In the year 1870, Prussian Chancellor Otto von Bismarck engineers a war to cut France down to size. French Emperor Napoleon III is willing to oblige, and bungles his way into a war against all of Germany.

The Franco-Prussian War proves to be more than he – or anyone else – bargained for. Within a few months, Paris will be under siege, proto-Communist rebels will threaten to take over France, and the Italians will invade Rome. And Bismarck, ever the opportunist, will grasp at the opportunity to unify Germany once and for all.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Chapter One: The Twilight of the French Empire – 00:01:56

Chapter Two: The Ems Dispatch – 00:26:26

Chapter Three: A Blueprint for the Great War – 00:46:34

Chapter Four: Unstoppable Force Meets Immovable Object – 01:13:48

Chapter Five: The Great Right Turn – 01:55:15

Chapter Six: The Last Bonaparte – 02:21:16

Chapter Seven: The Government of National Defense – 02:47:44

Chapter Eight: The Last Stand of the Papal States – 03:13:36

Chapter Nine: The Defense of the French Republic – 03:35:42

Chapter Ten: The Siege of Paris – 04:02:27

Chapter Eleven: The Dawn of the German Empire – 04:34:01

Chapter Twelve: The Paris Commune – 04:50:50

Chapter Thirteen: The Belle Époque – 05:20:22

Chapter Fourteen: The Future of Italy – 05:47:14

Chapter Fifteen: The Age of Bismarck – 06:08:22

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Episode transcript (90% accurate): https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRspp9A68aYB2E7iR3qY3fDucuy0qfPuhR1d-8urumVxitiYMennSxDiu36RmCS-J4S7ahF4PRw5ENq/pub

Music credit: Sergey Cheremisinov - Black Swan

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