The History of the Twentieth Century

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339 The Enigma Machine Sep 24, 2023

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The British had been hugely successful at breaking German codes in the First World War. The Germans were determined not to let that happen again. This time they had Enigma, a code machine that produced messages that could not be decrypted. Or so the Germans believed.

338 The Battle of the Atlantic Sep 17, 2023

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The navy Germany had at the outbreak of the Second World War was only a small fraction of what the Allies had arrayed against it. But the Fall of France and the entry of Italy into the war changed things dramatically and created opportunities at sea that Germany had never had in the last war.

337 The Tizard Mission Sep 10, 2023

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In 1940, the British government was in the frustrating position of funding research on a number of promising projects that would be valuable to the war effort, but with the Battle of Britain in full swing, British factories had to turn out fighter planes as fast as they could. There was no room for development of experimental new technologies, so the British turned to the United States

336 Όχι Sep 03, 2023

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Italy's invasion of Greece was disastrous. With the British also advancing in North Africa, and a surprise air attack disabling three Italian battleships, it was no longer possible to pretend that Italy was a equal of Germany.

335 Pay Him in His Own Coin Aug 20, 2023

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Benito Mussolini wanted to prove that Italy was an equal partner with Germany in the Axis alliance, so he began a war with Greece.

334 Stalemate Aug 13, 2023

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Germany found that it could not defeat the British on their home island; the UK was unable to fight the Germans in Europe. So what next?

333 The Hand That Held the Dagger Aug 06, 2023

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When France collapsed, Roosevelt redoubled his effort to aid Britain. But there was also a Presidential election to think about; Roosevelt won an unprecedented third term.

332 God Help Us All Jul 30, 2023

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America was preoccupied with domestic issues during the run-up to the war. When the war came, the Roosevelt Administration looked for ways to aid the Allies despite the limitations of the Neutrality Act.

331 Caped Crusaders Jul 16, 2023

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More on various genres of pulp fiction, and how they led to the development of comic books.

330 Amazing Stories Jul 09, 2023

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Pulp fiction was an important form of entertainment in the twentieth century, peaking in popularity around 1940. Pulp fiction came in a variety of genres and was the birthplace for a new one: science fiction.

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