The Great War was not limited to Europe. Many of the European nations involved in the war had colonial territories in Africa, and when war began in Europe, it inevitably spilled over.

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Fanfare

Opening War Theme

African Drum Jam
Recorded in Shanghai, China by RTB45 and used pursuant to a Creative Commons CC BY 3.0 license. Source.

Street Music
Traditional. Public domain.
Public domain recording. Source.

Closing War Theme

Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2016, 2017 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5. Map of Africa created by Wikimedia Commons user Sting and used pursuant to a Creative Commons CC BY-SA 3.0 license. Source.

 
The Ottoman War Minister, Ismail Enver Pasha, contrived to bring the Empire into the Great War as a German ally. This opened up interesting strategic possibilities against Britain in Egypt and Russia in the Caucasus. The Grand Mufti of Constantinople declared jihad against the Allied powers.

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Fanfare

Opening War Theme

“Leylim Ley”
Traditional. Public domain.
Performed by EKVelika. Public domain recording. Source.

Adagio in G minor
Attributed to Tomaso Albinoni, but probably composed by Remo Giazotto in 1958. Public domain.
Performed by Markus Staab and used pursuant to a Creative Commons CC BY 3.0 license. Source.

Closing War Theme

Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2016, 2017 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

Once it became clear that the Great War was not going to end in a matter of weeks, as most observers expected, Germany found itself in an unenviable position: surrounded by numerically superior enemies and stuck in an alliance with Austria, a nation whose military contribution to the war effort might charitably be described as “disappointing.”

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Transcript.

Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

Mazurka
Composed c. 1860 by Henri Wieniawski. Public domain.
Performed by Jean-Claude Féret and used pursuant to a Creative Commons CC BY-NC 3.0 license. Source.

Mazurka
Composed c. 1820 by Frédéric Chopin. Public domain.
Performed by Edward Neeman. Public domain recording. Source.

Closing War Theme

Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2016, 2017 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.