seven Years’ War will continue to spread. The French and British fight battles in West Africa, and the French and British East India Companies struggle for dominance in India. In North America, fighting goes on, with the British assaulting key French forts along the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River, to cut them off from their inland colonies.
But who will dominate? The French alliance and their overwhelming land power in Europe - or the British alliance, with their sea power and financial might? At this phase of the war, it remains an open question.
MAP OF EUROPE IN 1756: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bf/Europe_1748-1766_en.png/1280px-Europe_1748-1766_en.png
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Official website: https://bit.ly/3btvha4
Episode transcript (90% accurate): https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vTjito9Cf2Fhm4gRuJE_3pYDC9blnCJrEh6PmhB0SBKZF1s8FXrlUwK2B2KbgrZqfZGWOZfg99BrVk-/pub
Music credit: Sergey Cheremisinov - Black Swan
Thursday Aug 18, 2022
Thursday Aug 18, 2022
In this episode, Dan traces the origins of the Seven Years’ War, starting with a seemingly-insignificant skirmish commanded by a young George Washington. This 1754 clash between British and French colonial forces will eventually turn into a global conflict.
But what are the stakes in North America? Why are the French and the British willing to risk a world war? And why will these far-flung events lead to a global war? Here’s how it all got started.
MAP: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/French_and_Indian_War_map.png
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Official website: https://bit.ly/3btvha4
Episode transcript (90% accurate): https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vTjito9Cf2Fhm4gRuJE_3pYDC9blnCJrEh6PmhB0SBKZF1s8FXrlUwK2B2KbgrZqfZGWOZfg99BrVk-/pub
Music credit: Sergey Cheremisinov - Black Swan
Tuesday Jul 19, 2022
Tuesday Jul 19, 2022
With the War of the Austrian Succession slowed to a crawl in Europe, the conflict spreads around the globe. In North America, French and British colonists fight in battles from Nova Scotia to Upstate New York. In the plains of east India, the French and British East India Companies wage a proxy war, aided by their nations’ warships.
Back in Europe, peace breaks out in 1748. But after eight years of war, politics, and intrigue, there’s just as much bad blood between allies as there is between former enemies. The next few years would give rise to a realignment called the Diplomatic Revolution, which would lay the groundwork for more conflict.
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Official website: https://bit.ly/3btvha4
Episode transcript (90% accurate): https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vTjito9Cf2Fhm4gRuJE_3pYDC9blnCJrEh6PmhB0SBKZF1s8FXrlUwK2B2KbgrZqfZGWOZfg99BrVk-/pub
Music credit: Sergey Cheremisinov - Black Swan
Thursday Jun 23, 2022
Thursday Jun 23, 2022
At the end of 1743, Europe is divided in two. On the one side, Austrian Archduchess Maria Theresa struggles to hold on to her ancestral lands, supported by her allies in Britain, the Netherlands, and Piedmont-Sardinia. On the other side, France and Spain are trying to conquer the old Habsburg lands, while Frederick the Great in Prussia continues to pose a real threat. Meanwhile, the French and Spanish are also trying to start a rebellion in Great Britain.
The War of the Austrian Succession is among the most chaotic in history. In this episode, Dan untangles the various threads of the war, and how it would change geopolitics forever.
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Official website: https://bit.ly/3btvha4
Episode transcript (90% accurate): https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vTz5W4ah3YlDIvs5z4jPoTZYqGpXeiyJdpDjBrdSJ1RMYoF0jDZAVOqgL68r7WJSkOr_7lVJMfeNUt2/pub
Music credit: Sergey Cheremisinov - Black Swan
Wednesday Jun 08, 2022
Wednesday Jun 08, 2022
The War of the Austrian Succession marks the beginning of the transition from dynastic politics to a more modern sense of nationalism. At the time, though, it merely seems like a calamity. What begins as a personal land grab by the young Prussian King Frederick the Great turns into a general European war, as multiple powers try to grab land from the vulnerable Austrian Archduchess Maria Theresa.
