Espionage and Covert Operations: A Global History
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Espionage and Covert Operations: A Global History
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Narrated by:
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Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius
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Written by:
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Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius
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The Great Courses
About this listen
Step into the real world of the spy with this detailed and unforgettable tour of the millennia-long history and enduring legacy of espionage and covert operations. While most of us associate this top-secret subject with popular fiction and film, its true story is more fascinating, surprising, and important than you could possibly imagine.
These 24 thrilling lectures survey how world powers have attempted to work in the shadows to gain secret information or subvert enemies behind the scenes. Filled with stories and insights that will change the way you think about world history's most defining events, this course lets you peer inside a subject whose truths most people are unaware of.
Professor Liulevicius introduces you to the inner workings of covert organizations, including the Oprichnina, a feared secret service established by tsar Ivan the Terrible in the 1500s in an effort to cleanse Russia of treasonous activities; the CIA, established in 1947 by President Truman to replace the Office of Secret Services to be in charge of all intelligence collection – and which had an embarrassing early history; and Mossad, Israel's version of the CIA, which won a series of key intelligence victories during the cold war and over terror attacks and hostage crises in the second half of the 20th century.
You'll also meet famous – and infamous – spies, including Sir Francis Walsingham, Mata Hari, and Kim Philby. In this stirring series of lectures, you'll study the psychological motives behind spies, the ethics of cyber warfare and corporate espionage, the question of whether we now live in a surveillance society, and more.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2011 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2011 The Great CoursesWhat listeners say about Espionage and Covert Operations: A Global History
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Catherine Cecile Seminoff
- 2023-06-14
Truth is stranger than fiction
I really enjoyed this podcast! Love the history, characters, flow of timelines and very well narrated.
Listening to again!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- K. V. Horst
- 2021-03-12
factual and fascinating!
Loads of detail with common themes to bring it all together. the professor knows his stuff. if you have an interest in anything espionage at any point in history you can't find a better place to learn and enjoy.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- David LaPointe
- 2023-09-17
Another surprisingly good Great Courses book
It has very good narration and interesting content. Touches on both a historical perspective as well as various topic areas. Fascinating.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Brenda
- 2020-09-22
Fascinating
Enjoyed the challenge of scope of the material. Loved the spy personàs so interestingly portrayed. Thank you for captivating me while I am quilting!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kelly
- 2020-08-16
Amazing
I like the style of teaching, i was able to follow the lectures almost nonstop. I could not put the audiobook down!
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Diana M
- 2018-09-09
Pretty sketchy
This was moderately interesting, but tried to cover way too much in the time available, especially the early lectures on espionage in the ancient world. Those in particular moved so quickly through the events that it was like trying to read billboards from a moving train. Didn't get much out of it. The rest was a bit better, but still pretty superficial. I liked the final lecture the best, when the lecturer gave some time to questions of the relationship between espionage and democracy, and encouraged the listener to consider their own position on these points. Unfortunately, I did not feel the lecture series gave me as much insight as I should have liked in order to do this.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Jimmy
- 2020-08-30
90% accurate
I find it ironic that he spreads a false narrative about Lenin and the USSR in the same episode in which he talks about "disinformation". Irony doesn't come close.
Overall it's very interesting and enjoyable, I Gave it 3 stars for the poor study and presentation of the Russian Revolution.
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