Throughout the world, everywhere we are brothers.

Why then do the winds and waves rage so turbulently?

Poem composed by the Meiji Emperor.

Welcome to the history of the 20th century.

The 20th century.

Music Episode 349.

Why do the winds and waves rage so turbulently?

Last week, we were moving along very nicely with the narrative of the German

war against the Soviet Union

until early December 1941 when two important things happened.

First, the Red Army began a winter counter-offensive.

I'm going to put a pin in that story for a while and turn instead to the second major development.

Japan declared war on the United States.

To tell that story, we're going to have to turn back the clock a bit.

Ever since the German annexation of Austria,

I've been focusing on the events that led to war in Europe,

and then to the war itself.

But we have another war that's already started between Japan and China.

I've described that war to you up to the Japanese capture of the Chinese capital city, Nanjing,

and the terrible events that followed once Japanese troops marched into the city,

the Nanjing massacre.

That was four years ago, so I have four years' worth of history to get caught up to, and believe it or not, I'm going to cover it all in this one episode. Yes, I am.

...