France left World War I victorious and was reputed as having the greatest military in the world. Nevertheless, the war cost France an entire generation of manpower, a landscape riddled in destruction and diminished industrial capacity vis-a-vis Germany. Having sustained two invasions by German forces in recent memory, France knew that it wouldn't be long before the Germans would try again - leading France to begin construction of the Maginot Line in 1928. As reactionary and antisemitic politics gained an unwavering momentum during the 1930s, the victory of France's left-wing Popular Front and formation of a Léon Blum's government offered hope to the working masses and a veritable alternative to Adolf Hitler. Still, the the leftist government faced an uphill battle owing to the chronic neglect of France's armed forces by previous governments, the superior state of German industry, political instability at home and an industrial class that would put their own interests ahead of the French Republic.

We want to thank our guest Sam for bringing us this amazing series. We encourage our listeners to check out his substack for his latest analysis on international affairs: turnbaugh.substack.com

Stay tuned for Part 2.

Stay tuned for our upcoming series on the Fall of France, where our first-ever guest Sam will be walking us through the interwar period through the installation of a Nazi puppet-state - Part 1 drops Monday!

What does the upcoming election mean for Europe? What is it like to vote from abroad in blue states where elections are uncontested and the presidential outcome predetermined? What is the Orphans' Court? Why is the Harris campaign not talking enough about abortion rights? Why has the Biden administration allowed the Republicans to dominate the courts and overturn Roe v. Wade with impunity? What do Donald Trump and Benyamin Netanyahou have in common? Why is Elon Musk building a data center to train an AI-model named "grok" while the company is just days away from receivership? Why do older generations of progressives not see the writing on the wall despite having lived through Clinton, Bush, Obama, Trump and Biden? We answer some of these questions to varying degrees with our guest Sam on this more casual episode of the Royal Palace Podcast.

Europeans enjoy a faster, cheaper and more private internet compared to their American counterparts. We talk about how the French were buying train tickets and streaming video through Minitel in the 1980s, how EU managed privatization has created a competitive (if imperfect) telecommunications market, and how in recent years the EU has started to take on privacy, "gatekeepers" and artificial intelligence.

Following the relative victory of France's left-wing coalition in summer's snap elections, President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron nominates Michel Barnier as Prime Minister. From the right-wing "Republicans" party, Barnier is expected to pursue far-right wing policies on immigration in collaboration with the National Rally, while accelerating the usual policies of economic liberalism.

Decided by the Tribunal of Conflicts in 1921, the Eloka Ferry case is a story of French colonial rule in West Africa and the important distinction between judicial and administrative jurisdiction in French law.

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was arrested in France at the end of August in connection with an investigation into the social media platform's failure to cooperate with French authorities and categorical refusal to follow the law of the countries in which it operates.

French workers spend nearly 400 hours less per year behind their desks or on the factory floor. The reason? A 35-hour work week and five weeks of vacation per year enshrined in law. The result is a thriving tradition of summer vacations and high economic output per work hour - it's also the reason you haven't heard from us in over a month.

In response to Opening Arguments, the hosts solve a Multi State Bar Exam question involving trespass, aggressive fish and tortious liability from the perspective of French Law.

In this second episode, we introduce listeners to French Law. We begin with a discussion of legal traditions and the differences between Civil Law and Common Law. Then we talk about the impact European and International law have on France's legal system. Finally, we outline the structure and functioning of France's judicial and administrative jurisdictions.

On this second Election Special of the Royal Palace Podcast, the hosts discuss the second-round of France's snap elections as they happen. If it's clear who won and who lost politically, it's less clear who will govern the nation.

Detailed show notes can be found on our wiki.