In 1915, as the Great War ground on, it became increasingly apparent that the war would be long and costly. All of the combatant nations experiences economic strains in varying degrees, which led in turn to political unrest. In the UK in particular, this took the form of declining support for the Liberal government, especially in light of repeated military failures, such as at Gallipoli. There was also a scandal over the particular question of why Britain seemed unable to supply its troops with sufficient quantities of artillery shells. These strains led to a Cabinet reshuffle and the creation of a new coalition Government of all political parties.
 
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Fanfare

Opening War Theme

Skizze
Composed in 1901 by Edward Elgar. Public domain.
Performed by Peter Bradley-Fulgoni, and used pursuant to a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-nc 3.0 license. Source.

“Dorabella” from The Enigma Variations
Composed in 1899 by Edward Elgar. Public domain.
Performed by The DuPage Symphony Orchestra, and used pursuant to a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC 3.0 license. Source.

Closing War Theme

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

 
In early 1915, the British responded to a Russian plea for help against the Ottomans by shelling the Dardanelles. In the months that followed, the War Cabinet, spurred by Winston Churchill, approved a plan to land large numbers of soldiers at Gallipoli in an effort to open a sea route to Russia and perhaps force the Ottoman Empire to quit the war.
 
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Opening War Theme

Turkish Street Music
Recorded in Istanbul by Freesound.org user xserra, and used pursuant to a Creative Commons CC BY 3.0 license. Source.

The Crown of India
Composed in 1912 by Edward Elgar. Public domain.
Performed by The United States Marine Band. Public domain recording. Source.

“Venus, the Bringer of Peace,” from The Planets
Composed in 1916 by Gustav Holst. Public domain.
Performed by The United States Air Force Heritage of America Band. Public domain recording. Source.

Closing War Theme

Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2016, 2017, 2018 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Photograph by Nedim Ardoğa used pursuant to a Creative Commons CC BY-SA 4.0 license. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

An international women’s conference prepares to meet in The Hague, in an effort to find a way to end the war through private diplomacy. At the same time, one hundred miles away, Germany uses poison gas as a weapon of war for the first time on the Western Front. (It had already been used against the Russians.)

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Fanfare

Opening War Theme

Four Pieces for Clarinet and Piano
Composed in 1913 by Alban Berg. Public domain.
Performed by Carol McGonnell, clarinet, and Steven Beck, piano, and used pursuant to a Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 license. Source.

Closing War Theme

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

 
The sinking of Lusitania demanded some kind of response from the United States government. But what?
 
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Opening War Theme

Suite No. 1, “In a Haunted Forest”
Composed in 1891 by Edward MacDowell. Public domain.
Performed by The University of Chicago Orchestra and used pursuant to a Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 license. Source.

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

 
While the British sought the decisive naval battle that would settle things once and for all, Germany devised a new form of warfare, which led to the sinking of Lusitania.
 
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Opening War Theme

Prelude from Das Rheingold
Composed in 1869 by Richard Wagner. Public domain.
Performed by The United States Marine Band. Public domain recording. Source.

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

 
Germany’s largest colonial holding in Africa was German East Africa (modern Tanzania, Rwanda, and Burundi). When the Great War began, the first British attempts to take control of the territory failed.
 
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Opening War Theme

Lacrymosa from Requiem in D Minor
Composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; arranged for piano by Franz Liszt. Public domain.
Performed by Markus Staab and used pursuant to a Creative Commons CC BY 3.0 license. Source.

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

 
The NAACP is formed. Jack Johnson becomes the first black world heavyweight boxing champion. Leo Frank, The Birth of a Nation, and the Ku Klux Klan. Our African-American History Month episode.
 
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Opening War Theme

Prélude from Carmen Suite No. 1
Composed in 1875 by Georges Bizet. Public domain.
Performed by Papalin and used pursuant to a Creative Commons CC BY 3.0 license. Source.

“Ride of the Valkyries” from Die Walküre
Composed in 1870 by Richard Wagner. Public domain.
Performed by the United States Marine Band. Public domain recording. Source.

Closing War Theme

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

 
Germany claimed Southwest Africa in 1884. This episode traces the history of that territory during German rule until its capture by South Africa in 1915.
 
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Opening War Theme

Funeral March from Siegfried
Composed in 1871 by Richard Wagner. Public domain.
Performed by the United States Marine Band. Public domain recording. Source.

Closing War Theme

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

 
By the end of 1914, the Western Front had degenerated into hundreds of miles of stalemate. Nothing like it had ever been seen before, and 1915 promised to be more of the same. Allied commanders tested new tactics in the hope of breaking the deadlock.

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Fanfare

Opening War Theme

“Jimbo’s Lullaby,” from Children’s Corner
Composed in 1908 by Claude Debussy. (Arranged for wind ensemble.)
Performed by the Riverside Wind Consort, and used pursuant to a Creative Commons CC BY-ND 3.0 license. Source.

Closing War Theme

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