Wars That Shaped The World

The Fight For Survival

Wars That Shaped The World

Show Notes

As winter swept over the Russians in Sevastopol and their French and British besiegers huddled on the surrounding heights, the Crimean War settled into a deadly pattern – this was modern warfare, trenches, artillery and death rates as high as anything later found in the First World War. The toll was taken far beyond Crimea too – the Tsar, worn down by war, died, Britain’s Prime Minister was forced out. But the fighting went on.

Narrated by Paul Waggott Written by Robin Scott Elliot Production and Sound Design by Holy Smokes Audio Executive Producers Tony Pastor + Neil Fearn A Goalhanger Podcasts Production

Cast list:

John Brannoch Marta Da Silva Karim Kronfli Maksim Avedeev Zhenya Leverett Thomas Mitchells Gennady Alasheev John Walker

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It was early in the morning of 2 April, 1982, that the first British shots of the Falklands War were fired when a handful of outnumbered Royal Marines opened up on the invading Argentines. Hours later the Marines were lying face down on the road, surrendered and humiliated - the photograph shocked Britain and stunned her struggling Prime Minister. Margaret Thatcher and her government were unpopular and unready but their response was emphatic; the Falklands would be taken back by force… Britain was going to war. So began a conflict labelled Britain’s last colonial war, one that left an indelible mark on both Britain and Argentina, not just in terms of precious lives lost but also on the future of those that governed them.

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