#alittlehistoryoftheworld No.24 We’ve made it to one of the biggest #milestones in the #history of #humanity. In 476AD the #RomanEmpire crumbled, and with it the whole of #AncientHistory ended too. A line was drawn under 3500 years of history. #Europe entered the Dark Ages. #ancientrome #ancientegypt #darkages #war #collapseofcivilisation
A new video essay from delve
100 summers ago the countries of Europe collapsed quickly into war: it was sudden but also kind of inevitable. Countless books have been written since about the causes of the Great War, but in this video essay we offer an alternative history. By tracing the story backwards in time we stumble upon a very unexpected cause and discover that sometimes the most harmless of things can have terrible consequences.
Story Design & Direction: Adam Westbrook
Animation: Adam Westbrook
Additional Photography: Brett Walsh www.brettwalshphotography.com
Archive footage from the US National Archives released in the public domain
Stock footage via Videohive and Pond5
All photographs in the public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
Satie’s Gymnopedie No. 2 performed by Kevin McLeod www.incompetech.com
Additional music and sound effects via AudioJungle
Story assistance from Caroline Vanier, Cody Delistraty and Chris Schaefer.
Here are the books I used in researching this essay.
- The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman https://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Guns-August-Bestselling-Outbreak/dp/0241968216/
- The War that Ended Peace by Margaret Macmillan https://www.amazon.co.uk/The-War-that-Ended-Peace/dp/1846682738/
- Catastrophe: Europe Goes to War 1914 by Max Hastings https://www.amazon.co.uk/Catastrophe-Europe-Goes-War-1914/dp/0007519745/
- Dreadnought: Britain, Germany and the coming of the Great War by Robert K Massie https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dreadnought-Britain-Germany-Coming-Great-ebook/dp/B00D5FOGL6
- The Last Kaiser by Giles MacDonogh https://www.amazon.co.uk/Last-Kaiser-Life-Wilhelm-II/dp/0312305575/
- The Influence of Sea Power on History 1660-1783 by Alfred T Mahan https://www.amazon.co.uk/Influence-Power-Upon-History-1660-1783
A Little History of the World No.20
We’ve reached the time of the Romans. You can divide the roman era into two distinct periods. For 500 years it was a Republic with senators and governors. Then, in the last century BCE, it became an empire: autocratic and ruthless. In this first period the republic grew from the centre of Italy to dominate most of Europe; it spent most of its time suppressing local tribes and crushing a slave revolt (the thing with Spartacus).
A Little History of the World No. 19
Right, back to the Mediterranean. With the Greek age winding down, a new society was growing from humble roots in the centre of Italy. After taking control of Italy they came up against their greatest enemy: the Carthaginians. That sparked an epic expedition in 218BCE. Hannibal would eventually lose and the Romans would dominate Europe for centuries.
Why did Europeans colonise Africa, America and Australia, and not the other way round? In his 1997 book ‘Guns, Germs and Steel’ Jared Diamond argues it’s all down to the environment…and it all comes down to one, random, arbitrary situation.
