Dan Carlin's Hardcore History Addendum

[Okeefenokee]

During the next seventy five years , the signatures made sure that Belgium's neutrality was not violated,

1. For instance, when the Franco-Prussian war broke out 41 years after the signing, both France and Prussia signed separate treaties with Britain proclaiming that Belgium neutrality would not be violated. The treaties declared that if either France or Prussia violated the neutrality of Belgium then Britain would side with the opposing country.

2. When the German Empire was established in 1871, it recognised the 'Treaty of London' signed by Prussia in 1839.

Between the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71 and the outbreak of the Great War 1914-1918, Britain's commitment to Belgium's neutrality was tested several times.

3. In 1885, the German chancellor asked Britain, "Would England fight if Belgium was attacked?" Britain replied, "No doubt, if she had an ally."

4. In 1887 when France and Germany were on the brink of yet another war, both sent assurances to Belgium that her neutrality would not be violated.

5. In 1905 Edward Grey, British Foreign Secretary, asked what was "England's liability under the treaty [of 1839] guaranteeing the neutrality of Belgium." The conclusion reached was that "Britain was obligated to assist if one or more of the other guaranteeing powers opposed the violation."

6. In 1911, it was observed that Germany had built a series of train tracks and roads leading to the Belgium frontier. This alarmed the British and led Winston Churchill, to send a letter to the Foreign Secretary stating that Britain should "guarantee the independence of Belgium, Holland and Denmark."

Britain's quest to guarantee Belgium's neutrality was not just to oppose German violation of it, France too, kept prodding.

7. In 1912, France reviewed her strategy and asked Britain about "violating Belgium's neutrality in the event of war with Germany." Grey replied, "the British Government would then be called upon to defend the neutrality of that country." France said no more and kept quite on the subject.

More than a scrap of paper. Smart or not is another matter, but it looks pretty clear to me that they took it seriously for a long time.

[Smitty-48]

More than a scrap of paper. Smart or not is another matter, but it looks pretty clear to me that they took it seriously for a long time.

Took it seriously is irrelevant to the point, like all such treaties it left plenty of room for the British to wriggle out if it was not in their interests to intervene militarily, the treaty did no stipulate that the British were bound to use military force to uphold Belgian neutrality, it certainly didn't bind them to send an army to the continent, the British had plenty of options to interpret the treaty to their advantage, and if they chose a military option, the Royal Navy blockade alone would have more than sufficient, if the French fell to the Germans, oh well, you just meet with the Germans and sign a new treaty of non aggression with them.

The treaty was entirely flexible and not actually the reason the British sent the army to the continent, the reason they sent the army to the continent is because Winston Churchill demanded it and the spineless Liberals caved into him to cravenly cling to power in Westminster.

If the Liberals had had the balls, they could have killed two birds with one stone, rid themselves of Winston Churchill, then split the difference by blockading at sea, then appeal to their left wing base to back them against the war mongering Tories. If they had hung back for just a few months, the stalemate on the Western Front would have been apparent and they would have been heroes for keeping the British out of it.

Like most wars in Anglo-America, it came down to liberals not having the courage of their convictions to stand up to the war mongering imperialist militarists, throwing their own working class base into the meat grinder as the price of their moral cowardice. The net result for the British Liberals was that they were annihilated along with the crown heads of Europe when their left wing working class base dropped them in favour of the Socialists.

[DrYouth]

Caesar at Hastings

Dan rolls out a fantasy wargaming match-up between Julius Caesar and William the Conqueror.

Old school Dan Carlin... if you like that sort of thing... which I do... but I admit I'm sort of tired of it.

How many times have we heard about the +1 bonus for berserker rage or whatever this Germanic/Celtic aggressive quality is?

Not much has changed for Dan... he is somewhat fossilized...

One trick pony... it's a good trick... but he gets a lot of carrots for his trick.

[heydaralon]

Caesar at Hastings

Dan rolls out a fantasy wargaming match-up between Julius Caesar and William the Conqueror.

Old school Dan Carlin... if you like that sort of thing... which I do... but I admit I'm sort of tired of it.

How many times have we heard about the +1 bonus for berserker rage or whatever this Germanic/Celtic aggressive quality is?

Not much has changed for Dan... he is somewhat fossilized...

One trick pony... it's a good trick... but he gets a lot of carrots for his trick.

I sometimes perform martian perspective thought experiments myself:

What would it have been like if I still listened to Dan's shitty show?

[Hastur]

Caesar at Hastings

Dan rolls out a fantasy wargaming match-up between Julius Caesar and William the Conqueror.

Old school Dan Carlin... if you like that sort of thing... which I do... but I admit I'm sort of tired of it.

How many times have we heard about the +1 bonus for berserker rage or whatever this Germanic/Celtic aggressive quality is?

Not much has changed for Dan... he is somewhat fossilized...

One trick pony... it's a good trick... but he gets a lot of carrots for his trick.

I still prefer it to the new stuff. This is what I want from Dan. The Persian series was a sleeping pill and I’ve still not started listening to the Supernova thing.
I’m an old war gamer like him so this one was for me.

[Speaker to Animals]

He should do historical mysteries or something new like that.

[C-Mag]

He should do historical mysteries or something new like that.

I would like to listen to a multiple part long form show on how women of color, gays and muslims founded America.

[Fife]

I want to hear about how Honest Abe killed a million Americans to free the slaves.

[C-Mag]

I want to hear about how Honest Abe killed a million Americans to free the slaves.

Here, here.
The section on the Mankato Massacre will be downright patriotic.

[DrYouth]

I’m an old war gamer like him so this one was for me.

Did you war game with miniatures like he did?
Sounds like fun.
Although in the age of Total War video gaming... I guess it can never really compete.