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The Thirty Years War

Episode 1 of 3

Misha Glenny relates the siege of Magdeburg of 1631, when a huge city was burnt to the ground. The events of the Thirty Years War hugely influenced later German nationalists.

" Germany as we understand it, unified and strong, only came into existence a mere 140 years ago. Before then ? Well there was Bavaria and Prussia, Saxony, Baden Wurttemberg, Pomerania, Westfalia, Schleswig Holstein .this list is extremely long. And defining where one bit ended and the next began - well, it was utterly bewildering."

Misha Glenny presents a three part history of Germany before the world wars, revealing how weak and fragmented it used to be.

The series starts with the siege of Magdeburg of 1631, when a city the size of Paris was burnt to the ground. The events of the Thirty Years War hugely influenced later German nationalists, as Swedes, French, Danish, Spanish and huge numbers of Scottish mercenaries rampaged through the area we now call Germany.
"Germany was in many ways more sinned against than sinning," concludes contributor Simon Winder.

Misha Glenny is a former 成人论坛 central European correspondent and winner of a Sony gold. The producer is Miles Warde, who collaborated with Misha Glenny on previous series about the Alps, the Habsburgs and Garibaldi.

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28 minutes

Last on

Mon 17 Aug 2015 23:30

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  • Mon 17 Oct 2011 20:00
  • Sun 15 Apr 2012 13:30
  • Mon 17 Aug 2015 23:30

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Germany in Europe

Programmes looking at the challenges facing modern Germany and providing context.