A feller by the name of Indy Neidell has been producing an excellent series of brief Youtube videos on every aspect of The First World War, marking the centennial of that watershed event. The Great War — The Online Video Series is a simply fantastic effort. The segments do an admirable job of making extremely complex events clear and understandable. The breadth of research is impressive, as is the enthusiasm for the era.
The most recent entry is a 10-minute primer on Mexico’s tangential but critical role in the Great War. Talk about complex. I’ve tried to encapsulate the Mexican Revolution for people who know nothing about it (virtually everybody) and I can attest that it is no easy feat. Twists, turns, shifting alliances, a rogues gallery of players… the only constant thread that you can grab onto is extreme violence. Basically, everybody dies.
So I’m deeply impressed with Indiana Neidell’s ability to give a cogent overview and explain the impact of the Villa Raid and the Zimmerman Telegram, both of which influenced the outcome of The Great War through their impact on American involvement.
Give it a viewing – and check out some of the other entries as well.
Matthew says
So does the Kickstarter happen tomorrow?
JimC says
Yep. I’ll post on it here — first thing in the morning (Pacific time).
Keith West says
This looks like a fascinating series of videos. I’ll have to check it out.
JimC says
Pretty impressive.
Fletcher Vredenburgh says
I did not know about Indy Neidell’s videos. Thanks for hipping us to them. I need to start watching them.
Just the other day, I pulled Vol.1: Porfirians, Liberals, and Peasants of Alan Knight’s history of the Mexican Rev off the shelf.
JimC says
Knight is still the top dog. There’s a LOT of Great War to watch.