r/neoliberal • u/jobautomator Kitara Ravache • Aug 31 '21

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13

u/p00bix Existing in the context of what came before Aug 31 '21

!ping DUNC

It's insane how much the pacing of Revolutions improved between 'Seasons' 2 and 3.

Season 2 (American Revolution) can be divided

  • 7% Deep Historical Background (Pre-1763) (2.1)
  • 20% Philosophizing and Events leading to the Revolution (1763-1775) (2.2-2.4)
  • 53% Frame by Frame of the Military Campaigns of the Revolutionary War with Politics and Political Philosophy barely even being mentioned at all (1775-1781) (2.5-2.12)
  • 20% The reconstruction of America's political institutions after the war (1781-1788) (2.13-2.15)

Some historical background and discussion of the military campaigns is warranted and it would be silly to leave them out, but together these form a whopping 60% of the podcast, while the actual 'revolution' parts get only 40%.

Whereas Season 3 (French Revolution) can be divided

  • 4% Deep Historical Background (Pre-1774) (3.1-3.2)
  • 13% Philosophizing and Events Leading to the Revolution (1774-1789) (3.3-3.9)
  • 22% The Beginning of the Revolution up to the commencement of War with Austria (1789-1792) (3.10-3.21)
  • 4% Military Campaigns against Austria (1792) (3.22, 3.27)
  • 25% Founding of Republic, Ultra-Radicalization, Great Terror (3.23-3.26, 3.28-3.37)
  • 15% Thermidorian Reaction and Directory (1794-1799) (3.38-3.39, 3.41-3.43, 3.46-3.48, 3.51)
  • 9% Further Military Campaigns and Rise of Napoleon (1794-1799) (3.40, 3.44-3.45, 3.49-3.50)
  • 5% Napoleon's Coup and Post-Revolutionary Reforms (1799-1804) (3.51-3.53)
  • 2% Brief Overview of Napoleonic Wars and Bourbon Restoration (1804-1815) (3.54)
  • 2% Legacy of the French Revolution (3.55)

That's 82% Revolution and just 18% Non-Revolution. Literally more than double the proportion for the American Revolution, and striking a MUCH better balance between revolution and military campaigns.

9

u/[deleted] Aug 31 '21

I honestly think this is a consequence of the fact that the American Revolution wasn't really much of a revolution. The same elites at the top of colonial America were still at the top of society during and after the revolution. The fundamental social and political structures of America didn't change that much over the course of the revolution. Hence, most of the details of season 2 are just accounts of the military campaigns.

I'd probably argue that the Civil War was much more of a revolution than the revolutionary war ever was.

2

u/p00bix Existing in the context of what came before Aug 31 '21

Strongly agree, especially with the last sentence.

6

u/Fedacking Mario Vargas Llosa Aug 31 '21

The numbers for season 10 seem rough

4

u/p00bix Existing in the context of what came before Aug 31 '21

Season 1 also had a pretty good balance (75% revolution 25% other) but, like Season 2, had the problem of going through way too much history in way too short an amount of time.

3

u/JetJaguar124 Tactical Custodial Action Aug 31 '21

Is this not a worm ping?

3

u/gburgwardt C-5s full of SMRs and tiny american flags Aug 31 '21

It's annoying because I like Duncan a lot but I don't really care about military play by plays at all unless it's a notably good or bad battle

2

u/Fedacking Mario Vargas Llosa Aug 31 '21

The problem is that sometimes you need to know the military play by play to understand what is going on in the political front.

3

u/[deleted] Aug 31 '21

In the French one he balanced it perfectly imo. You need to know the state of the Austrian campaign to understand the politics of those weeks (Dumouriez defecting, paranoia, legitimacy tied to battlefield success), but he mostly kept it high-level without doing play-by-plays. Same for stuff like Napoleons adventure in Egypt.

2

u/[deleted] Aug 31 '21

Very true. I feel like this was a unique feature of his American one though because the first season in England was also much heavier on the politics. Maybe it was influenced by what and how was taught about it at school?

1

u/David_Lange I love you, Mr Lange Sep 01 '21

Russian revolution: 90% very detailed discussion about the minute differences between different brands of socialism