History

Hello r/history! My name is Dr. Gary Girod. My dissertation was on the topic of the British and French governments developing mass domestic surveillance during World War I. My research discovered that most of this mass surveillance was directed against foreign spies (namely German) who the governments believed were everywhere and ready to sabotage the country! Turns out, they weren't; spymania was wildly overblown. However, by 1917 British and French workers, led by socialists/communists led mass strikes. This gave government surveillance organizations a whole new raison d'être: spying on 'subversive' citizens to prevent a communist revolution. I argue that these orgs and practices led to the creation of the modern surveillance state in Britain and France, with impacts beyond. My research went far beyond just WWI; in fact I even researched all the way back to 1066, so if you have any questions regarding the development of the government snooping on its people I might have the answer!

While this AMA is focused on my diss I do have other specialties. You might know me as the host of The French History Podcast. I host the main series which covers the history of France from 3 million years ago to the present in a chronological series like Mike Duncan's The History of Rome, only from the time France was a frozen tundra all the way to present day.

So, if you have any questions about mass surveillance in WWI Britain and France, or general questions on surveillance or French history I will do my best to answer. Let's go!