Countdown to War Podcast with Hannah Gordon, Michael Jayston, Sam Dale cover art

Countdown to War

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Countdown to War

By: David Elstein
Narrated by: Hannah Gordon, Michael Jayston, Sam Dale
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About this listen

An audio dramatisation of July 1914 Countdown to War by Sean McMeekin.

'The story of the 37 days that led Europe to war after the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo in June 1914.'

This is an Audible Original Podcast. Free for members. You can download all 6 episodes to your Library now.

©2019 Audible, Ltd. (P)2019 Audible, Ltd. 20th Century Military Modern
Episodes
  • Ep. 1: June 28th 1914

    Ep. 1: June 28th 1914
    Nov 7 2019

    The motorcade of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Hapsburg Throne, is attacked by Bosnian extremists.
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    28 mins
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  • Ep. 2: Day 21 - July 19th 1914

    Ep. 2: Day 21 - July 19th 1914
    Nov 7 2019

    Tsar Nicholas II is briefed, as European alliances are tested and agendas align.
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    23 mins
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  • Ep. 3: July 26th 1914

    Ep. 3: July 26th 1914
    Nov 7 2019

    International relations are tested, as politicians and nobility conspire and Serbia and Austria mobilise for War.
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    14 mins
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All stars
Most relevant  
very informative about how WW1 started, would recommend that you listen to this as you will enjoy

ww1

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I was already aware that WW1 wasn't started by the Germans invading Belgium - despite what O' level History taught us in the early 1980's. But then again, neither was WW2. Don't believe me..? Do your own research. The demonisation of Germany started before WW1. But, as is usual, history is written by the victors.

Still, this was a fascinating and detailed account of the dealings, double-dealings, subterfuge along with the usual amount of hawks and doves that fly around diplomatic cages.

The only thing that let it down for me, was the total lack of accents for those not English. I think I even heard a Lancashire accent in there somewhere. For context, it would have been better if those from Serbia, France, Germany, Austria, etc spoke in English with the prerequisite accent from those countries. Surely actors could have been found from the countries involved..?

Still, that's not to detract from a very well produced podcast. And as usual, I neglected to get my chores done because - once again - Audible presented me with a fantastic piece of work. *sigh* 😁

So It Wasn't German Aggression After All...

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This was very interesting, I'd like to listen to more like this xx
There were things in this that I didn't know.

ww1

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Loved it, crazy how this all unfolds and great having detailed background on these key events building to war that’s broadly overlooked. We all know from school assassination led to war as the general lesson but how close it was to being so different.

This was the last time such a nonchalant approach to war has happened and this point was very well conveyed.

Amazing stuff

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History is always interesting but especially so when presented and brought to life by such a professional team of actors. superb narration moved the story along at a good pace.

History is always interesting

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This was a simply incredible short period in world history. The complexities of human society have rarely been so starkly illustrated with the effect of unforeseen consequences allowing a world war to spiral from a local crisis. Portrayed as a series of meetings between the great and good of the key nations 'Countdown to War' cleverly details how the machinations of each of these great states and in many cases the best of intentions begat the worst of outcomes. Literally no-one really ended up with what they wanted out of those 37 days in the final analysis.

Hannah Gordon narrates well and the whole thing moves fast, perhaps requiring a little more than the average in terms of concentration as it zips from city to city.

Definitely well worth a listen.

History Brought to Life

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Worth a listen if you are interested in history and events that change the world

emersive and informative

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Very difficult to keep track of all the different threads. I will have to listen to this again as there is a lot of information to absorb on the meandering path to the start of the First World War. The production is let down by a couple of actors who deliver their scripts as if just reading through, which is a bit of a shame given the importance of the content.

Very informative

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I never new or understand how ww1 was started... this is an eye opener. amazing story

fantastic 👏

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Brilliantly written and performed, it gives a fascinating insight into the attitude and motivations of the countries and personalities who started ww1, and the mistrust and misinterpretations that went into the decisions leading up to the war.

fascinating and worrying

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