Few cities in the world can claim the same level of fame, of culture and possessing the level of prestige in the art world as Paris. It became known as ‘La Ville-Lumière’ or the City of Lights and it was one of the first true international cities, heavily influencing both European and world history for hundreds of years. Tyrants both ruled it and coveted it for themselves. During the early stages of the Great War, Kaiser Wilhelm II came frighteningly close to marching triumphantly through its streets, so much so that he would spend the next four years dreaming lecherously of standing atop the famous Eiffel Tower, looking down at the city below now draped in the German flag.
It would be a dream he would not realise but one he would share with a young Austrian-born corporal serving in his Army in the trenches of the Western front. In this episode, we will look at how Adolf Hitler would, nearly twenty-two years later, achieve in just a few weeks what the Kaiser failed to do in four years and turn out the city of lights. This is the story of the fall of Paris. Welcome to Wars of the World.
