On the timeline of mankind, there have only been very few "watersheds" in history. The leaders screwed up this remarkable point in time, by bowing to the whims of interest groups and ideologues... In stead of "democracy, liberty and the right to choose for the many"...we got the "special interests of the few". The world as we see it today, still suffers from the consequences of Versailles in 1919...
BMac had accumulated much research about the 1918-19 Pandemic but for many years it was on shelf gathering dust. Then - 2020 happened - and it became somewhat important.
When she talkes about those "poor" leaders to have to deal with the public opnion: Weren't they themselves causing the public opinion by their own propaganda and cencorship during the war? Wies man J.W.v.Goethe wrote in a poem: "Die ich rief, die Geister werd ich nun nichtmehr los!" less poetical translation: "Now i can't get rid of the ghosts i summond."
25:28 - Serbia, not France lost the greatest proportion of the men of military age among the combatants in WW1. And overall 28% it lost of the population to fighting, disease, massacres and starvations.
If you take the percentages of fallen soldiers of the whole population of the country: Austria-Hungary, Germany, the Ottoman empire, Romania and Serbia (not a ranking, just alphabetical order) had lost more people than France. (And almost all of these were hit much harder by famin, diseases etc. So the view in these countries capitals would have been much worse than in Paris.)
As far as two sides claiming the same lands, the solution is easy. 1) Hold a plebiscite to determine what the people want for themselves. 2) Two, once the majority in a certain area is determined, then that becomes the 'homeland' of the majority. 3) In disputed areas, draw a line in the middle somewhere 4) Allow everybody who isn't happy which side of the border they end up on, to emigrate to the country of choice, allow for all equity to be dissolved and taken with This is what happened along the disputed German-Danish border, and it has never been a bone of content since. Lesson to be learnt? Allow the people to choose what they want for themselves, and leave politicians to deal with the result...NOT the other way around....
Ralph Bernhard If something similar happened to Transilvania, it would still be part of Hungary as it should be. Still Europes biggest shame, and even she jumped over it with a fun story, unable to face a disaster of a nation. Millions of hungarians been robbed, killed, displaced in their very own land. Their right to their own language, culture is still not recognized by the Romanians, 100 years on. And nobody talks about this in Europe.
That was practically never applied, and was not even an intention to do that. Even today, after 100 years of forced assimilation, are Hungarian majority population close to the borders of Romania, Slovakia, Serbia and Ukraine. I think the "peacemakers" intention was to create strong new states, like the countries of little Antante ( Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Romania) to balance Germany and Hungary. That failed badly at the first sign of pressure.
Danzig port, justification to divide unified Germany in two? No new port possible with the corridor to the east as the Eastern boundary of Germany, meaning no divided country? The Treaty was provocative, to say the least. It did however provide the West with an easy potential to intervene after Munich, albeit by the very dangerous route of Czechoslovakia threatened with military action. Chamberlain solved the European problem, only he is the individual usually thought of as dividing a country in order to resolve a local problem, such is the temperature of the debate concerning how Hitler was allowed prepare to invade Poland, idealism yet again concerning Germanys eastern borders. 100 years of academic failure folks!
Margaret MacMillan's book, "The War that Ended Peace" is brilliant, a great scholar. thanks
What a great speech, in an almost story telling approach. I can at times visualize and feel the desperate pain of 1919 through her explanation.
I can't
Margaret MacMillan is the great granddaughter of David Lloyd George. She’s Canadian, though, and we’re proud that she is!
She makes me so unsure of myself!
She is as good a speaker is she is a writer.
yes. She wrote several books on world war one, on Mao and Nixond and a Biography of Stephen Leacock. All of her books are amazing.
A wonderfully articulate, erudite, and impressive woman.
And a convincing voice for the British colonial and Zionist agendas.
JoJo General Ironic considering Britain isn’t even a colonial power anymore.
She does not even examine the treaty!
A good explanation why there should have been more bi-lateral agreements and treaties to resolve the various issues....
The Germans were not allowed to participate, but were afterwards forced to sign the treaty, that was a great idea.
