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Relevant History

Relevant History

By: Dan Toler
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 In Relevant History, solo podcaster Dan Toler examines the trends and ideas that shape our modern world. The first season is about the idea of nationalism, and how different societies understand their national identities. From France to Ethiopia, from the Delhi Sultanate to the Dutch Republic, we travel through time and space to explore the roots of cultures around the world, and how those national trends have shaped their history.Copyright 2020 by Dan Toler. All rights reserved. World
Episodes
  • Episode 66 - The Unification of Italy

    Episode 66 - The Unification of Italy
    May 3 2025
    In part three of his series on the unifications of Germany and Italy, Dan talks about the turbulent 1850s and early 60s. In Germany, this is a time of mass industrialization. With the regional economy growing at a record pace, Prussia and Austria engage in saber-rattling diplomacy over the future of the German Confederation. Meanwhile, the new King of Piedmont-Sardinia, Victor Emmanuel II, aims to do what his father could not: conquer all of Italy. Taking advantage of Austrian weakness – and a burgeoning alliance with France – he and three other men will engineer a revolution that unites the Apennine Peninsula for the first time since the Roman Empire. TABLE OF CONTENTS: Chapter One: The German Question – 00:04:22 Chapter Two: The Erfurt Union – 00:30:15 Chapter Three: The (Austrian) Empire Strikes Back – 00:42:24 Chapter Four: Enter Bismarck – 01:03:59 Chapter Five: Goodbye, Friedrich Wilhelm – 01:32:59 Chapter Six: Repression in Lombardy – 01:41:19 Chapter Seven: Enter Camillo Cavour – 01:51:20 Chapter Eight: Enter Victor Emmanuel – 02:04:32 Chapter Nine: The Crimean War – 02:17:48 Chapter Ten: Engineering a Revolution – 02:39:34 Chapter Eleven: The War for Northern Italy – 03:05:02 Chapter Twelve: The Expedition of the Thousand – 03:34:34 Chapter Thirteen: The Dictator of Sicily – 04:14:24 Chapter Fourteen: The Conquest of Southern Italy – 04:28:49 Chapter Fifteen: The Proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy – 04:51:04 Chapter Sixteen: Rome and the Risorgimento – 05:13:43 SUBSCRIBE TO RELEVANT HISTORY, AND NEVER MISS AN EPISODE! Relevant History Patreon: https://bit.ly/3vLeSpF Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/38bzOvo Subscribe on Apple Music (iTunes): https://apple.co/2SQnw4q Subscribe on Any Platform: https://bit.ly/RelHistSub Relevant History on Twitter/X: https://bit.ly/3eRhdtk Relevant History on Facebook: https://bit.ly/2Qk05mm Official website: https://bit.ly/3btvha4 Episode transcript (90% accurate): https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vTILtf6-xAur_LTmOc_UJ7iH-H3L0l_O_jUjd2CwhN9q3CWJV6zM2UCbss4HP1saanj2jSurstKqKX0/pub/ Music credit: Sergey Cheremisinov - Black Swan SOURCES: Derek Beales and Eugenio F. Biagini, The Risorgimento and the Unification of Italy David Blackbourn, The Long Nineteenth Century: A History of Germany 1780-1918 – https://www.scribd.com/document/261666797/Long-Nineteenth-Century-History-of-Germany-1780-1918-the-David-Blackbourn Carlo Bossoli, The War in Italy Tim Chapman, The Risorgimento: Italy 1815-71 – https://read.amazon.com/?asin=B003SNK19G&ref_=dbs_t_r_kcr Gordon A. Craig, Germany 1866-1945 Erich Eyck, Bismarck and the German Empire Charles Stuart Forbes, The Campaign of Garibaldi in the Two Sicilies: A Personal Narrative Giuseppe Garibaldi, Autobiography of Giuseppe Garibaldi – -Volume 1: https://archive.org/details/autobiographyofg0001gari/page/n3/mode/2up -Volume 2: https://archive.org/details/autobiographyofg0002gari/page/n3/mode/2up -Supplement by Jesse White Mario: https://archive.org/details/autobiographyofg0003gari/page/4/mode/2up E.E.Y. Hales, Pio Nono: A Masterful Study of Pius IX and His Role in Nineteenth-Century European Politics and Religion Denis Mack Smith, Cavour, a Biography Denis Mack Smith, Cavour and Garibaldi, 1860: A Study in Political Conflict Denis Mack Smith, The Making of Italy, 1796-1870 – https://archive.org/details/makingofitaly1790000mack/page/n3/mode/2up Denis Mack Smith, Mazzini Denis Mack Smith, Modern Italy, A Political History Denis Mack Smith, Victor Emanuel, Cavour, and the Risorgimento Giuseppe Mazzini, Address to Pope Pius IX, On His Encyclical Letter – https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=YURTAAAAcAAJ&pg=GBS.PP4&hl=en Damian McElrath, The Syllabus of Pius IX: Some Reactions in England The New York Times, The Attempted Assassination of the Emperor of the French - https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1858/02/09/78528596.pdf Robin Okey, The Habsburg Monarchy: From Enlightenment to Eclipse – https://archive.org/details/habsburgmonarchy0000okey/page/n5/mode/2up Jürgen Osterhammel, The Transformation of the World, A Global History of the Nineteenth Century – https://www.everand.com/read/261688401/The-Transformation-of-the-World-A-Global-History-of-the-Nineteenth-Century Alan Palmer, Twilight of the Habsburgs: The Life and Times of Emperor Francis Joseph – https://archive.org/details/twilightofhabsbu0000palm Pope Pius IX, The Syllabus of Errors: https://www.papalencyclicals.net/pius09/p9syll.htm Trevor Royle, Crimea, The Great Crimean War 1854-1856 Frederick C. Schneid, The Second War of Italian Unification 1859-61 James J. Sheehan, German History, 1770-1866 (Oxford History of Modern Europe) Jonathan Steinberg, Bismarck: A Life
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    5 hrs and 43 mins
  • Episode 65 - The Revolutions of 1848

