How To Start A War

31/12/2023

2024 is going to be an exciting year for How To Start A War. Stay tuned 📚

30/09/2023

With only 8 chapters and no marketing, I’m so thankful that folks are still sharing How To Start a War with others. Thank you to the best listeners in the world. On any given month, the most popular episode is still Chapter 1.

03/05/2022

Two dictators on the day of their unprovoked invasions of neighboring countries using the same tired playbook of false justification.
🇺🇦 #🇺🇦

29/03/2022

Peace negotiations are good, but history shows us that that bilateral negotiations between a large power and a small power only go one way.

In these scenarios, it is essential that whatever agreement is reached gets ratified by a 3rd or 4th party that can ensure fairness and enforcement.

Czech President Hácha (ch. 6) and Austrian Chancellor Schuschnigg (ch. 4) learned this the hard way.

And even when they are ratified, like at The Munich Conference (ch 5), the agreements can still be broken.

Let’s all pay attention to what happens after the headlines fade 🇺🇦

23/03/2022

Permission by a third party is a precursor to almost any war. In WWII, it was Stalin’s permission that allowed Hi**er to invade Poland without risk of starting a larger war in the east (yet), and keeping a large trade partner available to help fund the conflict. This American political cartoon from 1939 depicts that “marriage” made by Hi**er and Stalin.

The question now is, who did Putin get permission from in order to invade Ukraine? Who was it “cleared” with first?

17/03/2022

“Back them up!” British war poster during the London Blitz, 1940.

07/03/2022

Though I wish it was under better circumstances, I am thankful to those of you that have listened to How To Start A War.

I hope this series helped in some small way to add context to conflicts like the unfolding war in Ukraine by exposing the workings that can take place under mad dictators like Vladimir Putin.

Regardless of what happens next, the people of Ukraine have shown the world that when we stand up to authoritarians, the very real fragility of their power is revealed 🇺🇦

28/02/2022

“BREAK THE CHAINS!” Polish WWII poster as the Polish Uprising began - 1944 🇺🇦🇵🇱

24/02/2022

Some have you have asked for my thoughts on today, here they are.

This is now the largest war in Europe since World War II. Regardless of where we live in the world, we must unite in opposition to this act of war.

- Bankrupt Putin’s war machine.
- Give Ukrainians the arms they need to defend themselves.
- Kick Russia out of international political and financial institutions

24/02/2022

Hi**er orders “military operations” in Poland. September 1, 1939.

24/02/2022

Front page of the New York Times, February 23, 2022. The first day of a general Russian invasion of Ukraine.

22/02/2022

“ALL OF POLAND IN WAR FEVER” Front page of the N**i state-owned newspaper, shifting the blame and building justification for Germany’s impending invasion of Poland, August 1939.

10/02/2022

Unauthorized photo of Stalin the moment he was told the German Army was about to take Kyiv - August 1941.

Only 60 days after Hi**er launched the surprise attack on his Soviet ally, Operation Barbarossa – an invasion force of nearly 4 MILLION men – the Soviet Red Army was collapsing.

31/01/2022

American poster from 1942 about N**i book burning campaigns carried out before and during the war.

26/01/2022

Hindenburg (left) and Ludendorff (right) during The Great War. The two men represented grand strategy and ruthless ex*****on for the German armed forces during WWI.

Later in their lives, both would play a part in Hi**er’s rise to power. Ludendorff first - backing the young radical during in 1923, joining the Beer Hall Putsch as they attempted to overthrow the Bavarian government. Hindenburg later - appointing the leader of the N**i party as Chancellor in 1933 out of fear and underestimation.

Neither men would live to see the true consequences of their actions.

24/01/2022

Austrian Chancellor Schuschnigg projecting strength in a speech as rumors of a German invasion of Austria were spreading across Europe. During the time period he later called “the four weeks agony” - Feb-March 1938.

20/01/2022

Wow - Thank you for putting How To Start A War in the top 50 history podcasts! I have the best listeners ever.

13/01/2022

The Reserve Fleet of the Royal Navy – the largest in the world – arrives at Weymouth Bay after being called up in the last days of peace - August, 1939.

10/01/2022

This was a great conversation with on the making of How To Start A War. We talk shop, history, and about how to bring stories to life through sound. Thanks for having me on!

06/01/2022

In January of 2020, my original plan for How To Start a War was to record all episodes, publish under the radar for friends and family for feedback, then republish a final product.

January 6th changed that.

I have respect for listeners and never wanted to beat them over the head with this message, but letting today go by without acknowledgement would go against everything this series stood for.

Our democracy is not perfect. We must always strive to make it better. But we must also recognize our responsibility to be the fail safe – the last defense – against tyranny. No amount of cynicism can absolve us from this charge.

A just society does not run on auto-pilot. It requires active engagement from its citizens – good people like you and me.

Speak up. Vote. Pay attention. Be the better version of “us” that you want to see.

06/01/2022

The Beer Hall Putsch - Nov 9 1923

05/01/2022

British war propaganda poster from the weeks following the declaration of war on Germany, 1939.

03/01/2022

YouTube person? Got a friend that’s a YouTube person? Introducing How To Start A War on YouTube. Complete episodes of the entire audio series, now available in a new channel. (Link in bio)

31/12/2021

Some of the books used as sources for this series. Many of the primary resources (Goebbels’ Diaries, Court Transcripts and phone conversations) are available for free online.

“Books are weapons in the war of ideas.” – FDR

30/12/2021

“Poles To Arms!” Polish war propaganda poster from the early days of the war.

27/12/2021

After the German invasion poured in from the west and the north, the Soviets launched their invasion of Poland from the east. Both armies respected the lines of demarcation negotiated in the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact days earlier.

24/12/2021

Thank you for an incredible year, this audio series is now complete. I’ll keep posting on this channel with more context to the story – both for long time listeners and new ones.

For example: Did you know that there is an entire LOST CHAPTER that was never published? I cut it from the series between episodes 3/4 and covers the Rhineland reoccupation and pulling out of Versailles and League of Nations. Maybe I’ll publish that one day.

What’s next? This series took me 6 years to research, write, record and produce, so I’m still thinking about the future. I’m proud of this work standing on its own, but stories like this could be told in just about every period of human history – the potential is unlimited for future work.

Thank you once again. All of the support, kind words, comments, ratings, and shares have been heartwarming to me. This was a dark topic, but an important one.

In the next few months, my son will be born. I believe in the lessons from this story and the deep responsibility we hold. Let’s be the better version of us that we want to see. Let’s be the failsafe that never allows democracy to perish. The alternative is catastrophic, and we must never let it happen.

Thanks again. You’re all awesome. Stay tuned to this channel for what’s next.

- Michael ✌️

23/12/2021

23/12/2021

The Junkers Ju 87 or “Stuka” Dive Bomber was equipped with a siren propellor meant to add a psychological layer to an attack.

In the Doppler effect, as sound waves come closer to you, the waves compress and the pitch of the sound gets higher. For a plane designed to speed towards the ground before it released its payload, it has a devastating effect.