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March 4, 2025 34 mins

Hey guys, welcome back to the Why Wars Happened History Podcast, where you learn about the causes of wars and things like, why did it happen? Was it inevitable? Who was involved?

Sometimes I go back hundreds of years just so we can understand what happened in our narrative episodes covering the long course of a war and the background of the war. And if you want to talk more about war, we also have authors, historians, war generals, royalty, actors, filmmakers, a whole bunch of people come on as guests and we talk about everything about before, during, and after war. So let's go!

The Why Wars Happened History Podcast covers The American Revolution, World War I, World War II, Medieval Wars in England, The Habsburg Empire, The War in Iraq, Scottish wars, The War of the Roses, The Cuban Missile Crisis, The Cold War, The Thirty Years War, The Hundred Years War, The American Civil War, and many others.

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The Eastern Front Uncovered: Austria-Hungary’s WWI Struggles with Dr. Geoffrey Wawro

In this episode of Why Wars Happened, Emily sits down with Dr. Geoffrey Wawro, military historian and author of A Mad Catastrophe, to unravel the chaos of the Eastern Front in World War I. They discuss the stark contrasts between the Eastern and Western fronts, Austria-Hungary’s disastrous military strategy, and how internal divisions sealed the fate of the Habsburg Empire.

From the empire’s lack of preparation to its uneasy alliance with Germany, this conversation dives deep into one of WWI’s most overlooked theaters. If you're a fan of military history, strategy, or the fall of great empires, you won’t want to miss this one!

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to Why Wars Happened

00:37 Meet Dr. Geoffrey Wawro

01:37 The Eastern vs. Western Fronts: Key Differences

03:24 How Railways Shaped WWI Strategy

06:54 Nationalism and the Austro-Hungarian Empire’s Internal Conflicts

11:05 Austria’s Military Failures and Unpreparedness

22:41 Army Comparisons: Austria-Hungary vs. Russia

30:21 The Austro-German Alliance: Strengths and Struggles

33:46 Closing Thoughts & What’s Next

#HistoryPodcast #WhyWarsHappened #WWI #WorldWarI #MilitaryHistory #NickLloyd #TheWesternFront #TrenchWarfare #WarToEndAllWars #Verdun #Somme #KaiserWilhelm #Ludendorff #ChemicalWarfare #MilitaryStrategy #WWIHistory #GreatWar #history #historypodcast #historyinterview #podcast #historyinterview #WhyWarsHappen #PodcastInterview #europeanhistory #militaryhistory #austrohungarian #austriahungary #austrianhungarian

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