Dr. Roy Casagranda Podcast
The Dr. Roy Casagranda Podcast is dedicated to unerasing the erased peoples of the world. Too often, history is written by the powerful, leaving entire communities, cultures, and truths out of the dominant narrative. This show seeks to tell those stories.
Through these conversations, Dr. Roy digs for the truth, weeds out misinformation, and challenges conventional wisdom. The conversations span politics, world history, philosophy, and culture, always with an eye toward justice and a deeper understanding of where we've been, where we are, and where we are heading.
This is the official podcast of Dr. Roy Casagranda and Sekhmet Liminal Productions, FZCO.
Dr. Roy Casagranda Podcast
World War II: Part 2 - Interwar Chaos
When World War I ended, the fighting didn’t. Dr. Roy traces how a defeated Germany, shattered empires, and vengeful allies created the perfect storm for World War II. From the breakup of Austria-Hungary and the birth of the Weimar Republic to the hyperinflation crisis, communist revolutions, and Mussolini’s rise to power, this lecture explores how desperation, nationalism, and fear paved the road to fascism and war.
Takeaways:
- Why the Treaty of Versailles and other postwar agreements humiliated Germany and destabilized Europe.
- The disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the messy redrawing of borders in Eastern Europe.
- How Woodrow Wilson’s principle of “self-determination” applied selectively, empowering some nations while ignoring colonized peoples.
- The birth of the League of Nations and why its failure doomed the hope of lasting peace.
- The Russian Revolution, communist uprisings in Germany and Hungary, and the global spread of ideological warfare.
- Germany’s postwar collapse: massive debt, reparations, and the infamous hyperinflation that destroyed the economy.
- How economic despair and political chaos gave rise to new movements like Italian fascism under Mussolini and eventually Hitler’s Nazi Party.
- The eerie parallels between Germany’s and Italy’s postwar struggles, and how veterans’ trauma and disillusionment fueled totalitarian politics.
Resources & References:
- Treaty of Versailles (1919) and Treaty of Saint-Germain (1919)
- League of Nations
- Russian Revolution (1917), Bolshevik and Menshevik factions
- German Weimar Republic (1918–1933)
- German hyperinflation (1921–1923)
- Mussolini’s march on Rome (1922)
- Rise of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) and Mein Kampf (1925)
- U.S. President Woodrow Wilson’s “Fourteen Points”
Beyond the podcast:
- Want to watch this lecture? Check out the full video.
- Want to support the show? Buy Dr. Roy a coffee!