This war won’t remain confined to Europe. Thanks to the involvement of colonial powers, the war spreads throughout the globe. In the Caribbean, a British fleet under Edward Vernon terrorizes the Spanish Main in the War of Jenkins’ Ear. From the coast of South America to the mountains of central Europe, Prussian aggression shakes up the world’s geopolitical order.
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Official website: https://bit.ly/3btvha4
Episode transcript (90% accurate): https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vT7oCdxuhqpBvWyMai_TOOihUSLqOTXbtd_Ft-jb5vYEKQVVHQJM5CcbOQYdmZIrb5Rf0Osl5zw75XK/pub
Music credit: Sergey Cheremisinov - Black Swan
Monday May 09, 2022
Monday May 09, 2022
At the mid-point of the first season, Dan takes a breather to recap what we’ve learned, and discuss nationalism more broadly.
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Music credit: Sergey Cheremisinov - Black Swan
Sunday Apr 24, 2022
Sunday Apr 24, 2022
Following Commodore Matthew Perry’s expedition to Japan, the floodgates to foreign trade are open. British, French, and even Russian merchants come to Japan, introducing foreign ways of life. Rebellious daimyos, worried about losing their way of life, resort to extreme measures; they overthrow the Shogunate and restore the Emperor of Japan to a position of real power.
When even the Emperor cannot eliminate foreign influence, restive samurai launch a series of rebellions. Can the new government maintain its authority, and bring Japan fully into the modern era? Or will the old ways continue to dominate?
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Official website: https://bit.ly/3btvha4
Episode transcript (90% accurate): https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vS-TQxp2-HZPWF_iIwPdwIXK62jBrmJcMRl4JhbegAlUhyzDNEYvAWYLeCz-OXslwqLjCZWlG-RFaDy/pub
Music credit: Sergey Cheremisinov - Black Swan
Wednesday Apr 06, 2022
Wednesday Apr 06, 2022
In the year 1853, Japan is an isolationist, feudal society. By 1877, she’s a modern nation, with a centralized government and burgeoning national industry. This process, called the Meiji Restoration, is one of the most remarkable national transformations in all of history. But how does it happen?
In this episode, Dan discusses the first part of the story. We’ll start out with the Tokugawa Shogunate and its policy of Sakoku – isolation. Then we’ll talk about the Japanese experience in the 19th century, and how American Commodore Matthew Perry’s expedition changes Japan, and the world, forever.
Dan’s new interview with Ben from The History Voyager: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4EVcbeJhWQtnlp36jJI2L4
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Official website: https://bit.ly/3btvha4
Episode transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vQ_LZO-uyQSprOn-mKgPzYoULDrTkU0-ahVlGzkRqVEs8xTEHOv_mvZnrNelvy_Bq2EpIioDwlodo0g/pub
Music credit: Sergey Cheremisinov - Black Swan
Tuesday Mar 15, 2022
Tuesday Mar 15, 2022
After the founding of Russia’s Romanov Dynasty, the settlement of Siberia is ready to begin in earnest. Intrepid explorers push east across Asia, eventually coming into contact with the Chinese Qing Dynasty. There, Russia’s land borders will be established, as both sides try to avert a major Asian war.
Beyond the Eurasian landmass, Russian explorer Vitus Bering ranges even further, searching for a route to North America. Can Russia extend her empire across the Pacific, and span three continents? And what does the Siberian conquest mean for Russia’s future?
Map of Siberia’s river basins: https://www.freeworldmaps.net/russia/rivers.html
Dan’s new interview with Ben from The History Voyager: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4EVcbeJhWQtnlp36jJI2L4
SUBSCRIBE TO RELEVANT HISTORY, AND NEVER MISS AN EPISODE!
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Official website: https://bit.ly/3btvha4
Episode transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRiq_c3JKacPyBSSUHk1D46dD8FxuaPnctiP1Af51H8c_p9TXyPOkcoiQzmqLqJF8zbsZ_88FmALMYw/pub
Music credit: Sergey Cheremisinov - Black Swan