About this episode

The episode explores the reasons behind the duration and unexpected conclusion of World War I, with insights from Professor David Stevenson.

Today the thing we find mysterious is why WWI lasted as long as it did. Why continue a pointless slaughter. Comparisions with the war in Ukraine suggest an answer! My guess is is Professor David Stevenson and for him the mystery is not why it lasted so long but why it ended when it did. For the German public is was particularly mysterious. Just a few months before the Armistice Germany was all conquering. Russia had been driven out of the war on terms hugely favourable to Germany. And in the ...

People in this episode

Host: Russell Hogg

Guest: Professor David Stevenson

Topics covered

• World War I
• historical analysis
• military strategy
• Germany
• Ukraine

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Germany, Russia

More episodes of Subject to Change

• The Return of the Emperor (Justinian II - part 2) · April 27, 2026 · 1h 3m
• Mutilated and exiled (the Emperor Justinian II - part 1) · April 20, 2026 · 47 min
• Buckingham: the most hated man in England · March 31, 2026 · 1h 18m
• YEAR ZERO: Jonathan Clements on the First Emperor of China · March 10, 2026 · 1h 20m
• The Big Hop of 1919 · February 17, 2026 · 1h 16m
• Martin Luther, serfdom and the German Peasants’ War · January 26, 2026 · 1h 5m

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Subject to Change podcast page.