Interested in a History of the Twentieth Century tour? Take our survey! Let us know that you’re interested, and give us suggestions on what kind of tour you’d like to be a part of.
The survey ends June 5, so make sure to fill out the form before then. The survey is only for the purpose of gauging interest, and filling out a survey form will not commit you to anything.
UPDATE: The survey has been extended to June 12.
UPDATE 2: The survey is over. Thanks to everyone who participated. It appears likely there will be a trip, and it will be to Belgium, but we’re still working out the details. I’ll let you all know after everything is decided.
Belgium would a good first choice. Others places of note in the 20th century would be France a a tour of the WW1 and WW2 sites. Germany/Italy if we wanted to focus on fascism. Sadly no going to Russia because Russia was a big actor in the 20th century. China/India would be outliers because traveling to anywhere in far east is a challenge. But a lot went on in the Far East, through out the 20th century. Africa could be interesting, but there are so many places to see and they are so far apart. But maybe save that for the “History of Africa” podcast (wink, wink)
I think no city has been through more in the 20th century than Berlin. From the raucus debates by the social democrats in the early years of the century, through starvation conditions in WW1, the German Revolution, the chaos of the Weimar years, Hitler’s plans to turn it into Germania, the Battle of Berlin, the airlift, the standoffs between the US and Soviet Union, the wall going up, and the wall coming down. A pretty complete history of the 20th century could be told from the perspective of Berlin.
True enough. You’ve made me reflect on that. There are capital cities that endured greater or lesser stresses in our century; deposition (Athens), siege (Leningrad/St. Petersburg), crushed insurgency (Budapest), civil riot (Paris), totalitarian despotism (Tirane), bloody revolution (Bucharest), ethnic killing (Sarajevo), social/cultural schism (Brussels). I’m from Britain; we don’t do that here. Berlin. What that city – or, rather, its people – had to endure is mindboggling. Alas the lovely architecture that speaks of the accumulated past, as in any city, has been so comprehensively destroyed by war and later hideous concrete/steel/glass that its not the bouquet for the eye that it should be.
Having visited the rubble of West and East Berlin shortly before and after the war went up and also having been close friends with a German girl who was a 6 year old, with two teenage sisters, when the Russians “freed” the city In 1945 and having heard their remembrances, I believe any 20th century history tour must include that city,
“wall”, not “war” (a Freudian slip?)