Harvest of Mars: History and War
Harvest of Mars seeks to uncover the essentials of war. Essentials that have been swept under the rug or forgotten by people and societies eager to rewrite history in a way that is intellectually pleasing. This podcast seeks to open your eyes to aspects of military history that, as Paul Fussell accurately noted, never got into the books because of what he called the Disneyfication of war. Here you will get authentic insights from someone who has a genuine love for the material.If you are curious and enjoy seeing things from a new perspective, this is the podcast for you! You do not even know a lot about military history. Perhaps you enjoy stories about the past but have never taken a history course and are just curious. It’s all good. I get students all the time who are new to history and they learn a ton because I nudge people toward new things they have not thought about rather than have them memorize facts. .
Harvest of Mars: History and War
The Melian Dialogue: Perennial Insights on Neutrality during a Total War
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Season 1
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Episode 5
"I asked Tom if countries always apologized when they had done wrong, and he says: 'Yes; the littles ones does.'"
- Mark Twain, Tom Sawyer Abroad , 1894
In the episode, we take a look at a classic, “The Melian Dialogue” from Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War. It is a famous exchange between powerful Athens, which is engaged in an epic struggle for dominance with its great rival Sparta, and weak Melos, which has declared its neutrality. Even though this event took place over 2500 years ago, history has shown the reasoning behind the actions have been a constant in human history and essential for understanding how and why great powers conduct wars.