Remember this is the Granddaughter of Prime Minster Loyd George
That explains a lot...
great-granddaughter :)
She was not at all uncritical of Lloyd George in the book.
Innuendo isn't an argument
On the timeline of mankind, there have only been very few "watersheds" in history.
The leaders screwed up this remarkable point in time, by bowing to the whims of interest groups and ideologues...
In stead of "democracy, liberty and the right to choose for the many"...we got the "special interests of the few".
The world as we see it today, still suffers from the consequences of Versailles in 1919...
Ralph Bernhard it’s hard to think of a different outcome. Different leaders of the allies would have lost office afterwards logically
BMac had accumulated much research about the 1918-19 Pandemic but for many years it was on shelf gathering dust. Then - 2020 happened - and it became somewhat important.
honestly i was just looking for the john cale record
Don't worry, your headphones aren't broken...
When she talkes about those "poor" leaders to have to deal with the public opnion: Weren't they themselves causing the public opinion by their own propaganda and cencorship during the war? Wies man J.W.v.Goethe wrote in a poem: "Die ich rief, die Geister werd ich nun nichtmehr los!" less poetical translation: "Now i can't get rid of the ghosts i summond."
She should have titled her talk as "six months that f'ed up the world."
She's very nice.
25:28 - Serbia, not France lost the greatest proportion of the men of military age among the combatants in WW1. And overall 28% it lost of the population to fighting, disease, massacres and starvations.
She's talking about the major powers. Serbia was a bit player in WWI and certainly not a major power.
If you take the percentages of fallen soldiers of the whole population of the country: Austria-Hungary, Germany, the Ottoman empire, Romania and Serbia (not a ranking, just alphabetical order) had lost more people than France. (And almost all of these were hit much harder by famin, diseases etc. So the view in these countries capitals would have been much worse than in Paris.)
The Armenians probably lost an even higher percentage of their overall population than Serbia?
Skanzool not a major player but ‘bit part’ I disagree
El Supremo I totally agree with you.
When did Dr. McMillan give this talk?
Long time ago in 2007.
Paris 1919.
More like "6 months that screwed the world for good"...
As far as two sides claiming the same lands, the solution is easy.
1) Hold a plebiscite to determine what the people want for themselves.
2) Two, once the majority in a certain area is determined, then that becomes the 'homeland' of the majority.
3) In disputed areas, draw a line in the middle somewhere
4) Allow everybody who isn't happy which side of the border they end up on, to emigrate to the country of choice, allow for all equity to be dissolved and taken with
This is what happened along the disputed German-Danish border, and it has never been a bone of content since.
Lesson to be learnt?
Allow the people to choose what they want for themselves, and leave politicians to deal with the result...NOT the other way around....
Ralph Bernhard
If something similar happened to Transilvania, it would still be part of Hungary as it should be. Still Europes biggest shame, and even she jumped over it with a fun story, unable to face a disaster of a nation. Millions of hungarians been robbed, killed, displaced in their very own land. Their right to their own language, culture is still not recognized by the Romanians, 100 years on. And nobody talks about this in Europe.
That was practically never applied, and was not even an intention to do that. Even today, after 100 years of forced assimilation, are Hungarian majority population close to the borders of Romania, Slovakia, Serbia and Ukraine. I think the "peacemakers" intention was to create strong new states, like the countries of little Antante ( Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Romania) to balance Germany and Hungary. That failed badly at the first sign of pressure.
Danzig port, justification to divide unified Germany in two? No new port possible with the corridor to the east as the Eastern boundary of Germany, meaning no divided country? The Treaty was provocative, to say the least. It did however provide the West with an easy potential to intervene after Munich, albeit by the very dangerous route of Czechoslovakia threatened with military action. Chamberlain solved the European problem, only he is the individual usually thought of as dividing a country in order to resolve a local problem, such is the temperature of the debate concerning how Hitler was allowed prepare to invade Poland, idealism yet again concerning Germanys eastern borders. 100 years of academic failure folks!
Best person to learn the truth about this: Benjamin H. Freedman. He was there. His speech is on UA-cam for free. watch it.
England should have allied with the German empire. End of fucking story !