POLL: Pick the Next Extra History Series! "Before/After the War" (Patreon)

War! What is it good for? Instead of examining the war time itself, we will examine what led to the war or how a country was transformed by it.

The Thirty Years War: From Religious Feuds to Nation-States

Eight million dead in the heart of Europe. To this day, the Thirty Years' war ranks as one of the most destructive conflicts in human history—on that would shape the borders of Europe and create the idea of a nation-state. But the strange thing about the Thirty Years' War is how it changed. Beginning as a local Reformation-era conflict between Catholics and Protestants, the war increasingly became a proxy struggle, until it was largely a secular contest deciding which nations would dominate Europe. This is a series that's not so much about the battles and commanders, but how the meaning of the war shifted drastically from a religious conflict to a largely secular one.

End of the Samurai: Meiji's Revolution

When Commodore Matthew Perry's fleet forced Japan to open trade with the United States, he sowed the seeds of the shogunate's destruction. With the weakness of the shogun exposed, and fury at the new influx of foreigners at its peak, a number of samurai clans began plotting to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate in favor of an Imperial restoration. With rival samurai clans turning Kyoto into a killing ground of ambushes and raids—policed by the infamous rōnin swordsmen of the shinsengumi—even the abdication of the shogun could not stop the brewing civil war. This series covers the street violence of the Meiji Restoration, Bonshin War, the Satsuma Rebellion (where samurai charged a modernized rifle line with swords), the beginning of the Imperial Japanese Army and abolition of the samurai class.

The War of 1812: The Second War of Independence

It's 1812, and Britain is laser-focused on defeating Napoleon by strangling France with a naval blockade. But that's none too popular with the young neutral nation of the United States, who consider France a major trade partner—especially after Britain begins pulling sailors off American ships and forcing them to enlist in the Royal Navy. Though largely considered a minor distraction and annoyance by the British, the War of 1812 will have profound effects on the young American nation—ranging from treatment of native people who allied with the British, to the political rise of Andrew Jackson, to the end of the partisan infighting in Congress and a decision to never, ever invade Canada again.

Aztec Empire: The Three Cities

Today, we call the empire and their people the Aztecs, but in reality, it had no such unity. Formed during a bitter civil war as an alliance between three cities—Tenochtitlan, Texcoco, and Tlacopan—the alliance was supposed to balance powers and prevent another bloody succession crisis. But this unity would not last. As the new empire became aggressively expansionist, Tenochtitlan began to rise in power above the other two cities, forcing them into subsidiary roles. Soon, the "triple alliance" was little more than an empty slogan, and the empire governed from Tenochtitlan, with the capital absorbing both the populations and the gods of the conquered. Yet this would be no ancient empire, for less than a hundred years after its formation it would face an external threat it could not stand up to—Hernán Cortés. This is a series about the formation of the Aztec Empire, and how its internal politics made it extremely vulnerable to Spanish invasion.

What series would you like us to air on Extra History? Cast your vote(s) below and let us know! 

Friendly reminder: You can vote for as many choices as you want! This style of voting helps us see what people are most interested in without having to make tough decisions between a couple of close favorites. The poll will end at 11:59 PM PT on Sunday, July 26th.

Current Schedule:  Diocletian --> Cleopatra --> Your vote!