    Episode 65 - The Revolutions of 1848
    Feb 20 2025
    Often called the “Springtime of Nations,” the year 1848 is one of turmoil throughout Europe. Revolutions are everywhere, from France to Romania. In Germany, Prussia is ascendant. Rather than fight calls for German nationalization, savvy King Friedrich Wilhelm IV puts himself at the head of the revolution. Austria watches helplessly from the sidelines, distracted by trouble at home and abroad. In Italy, King Charles Albert of Piedmont-Sardinia battles the Austrians for control in the north, while local revolutions topple governments in Venice, Florence, and Rome itself. I apologize for the drop in audio quality from roughly 1:58:30 to 2:11:20. Audacity wasn’t recording for that portion so I had to make do with the already-compressed audio from OBS. TABLE OF CONTENTS: Chapter One: The Sleeping Volcano – 00:04:43 Chapter Two: The Fall of Metternich – 00:32:33 Chapter Three: The Vienna Uprising and the Hungarian Rebellion – 01:01:34 Chapter Four: Enter Franz Joseph – 01:31:34 Chapter Five: Crisis in Germany – 01:41:53 Chapter Six: The Curious Case of Lola Montez – 02:13:48 Chapter Seven: King Friedrich Wilhelm, the Conservative Revolutionary – 02:13:48 Chapter Eight: The First Schleswig-Holstein War – 02:24:20 Chapter Nine: The Revolution in Venice – 02:42:33 Chapter Ten: Charles Albert Versus Radetzky – 03:14:53 Chapter Eleven: Enter Garibaldi – 03:36:46 Chapter Twelve: A Sidebar on Sicily – 04:01:17 Chapter Thirteen: The Return of Mazzini – 04:08:29 Chapter Fourteen: Charles Albert Tries Again – 04:22:51 Chapter Fifteen: The Fall of the Roman Republic – 04:32:27 Chapter Sixteen: The Siege of Venice – 04:47:07 Chapter Seventeen: The End of the Revolution – 04:58:57 SUBSCRIBE TO RELEVANT HISTORY, AND NEVER MISS AN EPISODE! Relevant History Patreon: https://bit.ly/3vLeSpF Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/38bzOvo Subscribe on Apple Music (iTunes): https://apple.co/2SQnw4q Subscribe on Any Platform: https://bit.ly/RelHistSub Relevant History on Twitter/X: https://bit.ly/3eRhdtk Relevant History on Facebook: https://bit.ly/2Qk05mm Official website: https://bit.ly/3btvha4 Episode transcript (90% accurate): https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRXQnNgiTX89RksqftH8gEfgwhpUtw6tHz9-zvMh4o3ddwcwq2rMui9dkFfpXixkpNVDD6xR9xtQHb8/pub Music credit: Sergey Cheremisinov - Black Swan SOURCES: David Blackbourn, The Long Nineteenth Century: A History of Germany 1780-1918 – https://www.scribd.com/document/261666797/Long-Nineteenth-Century-History-of-Germany-1780-1918-the-David-Blackbourn Tim Chapman, The Risorgimento: Italy 1815-71 – https://read.amazon.com/?asin=B003SNK19G&ref_=dbs_t_r_kcr Gordon A. Craig, Germany 1866-1945 Friedrich Engels, Germany: Revolution and Counter-Revolution – https://archive.org/details/germanyrevolutio00enge_0 Erich Eyck, Bismarck and the German Empire Giuseppe Garibaldi, Autobiography of Giuseppe Garibaldi – -Volume 1: https://archive.org/details/autobiographyofg0001gari/page/n3/mode/2up -Volume 2: https://archive.org/details/autobiographyofg0002gari/page/n3/mode/2up -Supplement by Jesse White Mario: https://archive.org/details/autobiographyofg0003gari/page/4/mode/2up Paul Ginsborg, Daniele Manin and the Venetian Revolution of 1848-1849 - https://archive.org/details/danielemaninvene0000gins/page/n5/mode/2up James Morton, Lola Montez: Her Life & Conquests - https://archive.org/details/lolamontezherlif0000mort/page/80/mode/2up Robin Okey, The Habsburg Monarchy: From Enlightenment to Eclipse – https://archive.org/details/habsburgmonarchy0000okey/page/n5/mode/2up Jürgen Osterhammel, The Transformation of the World, A Global History of the Nineteenth Century – https://www.everand.com/read/261688401/The-Transformation-of-the-World-A-Global-History-of-the-Nineteenth-Century Alan Palmer, Twilight of the Habsburgs: The Life and Times of Emperor Francis Joseph – https://archive.org/details/twilightofhabsbu0000palm Carlo Pisacane, Guerra Combattuta in Italia Neglo Anni 1848-49 Mike Rapport, 1848, Year of Revolution Denis Mack Smith, The Making of Italy, 1796-1870 – https://archive.org/details/makingofitaly1790000mack/page/n3/mode/2up Denis Mack Smith, Modern Italy, A Political History Nick Svendsen, The First Schleswig-Holstein War 1848-50 – https://www.everand.com/read/402302021/The-First-Schleswig-Holstein-War-1848-50
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    5 hrs and 9 mins
  • Episode 64 – The Reich and the Risorgimento

