Why Wars Happened History Podcast

Germany didn’t just “unify” — it was engineered through secret deals, ruthless power grabs, and reckless ambition that exploded into global war.

In this episode of Why Wars Happened, historian Katja Hoyer reveals how Bismarck’s strategy and Wilhelm II’s rise lit the fuse for World War I. Once you hear it, you’ll never look at Europe the same way again.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

00:58 Europe After Napoleon

01:48 The German Question

03:14 Ho...

Step into the dramatic rise and brutal fall of King Charles I, the only English monarch ever executed by his own people.

👉 In this episode of Why Wars Happened, uncover how one man’s reign spiraled into rebellion, civil war, and a shocking public beheading:

🧒 Charles’s early life & path to the throne

🕵️ The Duke of Buckingham’s dangerous influence

💍 A royal marriage that fueled religious conflict

⚔️ Failed wars & political b...

The U.S. Marines had a soldier who fought with Chinese communists before WWII — and then created America’s first Special Forces.

In this episode of Why Wars Happened, Stephen Platt uncovers the forgotten story of Evans Carlson, the man who defied military tradition, clashed with generals, and built the Marine Raiders. His ideas shaped modern warfare, but the military wanted him erased.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro

00:49 – Meet historian S...

The words you speak exist because of war. From Vikings raiding villages to Normans conquering England, battles rewrote the English language forever.

In this episode of Why Wars Happened, Dr. Colin Gorrie uncovers how Rome, the Vikings, and the Normans all left fingerprints on every sentence you speak today. Once you hear it, you’ll never look at English the same way again.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Welcome to Why Wars Happened

00:49 – Meet D...

For 300 years, Germany couldn’t escape war. Border fights, rival powers, endless battles — conflict shaped its destiny.

Oxford historian Peter Wilson joins Why Wars Happened to explain why German-speaking Europe was trapped in war after war, from the Holy Roman Empire to Prussia’s rise and Bismarck’s empire.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Introduction

00:50 – Guest: Peter Wilson

01:29 – Germany’s fragmented beginnings

05:36 – The rise and influence...

The Ottomans nearly broke Europe — but their rise wasn’t just about armies. Weather, pirates, and shocking alliances decided history.

Historian Si Sheppard joins Why Wars Happened to reveal the surprising reasons behind the Ottoman Empire’s explosive power — and why its wars looked nothing like what you learned in school.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Welcome to Why Wars Happened

00:51 – Meet Si Sheppard

01:32 – How the Ottoman Empire shaped the ...

A king killed in battle. Princes who vanished. A dynasty born in blood.

Historian Michael Jones joins Why Wars Happened to uncover the shocking truths of Bosworth 1485 — the day Richard III fell and the Tudors rose. Shakespeare twisted the story, but what really happened that changed England forever?

⏱ Timestamps

00:00 Introduction to Why Wars Happened Podcast

00:53 Introducing Today's Guest: Michael Jones

01:35 The Battle of Bosworth: ...

Forget what Hollywood told you — Spartan warriors weren’t what you think.

Historian Roel Konijnendijk (and longtime r/AskHistorians mod) joins Why Wars Happened to bust myths, expose ancient tactics, and reveal what Greek warfare really looked like — from militias to Persian deals that changed history.

⏱ Timestamps

00:00 Introduction to the Why Wars Happened Podcast

00:50 Meet Roel Konijnendijk: Expert on Classical Greek Warfare

01:30 U...

Pearl Harbor had a spy most people have never heard of.

Leon Carroll Jr. joins Why Wars Happened to uncover the forgotten story of Douglas Wada, a Japanese-American intelligence officer whose work in Hawaii helped shape the earliest days of WWII.

⏱ Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome to Why Wars Happened

00:50 – Meet Leon Carroll Jr.

01:41 – Douglas Wada: The All-American Kid

03:05 – Rise of the Office of Naval Intelligence

04:37 – Writing Ghost o...

A war that raged for over a century — and decided the fate of Europe.

Lord Jonathan Sumption, UK Supreme Court justice and historian, joins Why Wars Happened to expose the brutal politics, shocking trials, and bloody battles of the Hundred Years’ War.

