{"product_id":"book-i257","title":"Michael Portillo: On the World Wars","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpecially selected history series presented by Michael Portillo, exploring the most significant events before, during and after the First and Second World Wars\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJournalist and broadcaster Michael Portillo has always been fascinated by the past. A former politician and history graduate, he has presented several TV documentaries, including \u003ci\u003ePortillo's Empire Journey\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eGreat British Railway Journeys\u003c\/i\u003e. Now, in these fascinating radio programmes, he turns the spotlight on World War One and Two, examining the cultural, political and economic upheaval surrounding these devastating global conflicts.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e1913: The Year Before\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e sees him challenging the notion that the Great War was responsible for seismic shifts in British society. Over 10 episodes, he looks at themes including the suffrage movement, the Irish question, the decline of the liberal party and the arts, and argues that to a great extent, Britain was already in the process of transforming itself by 1913.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe 2-part series \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Great War of Words\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e finds Portillo revealing how our understanding of World War One has been distorted by historians, politicians and cultural commentators. He analyses Germany's invasion of neutral Belgium in August 1914, showing how it transformed Britain's war into a moral cause; and considers how arguments over the origins of the war and the issue of war guilt evolved into a fierce, high-stakes battle for meaning. A follow-up episode, \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Great War of Words: Peace before Annihilation?\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e, centres around the factors that prevented peace breaking out between 1914 and 1918, and the attempts that were made to achieve it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn four episodes from \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThings We Forgot to Remember\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e, he delves into the First World War and the interwar years, reflecting on the Somme and the victories of 1918, the failings and successes of the League of Nations, the 1936 Nazi Olympics in Berlin and Neville Chamberlain's notorious 1938 declaration of 'peace for our time'.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe aerial bombardment of Britain is the subject of \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Blitz\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e, in which Portillo chairs a discussion with leading historians about the strategy and legacy of Nazi Germany's decision to bomb and destroy key British cities. And in a concluding programme, \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThings We Forgot to Remember: Morgenthau Plan and post-war Germany\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e, he recalls the short-lived precursor to the Marshall Plan, which aimed to destroy German industry and turn the country into an agrarian 'pastoral' society.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eProduction credits\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on the following dates:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e1913: The Year Before\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Long Summer 10 June 2013\u003cbr\u003eWomen's Rebellion 11 June 2013\u003cbr\u003eThe Irish Question 12 June 2013\u003cbr\u003eThe Tides of War 13 June 2013\u003cbr\u003eCultural Upheaval 14 June 2013\u003cbr\u003eLabour Relations \u0026amp; the Triple Alliance 17 June 2013\u003cbr\u003ePoverty 18 June 2013\u003cbr\u003ePolitics and the Tory Gamble 19 June 2013\u003cbr\u003eThe Empire 20 June 2013\u003cbr\u003eThe Great Change 21 June 2013\u003cbr\u003eProduced by Tom Alban\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Great War of Words\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEpisode 1 4 February 2014\u003cbr\u003eEpisode 2 11 February 2014\u003cbr\u003eThe Great War of Words: Peace before Annihilation? 28 April 2015\u003cbr\u003eProduced by Mark Burman\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThings We Forgot to Remember\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFirst World War 4 December 2006\u003cbr\u003eThe League of Nations 15 December 2008\u003cbr\u003eJesse Owens and the Nazi Olympics 22 November 2010\u003cbr\u003eChamberlain and 'Peace for our Time' 1938 14 December 2009\u003cbr\u003eMorgenthau Plan and post-war Germany 4 June 2012\u003cbr\u003eProduced by Tom Alban, Joanne Cayford and Neil McCarthy\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Blitz\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e 8 September 2010\u003cbr\u003eWith Juliet Gardiner, Sir Ian Kershaw and Terry Charman\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e© 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Penguin UK","offers":[{"title":"Audiobook","offer_id":49353344483632,"sku":"BDi257","price":14.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0879\/2784\/9264\/files\/460684-i257-Square.jpg?v=1734343661","url":"https:\/\/downpour.com\/products\/book-i257","provider":"Downpour","version":"1.0","type":"link"}