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POLL: Pick the Next Extra History Series! "Before/After the War"
🕑 Added 2020-07-23 18:01:02 +0000 UTCWar! What is it good for? Instead of examining the war time itself, we will examine what led to the war or how a country was transformed by it.
The Thirty Years War: From Religious Feuds to Nation-States
Eight million dead in the heart of Europe. To this day, the Thirty Years' war ranks as one of the most destructive conflicts in human history—on that would shape the borders of Europe and create the idea of a nation-state. But the strange thing about the Thirty Years' War is how it changed. Beginning as a local Reformation-era conflict between Catholics and Protestants, the war increasingly became a proxy struggle, until it was largely a secular contest deciding which nations would dominate Europe. This is a series that's not so much about the battles and commanders, but how the meaning of the war shifted drastically from a religious conflict to a largely secular one.
End of the Samurai: Meiji's Revolution
When Commodore Matthew Perry's fleet forced Japan to open trade with the United States, he sowed the seeds of the shogunate's destruction. With the weakness of the shogun exposed, and fury at the new influx of foreigners at its peak, a number of samurai clans began plotting to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate in favor of an Imperial restoration. With rival samurai clans turning Kyoto into a killing ground of ambushes and raids—policed by the infamous rōnin swordsmen of the shinsengumi—even the abdication of the shogun could not stop the brewing civil war. This series covers the street violence of the Meiji Restoration, Bonshin War, the Satsuma Rebellion (where samurai charged a modernized rifle line with swords), the beginning of the Imperial Japanese Army and abolition of the samurai class.
The War of 1812: The Second War of Independence
It's 1812, and Britain is laser-focused on defeating Napoleon by strangling France with a naval blockade. But that's none too popular with the young neutral nation of the United States, who consider France a major trade partner—especially after Britain begins pulling sailors off American ships and forcing them to enlist in the Royal Navy. Though largely considered a minor distraction and annoyance by the British, the War of 1812 will have profound effects on the young American nation—ranging from treatment of native people who allied with the British, to the political rise of Andrew Jackson, to the end of the partisan infighting in Congress and a decision to never, ever invade Canada again.
Aztec Empire: The Three Cities
Today, we call the empire and their people the Aztecs, but in reality, it had no such unity. Formed during a bitter civil war as an alliance between three cities—Tenochtitlan, Texcoco, and Tlacopan—the alliance was supposed to balance powers and prevent another bloody succession crisis. But this unity would not last. As the new empire became aggressively expansionist, Tenochtitlan began to rise in power above the other two cities, forcing them into subsidiary roles. Soon, the "triple alliance" was little more than an empty slogan, and the empire governed from Tenochtitlan, with the capital absorbing both the populations and the gods of the conquered. Yet this would be no ancient empire, for less than a hundred years after its formation it would face an external threat it could not stand up to—Hernán Cortés. This is a series about the formation of the Aztec Empire, and how its internal politics made it extremely vulnerable to Spanish invasion.
What series would you like us to air on Extra History? Cast your vote(s) below and let us know!
Friendly reminder: You can vote for as many choices as you want! This style of voting helps us see what people are most interested in without having to make tough decisions between a couple of close favorites. The poll will end at 11:59 PM PT on Sunday, July 26th.
Current Schedule: Diocletian --> Cleopatra --> Your vote!
Comments
Matthew Beine
If you (or any other Sabaton fans reading this) haven't seen it yet, check out the Sabaton History episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CN47IMBYesk
Bjorn de Echte
I love that the poll came so close.
Eric McNaughton
30 Years War: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvdbDw5bXnQ
His Dustyness
As a fan of Rurouni Kenshin I really want to see the Meiji Restoration.
Chris James
Wow! This is tough. These are all good topics.
William Neil Tippins
These are some extremely good topics! The Thirty Years War (and Seven Years War) are criminally understudied.
Martin Verran
It is the will of the Chickens that the Aztecs get their own well earned series. That being said would the search for Tutankhamun's Tomb make an interesting before the war/during the war/after the war series?
Nick
I have asked for 30 years war since I became a patron! Let’s do it
Lordsek
it is also great that the only victory was after the war ended.
David Chipman
As a Canadian, I find the War of 1812 (including how you've described it) very interesting.
Benjamin Fouty
Thirty Years War, a war that started by throwing Imperial emissaries out a window for the second time, ended the medieval structure of governance. It is difficult to really understand that countries didn't truly exist before the Thirty Years War, only the various cities, towns, and environs owned by monarchs and their retainers to be bought, sold, used and traded. And the war is wicked complex, I'd love to see EH try to put it into a cohesive story in five or fewer 15 minute episodes. Don't let 'em off easy with another retread of Meiji or the War of 1812!
John Jihoon Chang
I'll be glad to learn more about any of these so I'll just waste my vote entirely.
Emmanuel Flores
I say the war of 1819 because it shows how was the early US and How it was after its independence.
Conor Hogan
I vote War of 1812, but I'd definitely like to hear more about the Canadian/British side, and indigenous peoples on both.
Øyvind Wallentinsen
I voted 1812 since so many of us know so little about it.
Noel Richardson
The war is soooo bad. So bad, and I love it. Fail against a skeleton crew who manages to fight you back... then the reason they are there ends, so they leave us battered and bruised, and we call victory. It's fantastic.
Noel Richardson
The Warring States period is what brought me to you guys, so Samurai get my vote... but the war of 1812 is such a comical case of losing until the problem goes away, then claiming you won, I'd love to see how you report on it.
Lordsek
i feel like not enough people know about the 1812 war.
sam
Please tell us more about how Canada kicked America's ass
Kara
The Thirty Years War please!
BlueFanfictionInc
It is something that I think needs to be talked about more, the war that basically changed europe in ways that it wouldn't see till Napolean and set battle lines between protestants and catholics for years, or the other being France vs basically everybody!
Branden Karnell
I really want all of these...
Mitchell Brannon
Let’s have more American history. War of 1812 is my vote.
Veteran of the Mushroom Wars
War of 1812!
FiraDeviant
Going to have to go with the 30 years war because any excuse to have something about the founding of my country.
