Masters of War: History's Greatest Strategic Thinkers
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Masters of War: History's Greatest Strategic Thinkers
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Narrated by:
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Andrew R. Wilson
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Written by:
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The Great Courses
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Andrew R. Wilson
About this listen
From Napoleon's revolutionary campaigns to the way insurgency, terrorism, and nuclear weaponry have defined the nature of warfare in the 21st century, the results of military strategy have changed the course of history. These 24 thought-provoking lectures give you an inside look at both the content and historical context of the world's greatest war strategists.
From the triremes and hoplites of ancient Greece to the Special Forces in 21st-century Afghanistan, strategy is the process by which political objectives are translated into military action - using the means at a nation's disposal to compel an enemy to bend to its political will.
In this concise and rigorous survey, Professor Wilson introduces: Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War; Sun Tzu's famous The Art of War; Machiavelli's strategy for a republic with a citizen-army; Jomini, Clausewitz, and the Napoleonic revolution in warfare; the development of naval strategy and the rise of airpower; Mao Tse-tung, David Galula, and Roger Trinquier's reflections on insurgency and counterinsurgency and their influence on the U.S. Army's Field Manual 3-24; Just-war theory, from Thucydides' Melian Dialogue to Operation Iraqi Freedom; nuclear war, terrorism, and other strategic challenges for the 21st century.
You'll come away from this course with new insight that will allow you to take an informed, active interest in political and military debates - which ultimately will determine the course of our nation.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this course are those of the professor and do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2012 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2012 The Great CoursesWhat listeners say about Masters of War: History's Greatest Strategic Thinkers
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
- kelly
- 2019-09-20
A masterful collection of strategic thinking
This series was a gem to find and I couldn't be enjoying it more. It covers the Peloponnesian Wars, Europeans revolutions and even lectures regarding the strategies enemies and allies took during WWII. Easily engageable, this series will make you want to listen through chapter after chapter.
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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
- Richard Wang
- 2019-03-25
Very insightful
You can physically feel the iq points enter your brain when listening to this. You may need a basic understanding of history to appreciate though.
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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
- Anonymous User
- 2019-12-25
Amazing piece of work
Content is well prepared, clearly articulated and amazingly narrated by the author. Best lecture I’ve ever listened to.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Noah L.
- 2019-05-13
Couldn't manage more than an hour
I can't put my finger on why I really, really disliked this lecture and its presenter. Maybe because he reveres the figures of the past to an insufferable extent and doesn't present them as neutral figures with context like a proper historian; maybe because he treats relatively simple concepts as grand ones needing to be extensively introduced (while still glossing over or not mentioning important details of the societies these generals lived in); maybe because he's just too animated and enthusiastic that he feels he needs to verbally worship men since his audience MUST be too simple to draw conclusions if he just presents the evidence.
I was hoping for a book covering historical battles and wars, and how the societies, tactics and technologies of the leaders influenced them. Instead I got an oversimplified, fawning biography, sent in an email blast from Thucydides' press agent. Not recommended.
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