The History of the Twentieth Century has moved to new digs. Look for us here.
022: La Forza del Destino
Luciano Pavarotti sings “La donna è mobile” from Verdi’s Rigoletto.
The story of how a united Italy was born in the nineteenth century.
Playlist:
Fanfare
Overture to La Forza del Destino (“The Force of Destiny”)
Composed in 1862 by Giuseppe Verdi. Public domain.
Performed by the University of Chicago orchestra and used pursuant to a Creative Commons license. Details
“La donna è mobile” (“The Lady Is Fickle”) from Rigoletto
Composed in 1851 by Giuseppe Verdi. Public domain.
Performed by Enrico Caruso. Public domain recording. Source.
Overture to Nabucco (“Nebuchadnezzar”)
Composed in 1841 by Giuseppe Verdi. Public domain.
Performed by the DuPage orchestra and used pursuant to a Creative Commons license. Details
Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are
© and ℗ 2016 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.
021: A Man, A Plan, A Canal—Panama!
We return to the United States this week to examine more of the issues confronting Theodore Roosevelt’s administration: Are American soldiers committing war crimes in the Philippines? The signing of a treaty with Nicaragua Colombia Panama to build a canal across Central America. A coal strike that threatens to leave Americans in the cold during the 1902 mid-term election. And the burning question of whether Theodore Roosevelt is really all that great a hunter.
Playlist:
Fanfare
Opening Theme
Symphony No. 9 in E minor (“From the New World”)
Composed in 1893 by Antonín Dvořák. Public domain.
Public domain recording. Source.
Coro di zingari (“Anvil Chorus”) from Il trovatore
Composed in 1853 by Giuseppe Verdi. Public domain.
Public domain recording. Source.
“The Teddy Bears’ Picnic”
Composed in 1907 by John Walter Bratton. Public domain.
Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are
© and ℗ 2016 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.
Reminder
Just a reminder that this week is a bye week for the History of the Twentieth Century. We’ll be back next Sunday with a new episode that takes a further look at the Roosevelt Administration in the USA.
020: Heart of Darkness II
King Leopold’s claim to the Congo is recognized by the Western nations, and he sets to work to extract as much money from the Congo as possible, with no regard for the lives or welfare of the people living there, until he is exposed by Roger Casement, the British consul in the Congo.
Playlist:
Fanfare
Opening Theme
Trois Odes Funèbres (Three Funeral Odes)
Composed in 1866 by Franz Liszt. Public domain.
Performed by Mauro Tortorelli, and used pursuant to a Creative Commons license. Details.
Closing Theme
Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are
© and ℗ 2016 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.
019: Heart of Darkness I
King Leopold II of Belgium, unsatisfied with reigning over “a small nation of small people,” decides what he really needs is a colonial empire to call his very own.
Playlist:
Fanfare
Opening Theme
Trois Odes Funèbres (Three Funeral Odes)
Composed in 1866 by Franz Liszt. Public domain.
Performed by Mauro Tortorelli, and used pursuant to a Creative Commons license. Details.
Closing Theme
Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are
© and ℗ 2016 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.
018: The Spectre Haunting Europe
The stark economic inequalities of the era inspire a new political movement.
Playlist:
Fanfare
Opening Theme
Academic Festival Overture
Composed in 1880 by Johannes Brahms. Public domain.
Performed by the Skidmore College Orchestra. Public domain. Source.
Closing Theme
Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are
© and ℗ 2016 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.
Mid-week Update
So the episode on dreadnoughts that I started writing last week turned into a two-parter, because it turns out I have a lot to say about naval arms races. Who could have guessed?
But I’m fleshing out these two episodes by talking about other aspects of diplomacy among the Great Powers during this time, 1904-07, during and immediately after the Russo-Japanese War. There was a lot going on. France was angling to take over Morocco, Italy was eyeing Libya, the British were trying to smooth over relations with France, Russia, and Germany, as well as keep up with the German naval buildup.
This Sunday’s episode, The Spectre Haunting Europe is almost ready. The weather forecast for where I live is for a heavy snowstorm Friday night through midday Sunday. It’s possible I may lose electricity or Internet service during this time, so I’m going to try to pre-post Sunday’s episode before the storm gets here, just in case. But if next Sunday’s episode is late, the storm will be the reason.
017: Such a Bully Pulpit
Theodore Roosevelt becomes president, and immediately puts his stamp on American government.
Playlist:
“The Twentieth Century Rag”
“The Entertainer”
Composed in 1902 by Scott Joplin. Public domain.
Closing Theme
Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are
© and ℗ 2016 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.
Dreadnought
One of the resources I am using for the episode on dreadnoughts, is this 1975 SPI wargame, which includes individual counters, individually rated, for every dreadnought battleship ever produced. Here are the Brazilian and Argentine dreadnoughts from the game:
The History of the Twentieth Century 