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The Turkish nationalists remained defiant. With his Cabinet divided and the British public opposed to war, David Lloyd George hopes the Greeks can subdue the Turks and salvage the situation.

But the Greek offensive failed. The Greeks were ultimately driven from Anatolia in a bitter war that left hard feelings on both sides and brought down the Lloyd George government.

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The Four Lads perform “Istanbul (Not Constantinople)” in 1953:

They Might Be Giants perform “Istanbul (Not Constantinople)” in 1990, as interpreted by Tiny Toon Adventures:

Fanfare

Opening Theme

Istanbul Dawn

Closing Theme 

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As the USA, Italy, and France all lose interest in the region, Britain tries to enforce the Treaty of Sèvres on its own, turning to Greece for support.

But the political situation in Greece is unstable. Meanwhile, Turkish nationalists are receiving arms and support from Moscow.

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Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening Theme

“Semera donla m’Paschalia”
Traditional. Public domain.
Performed by Ioannes Milkas, Euangelos Gkopas, and Antonios Chalatses, and used pursuant to a Creative Commons CC BY-SA 4.0 license. Source.

“Τou Mageirou (Achtsiska)”
Traditional. Public domain.
Performed by Demitris Zedamanis, Konnos Ouroumis, Basigis Tsiokas, and Athanasios Giannikis, and used pursuant to a Creative Commons CC BY-SA 4.0 license. Source.

Closing Theme 

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Allied military units were taking up positions in the territory of the defeated Ottoman Empire. The Empire was certain to lose its Arab lands, but rumor had the Allies partitioning Turkey among themselves.

The Sultan and the government in Constantinople were Allied hostages in all but name. In the interior of the country, though, nationalists regrouped and prepared to resist Allied designs on their homeland.

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Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening Theme

Istanbul Twilight

Closing Theme 

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The British were content to recognize Hussein of Mecca as King of Hejaz, but Hussein resisted Allied plans for Palestine and the Levant.

The Emir of neighboring Najd was more flexible with the British, but had his own quarrels with Hussein, which eventually led to the Emir seizing control of Hussein’s kingdom and combining his realms into Saudi Arabia.

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Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening Theme

Damascus Dusk

Closing Theme 

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Pursuant to what they had agreed upon in the Sykes-Picot Agreement, France and Britain divided between themselves the most desirable Arab lands—the Fertile Crescent.

The Arabs of the region were not consulted and did not consent to the arrangement, although the British did make one of King Hussein’s sons the King of Iraq and the other the Emir of Transjordan, while adopting a low profile in the governance of those two nations.

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Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening Theme

“Mawwal”
Traditional. Public domain.
Performed by Ahmed Abdul Qadir al-Musili. Public domain recording.
Source.

Closing Theme 

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The European powers intended to divide up the territories of the Ottoman Empire among themselves, just as was the case with Africa.

But the peoples of those regions had their own ideas. Egypt, long ruled by Britain, fought for independence, while Afghanistan broke relations with Britain in the wake of the Amritsar Massacre and declared war.

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Steve Martin performs “King Tut” on Saturday Night Live, May 22, 1978:

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Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening Theme

“Rah Wilfy”
Traditional. Public domain.
Performed by Badria Anwar. Public domain recording. Source.

Closing Theme 

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Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Mask of Tutankhamun photographed by Roland Unger and used pursuant to a Creative Commons CC BY-SA 3.0 license. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

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During the late war, Africa had been both a source of soldiers and a theater of conflict. Yet when the war was over, European powers meant to divide up the German colonies among the victors and continue with business as usual in Africa.

Liberals hoped that the new system of mandates would mark a change from the old way of doing things, while the Communists declared Africans oppressed victims of Western capitalism.

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Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening Theme

Digya
Composed and performed by Kevin MacLeod; used by arrangement with incompetech.com.
Source.

Closing Theme 

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For 500 years, Africa was for Europeans, first, an obstacle to circumnavigate on the way to Asia, and second, a source of slaves. Europeans turned against slavery in a big way in the 19th century, just as new technology was making it possible for Europeans to explore the African interior and enforce their claims upon it.

Europeans took it upon themselves to educate and “civilize” Africans, but two generations later, Africans wanted to know when they would be permitted a say in their own affairs.

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Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening Theme

Kumasi Groove
Composed and performed by Kevin MacLeod; used by arrangement with incompetech.com.
Source.

Closing Theme 

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With the end of the Civil War, the Communists reorganize Russia into the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Lenin introduces the New Economic Policy and the leadership of the Socialist Revolutionary Party are tried and convicted of treason.

During this period, Lenin also suffered three strokes, and died in January 1924.

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Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening Theme

“The Sick Doll,” from The Children’s Album.
Composed in 1878 by Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky. Public domain.
Performed by Louis Sauter and used pursuant to a Creative Commons CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 license. Source.

Closing Theme 

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Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Photo of Lenin Mausoleum by Wikipedia user Staron used pursuant to a Creative Commons CC BY-SA 3.0 license. Source. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

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In 1919, independent nations of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia emerged for the first time since the Middle Ages, but they would be annexed by Russia after the Civil War.

Afterward, the Communist government in Moscow continued to face political opposition as it struggled to rebuild the Russian economy.

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Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening Theme

Symphony No. 5 in e minor
Composed in 1888 by Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky. Public domain.
Public domain recording. Source.

Closing Theme 

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Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.