    Episode 64 – The Reich and the Risorgimento
    Aug 21 2024

    At the end of the Napoleonic Wars, the victorious allied powers restore Central Europe to its pre-war status: a bunch of small, semi-independent German and Italian states, dominated by more powerful neighbors. But the idea of nationalism, spread by Napoleon’s armies, is a genie you can’t put back in the bottle.

    In the German Confederation, 38 tiny countries try to establish their legitimacy, but are overshadowed by the Austrian Empire in the south and the Kingdom of Prussia in the north. Without a clear path to political nationalization, German intellectuals instead focus on building a unified German culture.

    In Italy, revolutionaries like Giuseppe Mazzini openly call for Risorgimento – a resurgence of Italian national identity. Drawing their inspiration from ancient Rome, these young revolutionaries will spend an entire generation battling to overthrow their Austrian overlords while avoiding French domination.

    SUBSCRIBE TO RELEVANT HISTORY, AND NEVER MISS AN EPISODE!

    Relevant History Patreon: https://bit.ly/3vLeSpF

    Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/38bzOvo

    Subscribe on Apple Music (iTunes): https://apple.co/2SQnw4q

    Subscribe on Any Platform: https://bit.ly/RelHistSub

    Relevant History on Twitter/X: https://bit.ly/3eRhdtk

    Relevant History on Facebook: https://bit.ly/2Qk05mm

    Official website: https://bit.ly/3btvha4

    Episode transcript (90% accurate): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1r7N2KkmrRtrPBJliHzEkkKlmEsGtk8c8NzWI03eRn7A/pub

    Music credit: Sergey Cheremisinov - Black Swan

    SOURCES:

    David Blackbourn, The Long Nineteenth Century: A History of Germany 1780-1918 – https://www.scribd.com/document/261666797/Long-Nineteenth-Century-History-of-Germany-1780-1918-the-David-Blackbourn

    Tim Chapman, The Risorgimento: Italy 1815-71 – https://read.amazon.com/?asin=B003SNK19G&ref_=dbs_t_r_kcr

    Gordon A. Craig, Germany 1866-1945

    Friedrich Engels, Revolution and Counter-Revolution in Germany – https://archive.org/details/germanyrevolutio00enge_0

    Erich Eyck, Bismarck and the German Empire

    Giuseppe Garibaldi, Autobiography of Giuseppe Garibaldi – https://archive.org/details/autobiographyofg0003gari/page/4/mode/2up

    Giuseppe Mazzini, Address to Pope Pius IX, On His Encyclical Letter – https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=YURTAAAAcAAJ&pg=GBS.PP4&hl=en

    Jürgen Osterhammel, The Transformation of the World, A Global History of the Nineteenth Century – https://www.everand.com/read/261688401/The-Transformation-of-the-World-A-Global-History-of-the-Nineteenth-Century

    Alan Palmer, Twilight of the Habsburgs: The Life and Times of Emperor Francis Joseph – https://archive.org/details/twilightofhabsbu0000palm

    Pope Pius IX, Non Semel (Italian) – https://www.vatican.va/content/pius-ix/it/documents/allocuzione-non-semel-29-aprile-1848.html

    Mike Rapport, 1848, Year of Revolution

    Denis Mack Smith, The Making of Italy, 1796-1870 – https://archive.org/details/makingofitaly1790000mack/page/n3/mode/2up

    Denis Mack Smith, Modern Italy, A Political History

    Nick Svendsen, The First Schleswig-Holstein War 1848-50 – https://www.everand.com/read/402302021/The-First-Schleswig-Holstein-War-1848-50

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    3 hrs and 36 mins
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