The rise of right-wing leagues in France in the mid-1920s was fueled by the veterans mystique, which was a near worship of the front generation. Despite most veterans not joining the leagues, the idea that their sacrifices were betrayed by leftist leaders became a popular right-wing rallying cry.
This episode discusses how Germany's involvement in World War One led to a rise in racism and how the country was primarily guilty of wanting to do what France and Germany had been doing for two or three centuries.
The Three Percenters is a militia group made up of veterans who stand ready to defend free speech and the country's constitution. Despite receiving contempt from fascists, they face many problems, including infiltration by right-wing extremists.
The story of how soldiers from India, Africa, and the Middle East were brought in to fight on the Western front during World War I is not often discussed. France lost as many soldiers in the war as the US has lost in all of its wars combined.
Reinhardt's early years in the Navy involved assassinations of politicians by right-wing extremists, but despite being in close proximity with a right-wing terrorist who assassinated a government minister, Reinhardt showed no interest in the case.
Sir Basil Zaharoff tries to convince the French not to blow up a location that would allow them to win the war and make Germany's efforts impossible, by using a friendship he had with Robert Pinot, one of the leaders of the French government's armaments effort. Later, he grudgingly receives a recommendation for a grand knight cross from King George V, which finally enables him to style himself as Sir Basil for the first time in his life.