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War and World History

Written by: Jonathan P. Roth, The Great Courses
Narrated by: Jonathan P. Roth
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Publisher's Summary

This fresh and challenging inquiry into human societies takes a deep look at the effects and roles of war. As the most complex of all human endeavors, warfare - from ancient to modern - has spurred the growth of essential new technologies; demanded the adoption of complex economic systems; shaped the ideology and culture of nations; promoted developments in art and literature; and spread faith across the globe.

Over the course of 48 highly provocative lectures, Professor Roth explores armed conflict across five continents. Far from a traditional approach to military events, this panoramic series is not the history of battles or military campaigns, but the story of the intimate interconnections of war with human cultures and societies and how these connections have shaped history.

You'll study the complex effects of culture, economics, politics, and religion on war - and war's influences on them. In this context, you chart the colorful history of the practice and methodology of warfare. Among many other things, you'll learn about

  • the development and evolution of history-making military weapons such as bows, horses, swords, and gunpowder;
  • the interface of warfare with religion, which has bred some of the most unusual and poignant conflicts in history;
  • the 17th-century European nation-state, where militaries were "nationalized" into central governments and military service was imbued with ideology of citizenship and loyalty to state;
  • the crucial military underpinnings of nationalism, Communism, Fascism, and other political movements from the modern era.

Probe these pivotal and revealing features of history and deepen your understanding of our extraordinary, evolving world.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2009 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2009 The Great Courses
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Great until the US exists

Great until the US part of history. Skips over the the less than stellar parts of US history. e.g. the monumental defeat of the US in 1812 is never mentioned. The covert operations in Iran and Iraq are never mentioned. The war crimes in Vietnam are never mentioned.

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A thoroughly biased traipse through history

the information you can glean from this man is there, if you can see past the highly anti-western bent it all has to it. He will speak of something "imperialists" or "Christians" did as terrible and unspeakable, then go on to fill his voice with honey while talking about a people who did the same things or worse to the first ones.
I don't mind facts, they are true or false, but the man is ecstatic almost when saying the western types did a bad thing.

As far as performance his voice follows the same pattern the whole time which can get annoying. I'm pretty sure he is a prof.

I made it through 34 of 47 lectures and am not sure if I can continue to listen to his glee at teaching what he most likely perceives as "the real story" while he refuses to acknowledge that there were humans involved, on all sides, and that there are reasons that people think are good for doing what they did, again on all sides. I would prefer more even keeled information, not opinion.

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Steeped in Liberal Ideology

Decent until discussion of modern ideology is brought up. The tired old horseshoe theory (the far left and the far right are two sides of the same totalitarian coin) of politics is regurgitated. I’m reality a fishhook theory is much more accurate (the centrists aka liberals are far closer to the far right).

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