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War, Peace, and Power: Diplomatic History of Europe, 1500-2000
- Narrated by: Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius
- Length: 18 hrs and 41 mins
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War, Peace, and Power: Diplomatic History of Europe, 1500-2000
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Summary
For much of the past five centuries, the history of the European continent has been a history of chaos, its civilization thrown into turmoil by ferocious wars or bitter religious conflicts - sometimes in combination - that have made and remade borders, created and eliminated entire nations, and left a legacy that is still influencing our world.
This 36-lecture series from an award-winning teacher and honored scholar pursues an explanation for this chaos that goes beyond the obvious ones of political ambition, religious intolerance, the pursuit of state power, or the fear of another state's aspirations. In pursuing that explanation, Professor Liulevicius offers everyone interested in the "why" of history a remarkable look into the evolution of the European continent and the modern state system. His provocative lectures allow us to peer through the revealing lens of statecraft to show us its impact on war, peace, and power and how that impact may well be felt in the future.
As you learn to examine key points on history's diplomatic timeline in the context of attempting to establish - successfully and not - a lasting idea of order in the European world, you'll begin to grasp the key Professor Liulevicius offers to understanding the dynamics of international politics. And you'll see how such key concepts as the balance of power, power itself, sovereignty, and "reason of state" - the raison d'état first enunciated by France's powerful Cardinal Richelieu - fit into those dynamics.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.
What listeners say about War, Peace, and Power: Diplomatic History of Europe, 1500-2000
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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- Charles King-Tenison
- 20-08-19
Very interesting read
Definitely worth a listen to if you have interest in European or diplomatic history. Slightly irritating American accent, but it grows on you.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- T. Young
- 22-02-16
Rigorous yet approachable
Gives a great overview of the history of Europe and it's relevance to the state of the world as it is.
It's fascinating hearing about the history of the countries and their diplomacy, seeing the borders change and nations rise and fall. These lectures give a sense of perspective to the system of diplomacy in Europe, both at the large scale of nations and at the scale of individual diplomats.
I particularly liked that the first lecture is almost completely devoted to defining terms and setting a rational starting point for the discussion of the subject matter.
Professor Liulevicius is a fantastic lecturer, always speaking clearly and concisely, while constructing the lectures in a logical way. He also adds a touch of humour at points, with anecdotes and the like, which helps give a relatable feel to these lectures.
In conclusion I would highly recommend these lectures to anyone interested in the subject matter, and would also recommend Professor Liulevicius' lectures of the first world war, which I also own.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- F.F.
- 02-03-19
Excellent
Excellent like all other audiobooks by Prof Liulevicius! Very enjoyable and informative. Despite the title, the main focus is not on wars per se, but rather on the key political and historical developments.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- sagradin
- 01-10-21
Superb
This is an excellent series of lectures, clear, highly informative and reliable, of top academic standard.
Also, unlike other Audible products, it has a comprehensive table of contents, which makes navigation easy
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Chris
- 18-11-14
Sweeping overview, but fascinating nevertheless
This lecture series covers diplomatic history from 1500 - 2000. With such a wide scale of time you know going in you won't get many of the nitty gritty details, but the prof gives a very good overview of diplomatic paradigms, and a couple of up close inspections of characters and treaties. The most interesting for me was the formation of Italy and Germany, and the decline of the Hapsburg Austrian dynasty.
Practical aspects of diplomacy are covered (such as when diplomats started living in the places they were ambassadors to) as well as diplomatic theories that help explain lots of events in terms of sweeping "balance of power" machinations. Very worth listening to, unless you already know a lot of European history, in which case it may be better to listen to something on a particular topic instead.
I wholeheartedly recommend it!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- H. M. S. Kazi
- 14-03-24
A Truly Great Course
A really and truly great course.
I finished it in just two days.
I salute to the greatness of the lecturer.
It was such an honour and a privilege to listen to this wonderful teacher.
I am going to listen to his other two courses too.
Keep up the good work, Sir!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- David
- 07-12-14
An excellent overview of European Diplomacy
I found this to be another excellent course from the Great Courses. Clearly covering 400 years means that it inevitably skims the subject matter somewhat but that is its brief so fair enough. What I found pleasing was the interesting angle that taking the diplomatic view of the period gave. Professor Liulevicius clearly explains the motivations of the states involved, especially the Great Powers and also why they came to those motives.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- EmilyK
- 10-11-19
Excellent overview of European diplomacy
This is another excellent history installment from the GreatCourses. I thoroughly enjoyed the fast-paced tour of European political history. The professor is a good lecturer, and I found he organized each installment so it stood on its own.
If you aren't familiar with European history I would start with something that covers that in general before moving on to this more advanced course.
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- Mister Peridot
- 26-07-16
Mission impossible, mission accomplished
Prof. Liulevicius is at his brilliant best in this fast paced account of European political history. If you are not at all familiar with European history you may struggle to keep up, there is so much ground to cover, notwithstanding there being all of 36 lectures here. But it should be well worth the effort. And if you have heard it all before, these lectures still make an ideal condensed refresher course, leavened by the Prof's wry style and light touch despite his seemingly all encompassing knowledge.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Henry O.
- 27-10-19
Riveting
Absolutely superb crash course in European history and the individuals who shaped it. If you’ve always been a bit rusty on various periods this is the course for you. Deserves a second listen
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1 person found this helpful