S4 E16 1914: Sleepwalking into Catastrophe – Are We Making the Same Mistakes Today?

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The summer of 1914 was dazzling. Electric lights blazed in great cities, ocean liners crossed the Atlantic in record time, and the world was bound together by telegraph wires and trade. Politicians, scholars, and ordinary people alike told themselves the same comforting story: war was impossible in a modern, interconnected age. And then, with the crack of a gunshot in Sarajevo, that illusion shattered—and the world plunged into the bloodiest conflict humanity had ever seen.

In this episode of The Dark History Podcast, Rob takes you into that fragile moment before the fall: a Europe brimming with confidence but trembling on hidden fault lines of nationalism, empire, and pride. You’ll hear how Germany’s restless ambition collided with Britain’s naval supremacy, how France dreamed of revenge, how Russia and Austria-Hungary tangled in the Balkans, and how a single assassination lit the fuse of catastrophe.

But this is not just a story about the past. It’s a warning. As Rob draws eerie parallels to our own time—rising powers, arms races, fragile alliances, and volatile flashpoints—the question becomes impossible to ignore: are we, too, sleepwalking toward disaster? Or can the lessons of 1914 open our eyes before it’s too late?

With immersive storytelling and unsettling echoes across a century, this episode isn’t just about history—it’s about the fragile present we’re living in right now.

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Step into the shadows of the past—where truth is more disturbing than fiction. The Dark History Podcast drags the forgotten, the forbidden, and the downright horrifying stories of our world into the light. From blood-soaked streets of Victorian London to the twisted minds of history’s most ruthless figures, every episode plunges you into an immersive narrative built on meticulous research and haunting detail.

Hosted by Rob Bradley, Dark History doesn’t just tell stories—it makes you feel them. Each episode unravels real events that shaped our world in ways you were never taught, told through vivid storytelling that grips you from the first word to the last breath.

History isn’t always written by the victors. Sometimes, it’s whispered from the gallows, buried beneath ruins, or etched in blood.

If you crave the truth behind the horror, and the stories history tried to forget—welcome to The Dark History Podcast.

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