History Undone

On this episode of History Undone, Fergus Macphee is joined by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry & Dr Klaus Schmider to discuss one of the most devastating blockades in history: the siege of Leningrad. It is less mythologised than Stalingrad, perhaps because of the catastrophic loss of life and genocidal implications. Yet the Nazis never pushed on with a full-scale invasion, deciding instead to bomb and literally try to starve out the city. If they had, would it have changed WWII? This is History Undone.

On this episode of History Undone, Fergus Macphee is joined by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and Dr Klaus Schmider to discuss a plan that Nazi Germany never went through with. At the end of 1940, Hitler faced a choice of where to head next and Admiral Raeder's thoughts were clear: head south through the Mediterranean, capture British Empire strongholds and push through to the oil fields. Yet that never happened and Barbarossa was launched in 1941. Yet what if the Germans had taken that other option? This is History Undone.

On this episode of History Undone, Fergus Macphee is joined by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry & Professor Adam Smith to discuss the decision by Britain and France not to officially enter the American Civil War. Both European nations had commercial and diplomatic interests within the Confederacy and their neutrality was not guaranteed. So after the Trent Affair in 1861, how close did the British Empire come to fighting against the Union? This is History Undone.

On this episode of History Undone, our new host Fergus Macphee is joined by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and Dr Siavush Randjbar-Daemi to discuss one of the most important moments in the history of the Middle East which still has lasting ramifications today: the Iranian Revolution of 1979. The monarchy had ruled Iran for over two and half thousand years, but from the end of the 19th century Britain had the interests of its empire locked on the country. A coup d'etat orchestrated by MI6 and the CIA in 1953 saw Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh ousted and the Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi given absolute power. His 'white revolution, boom and economic bust followed, leaving the perfect situation for revolution and the return of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini from exile. An Islamic Republic was born, the effects of which we still feel today. So what if the revolution had never happened? This is History Undone.

On this edition of History Undone, Fergus Macphee is joined by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry to discuss China's Civil War and the rise of the Chinese Communist Party. The scale and the figures involved in the post WWII phase of the conflict were truly staggering, yet as time wore on it was clear the tide had turned against the nationalist KMT. Yet if the world had not witnessed Mao Zedong's rise, where would we be without the cultural revolution and the great leap forward? Were these events truly inevitable? This is History Undone.

On this episode of History Undone, Fergus Macphee is joined by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and Dr Michael Rowe to discuss one of Napoleon's greatest defeats at the Battle of Leipzig. It was the largest Europe had ever seen until the First World War, ended Napoleon's campaign to the East of the Rhine and saw him exiled to Elba. Yet if he had won that day, the team discover the consequences may have been far reaching and unexpected. This is History Undone.

On this episode of History Undone, Darryl Morris is joined by channel favourites Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and Jonathan Parshall to discuss the 'Kantokuen', or in other words, the drawn up Japanese plan to invade Siberia. Of course, this was never enacted, and in 1941 Japan pushed South and attacked Pearl Harbor. Yet what if they had pushed North instead? Would they have had the resources, and where would that have left them? This is History Undone.

On this edition of History Undone, Darryl Morris is joined by Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry and Professor Sergey Radchenko to discuss the Cuban missile crisis of 1962 and one of its most mythologised moments. On the 27th of October, also known as 'Black Saturday' Vasily Arkhipov did not consent to firing a torpedo with the capabilities of the Hiroshima bomb, from Soviet sub B-59. Yet how consequential really was this story and could the Cuban missile crisis gone hot? This is History Undone.

On this episodes of History Undone, Darryl Morris, Rear Admiral Dr Chris Parry & Drachinifel discuss one of the most important moments of naval warfare: The Battle of Tsushima. The encounter that effectively ended the Russo-Japanese war of 1904-1905, it was a catastrophic defeat for Russia and Tsar Nicholas II. Victory saw a changing of the guard on the seas in the Far East, meaning Japan was now the dominant naval power - the ripples of that of course, lingered long after the beginning of the 20th century. This is History Undone.