Exploring Central European History: A Wirth Institute Podcast with Joseph F. Patrouch Wirth Institute

Starting in the 1890’s, countries around the world, including Spain, the US, and the British Empire, began a policy of interning populations considered potentially dangerous. Professor Patrouch outlines this context before concentrating on the internment camp system set up in Canada during the First World War in which thousands of men (and some women and children) from Austria-Hungary were incarcerated.

When thinking about Austria, many people in North America almost automatically think of the movie and musical “The Sound of Music”. In this presentation, Professor Patrouch introduces the source for these cultural productions. He then concentrates on the military career of “the Captain”, the life of his first wife and the family’s history before Maria.

Many people have heard the phrase “Let others wage war: thou, happy Austria, marry” in reference to the Habsburgs’ diplomatic undertakings. In this talk, Professor Patrouch outlines the roles women played in the histories of the dynasty, with particular emphasis on the Habsburg women, like the (in)famous Marie Antoinette, who left to represent their family’s interests abroad.

Recently, the study of the various world’s fairs held around the globe starting in London in 1851 have attracted scholars’ attention. Professor Patrouch takes listeners on a virtual tour of the international exhibition held in Vienna in 1873, placing it in the context of an empire recently defeated in war and trying to regain some type of position on the world stage.

For decades historians have been accumulating data showing a marked cooling of the European climate in the later Medieval and Early Modern periods. Using three case studies from the sixteenth century, Professor Patrouch discusses how this climate change affected the societies, economies and politics.

The Wirth Institute is pleased to present a special six-part original podcast series hosted by Wirth Institute Director, Joseph F. Patrouch - a Professor in the Department of History & Classics at the University of Alberta!

"Exploring Central European History" will take you from the plague-ravaged lands of Central Europe during the Black Death to the 1873 World's Fair in Vienna -- all from the comfort of your favourite cozy chair.

In this introductory talk, Professor Patrouch traces the early history of the Habsburg Dynasty, one of Europe’s most important ruling families. He ties this history to the “calamitous” fourteenth century, when plagues, famines and other disruptions changed European society dramatically and established some of the preconditions for the surprising growth in power and prestige of the Habsburgs.

Click here for more:
https://www.ualberta.ca/wirth-institute/online-programming/lectures-and-podcasts/exploring-central-european-history/index.html