Hi guys, my name is Zach Twomley and you are listening to When Diplomacy Fails.

Thanks for joining us on another installment of Britain Goes to War.

First things first, I would just like to announce that, yes, I am engaged.

I am super, super happy, still in shock.

And myself and Mrs. WDF are extremely excited to spend the rest of our lives together.

So thanks for all your congratulations and well wishes and donations.

I really, really appreciate all of that.

And it's nice in a way to share this next stage in my life,

just like I've been sharing my professional life as well, because

I feel you guys are my friends in some way at least, at least insofar as that you care about what's

going on in my life, so yeah, there you go. I'm not going to keep you guys too long, but of course,

the usual reminders have to be said. When Diplomacy Fails is a member of the Agora Podcast Network,

and this month we are promoting A History of England, so go and check out David Crowther's A History of England,

if somehow you're still unaware of it. Additionally, Zach is going to Cambridge, so please

continue your support for that venture, and I'll be sure to keep you updated.

All the donations and well wishes of support and even just kind words have all been really, really appreciated so far, so please keep them coming, because part of me thinks I can't do this without you, and another part of me thinks I wouldn't have got this far if not for you. So yeah, keep your support coming because it's super appreciated. Right, so let's

get this started. I will now take you to the year, well, 1878, but roughly February or so. Thanks

for listening.

Music February or so. Thanks for listening. When Diplomacy Fails presents.

Britain goes to war.

An in-depth examination of the British Empire from the closing stages of the Victorian era to the opening phases of the First World War and beyond.

Thank you. and beyond. Section 2. Background

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