⏱ Timestamps

00:00 Introduction to the Why Wars Happened History Podcast

00:50 Introducing Lord Jonathan Sumption

01:29 The Epic Journey of Writing About the 100 Years War

02:39 Challenges ...

Crusades, cathedrals, and kings who fought their way to empire.

Historian Justine Firnhaber-Baker joins Why Wars Happened to reveal how France was built through power struggles, chivalry, and wars that set the stage for centuries of European conflict.

⏱ Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome to Why Wars Happened

00:49 – Meet Justine Firnhaber-Baker

01:38 – The Capetian Dynasty’s legacy

02:39 – Personal research insights

04:16 – Medieval maps & sh...

They fought Hitler — but almost turned on each other.

Historian Tim Bouverie joins Why Wars Happened to expose the secret rivalries, betrayals, and mistrust that nearly shattered the Allied powers during WWII. Stalin, Churchill, Roosevelt — the alliance was never as solid as you were told.

⏱ Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome to Why Wars Happened

00:49 – Meet today’s guest: Tim Bouverie

01:10 – What Allies at War is all about

01:42 – Stalin, Roo...

What’s it like to command a war you can’t control?

General George Casey Jr., former Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, pulls back the curtain on the Iraq War — the decisions, the chaos, and the lessons the military didn’t want you to see.

⏱ Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome to Why Wars Happened

00:50 – Meet General George Casey

01:32 – Role & responsibilities of the U.S. Army Chief of Staff

04:50 – How the Army transformed post-9/11

09:12 – Th...

They jumped into darkness with almost no chance of survival.

Bestselling author James Donovan joins Why Wars Happened to reveal the untold story of the 82nd Airborne on D-Day — chaos, courage, and the impossible mission that made victory possible.

⏱ Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome to Why Wars Happened

01:08 – The 82nd Airborne’s D-Day mission

03:34 – Strategic importance of bridges

05:53 – Challenges & obstacles

09:55 – The chaotic night j...

A single code cracked. A single battle turned the war.

Bestselling author Martin Dugard joins Why Wars Happened to take you inside the Battle of Midway — code-breaking, naval showdowns, and the fight that changed the Pacific forever.

⏱ Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome to Why Wars Happened

00:52 – Meet Martin Dugard

01:22 – The success of the Killing series

03:47 – Writing cinematic history

06:39 – Strategic importance of Midway

10:32 – Japan’s e...

Before Braveheart, the real fight for Scotland was even bloodier.

Historian Michael Brown (University of St. Andrews) joins Why Wars Happened to uncover the shocking truth about the Wars of Independence — Wallace, Robert the Bruce, brutal battles, plagues, and the birth of the Stewart dynasty. This isn’t just legend — it’s the story of freedom, identity, and survival.

⏱ Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome to Why Wars Happened

00:48 – Meet Micha...

Weapons that didn’t exist. Myths that fueled invasion. Secrets from inside the White House.

Journalist Robert Draper (NYT, To Start a War) reveals how Bush’s team pushed America into Iraq — the intelligence failures, the power struggles, and the legacy still haunting U.S. policy.

⏱ Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome to Why Wars Happened

00:49 – Robert Draper & his access to sources

02:32 – The Gulf War’s impact on 2003

06:17 – WMDs & the...

He was in the room when the invasion was planned.

Colonel Kevin Benson takes us inside Operation Iraqi Freedom — the war games, the chaos, and why “catastrophic success” became the Army’s nightmare phrase.

⏱ Timestamps

00:00 – Introduction to Why Wars Happened

00:45 – Meet Colonel Kevin Benson

01:30 – Operation Iraqi Freedom overview

04:52 – Challenges & planning the Iraq War

08:11 – Naming operations & historical context

09:31 – C...

For one week, the world stood seconds from nuclear war.

Bestselling author Jeff Shaara joins Why Wars Happened to expose the CIA failures, backchannel deals, and hidden plots that defined the Cuban Missile Crisis — the closest we’ve ever come to the end.

⏱ Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome to Why Wars Happened

00:46 – Meet Jeff Shaara (The Shadow of War)

03:32 – The Bay of Pigs: Prelude to crisis

06:55 – The Cuban Missile Crisis begins

09:06 – C...