A Concise History of France
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Narrated by:
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Mark Meadows
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By:
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Roger Price
About this listen
Ranging from the early Middle Ages to the present, this is one of the broadest and most up-to-date studies of French history available in English. Among its central themes are the relationships between state and society, the impact of war, competition for power, and the ways in which power has been used. Whilst taking full account of major figures such as Philip Augustus, Henri IV, Louis XIV, Napoleon and de Gaulle, it sets their activities within the broader context of changing economic and social structures and beliefs, and offers rich insights into the lives of ordinary men and women. The recording also includes a chapter on contemporary France - its society and political system as a result of globalization, rising unemployment, a failing educational system, growing social and racial tensions, corruption, the rise of the extreme right, and a widespread loss of confidence in political leaders.
Download the accompanying reference guide.©1993, 2005, 2014 Cambridge University Press (P)2019 Naxos AudiobooksListeners also enjoyed...
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The Habsburg Empire
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- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 18 hrs and 9 mins
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Rejecting fragmented histories of nations in the making, this bold revision surveys the shared institutions that bridged difference and distance to bring stability and meaning to the far-flung empire. By supporting new schools, law courts, and railroads along with scientific and artistic advances, the Habsburg monarchs sought to anchor their authority in the cultures and economies of Central Europe. A rising standard of living throughout the empire deepened the legitimacy of Habsburg rule.
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Ideal for students of empires, nationalism, minorities and ethnic groups
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The Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution
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- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 22 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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Virtually all human societies were once organized tribally, yet over time most developed new political institutions which included a central state that could keep the peace and uniform laws that applied to all citizens. Some went on to create governments that were accountable to their constituents. We take these institutions for granted, but they are absent or are unable to perform in many of today’s developing countries—with often disastrous consequences for the rest of the world.
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Few forests, but lots of trees
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Armageddon Averted
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- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 5 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Combining historical and geopolitical analysis with an absorbing narrative, Kotkin draws upon extensive research, including memoirs by dozens of insiders and senior figures, to illuminate the factors that led to the demise of Communism and the USSR. The new edition puts the collapse in the context of the global economic and political changes from the 1970s to the present day. Kotkin creates a compelling profile of post-Soviet Russia.
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insightful
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By: Stephen Kotkin
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The Birth of Classical Europe
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To an extraordinary extent we continue to live in the shadow of the classical world. At every level, from languages to calendars to political systems, we are the descendants of a “classical Europe,” using frames of reference created by ancient Mediterranean cultures. As this consistently fresh and surprising new audio book makes clear, however, this was no less true for the inhabitants of those classical civilizations themselves, whose myths, history, and buildings were an elaborate engagement with an already old and revered past - one filled with great leaders and writers....
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Excellent overview of the Classical World
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Communism [Modern Library Chronicles]
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From the acclaimed Modern Library Chronicles comes an exploration of a promising theory that when put to practice wreaked havoc on the world. An expert on communism, Richard Pipes follows the history of the Soviet Union from the 1917 revolution to the Cold War, and finally, to its deterioration and collapse.
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Interesting but lacks objectivity
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Hopes and Prospects
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An Intellectual Wind Tunnel
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The Red Flag
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In The Red Flag, Oxford professor David Priestland tells the epic story of a movement that has taken root in dozens of countries across 200 years, from its birth after the French Revolution to its ideological maturity in 19th-century Germany to its rise to dominance (and subsequent fall) in the 20th century.
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Best History of Communism I Have Seen
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Democracy Incorporated
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Sheldon Wolin considers the unthinkable: has America unwittingly morphed into a new and strange kind of political hybrid, one where economic and state powers are conjoined and virtually unbridled? Can the nation check its descent into what the author terms "inverted totalitarianism"? Wolin portrays a country where citizens are politically uninterested and submissive - and where elites are eager to keep them that way.
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Essential listening....
- By M. Levine on 02-25-11
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The Deluge
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In the depths of the Great War, with millions dead and no imaginable end to the conflict, societies around the world began to buckle. The heart of the financial system shifted from London to New York. The infinite demands for men and materiel reached into countries far from the front. The strain of the war ravaged all economic and political assumptions, bringing unheard-of changes in the social and industrial order.
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Not For The Faint of Heart
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Brazil
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Experts believe that Brazil, the world's fifth largest country and its seventh largest economy, will be one of the most important global powers by the year 2030. Yet far more attention has been paid to the other rising behemoths: Russia, India, and China. Often ignored and underappreciated, Brazil, according to renowned, award-winning journalist Michael Reid, has finally begun to live up to its potential but faces important challenges before it becomes a nation of substantial global significance.
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Good short history of Brazil, lame pronunciation
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The End of Tsarist Russia
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Overall
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World War I and the Russian Revolution together shaped the 20th century in profound ways. In The End of Tsarist Russia, acclaimed scholar Dominic Lieven connects for the first time the two events, providing both a history of the First World War's origins from a Russian perspective and an international history of why the revolution happened.
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A good book done in by bad narration.
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By: Dominic Lieven
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What listeners say about A Concise History of France
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- R. A. Jackson
- 01-01-20
My fault, I expected too much from too little.
This is probably a great book for a quick overview of the history of France, but I had expected more details in a 20 hour book. However, I would recommend it for someone new to the history of France. I should also add, that this is the only sweeping history of France I could find that was not overly dated in its scholarship.
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2 people found this helpful
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- jana kesler
- 10-17-22
History of France
This audible was difficult to follow
It was delivered in monotone interspersed with French language with no explanation or definition—maybe this title would be better read than in the audible format
There must be better audible books that do the vast and complicated history of France justice
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- Ryan Omensetter
- 05-01-19
A unique approach on French history
The author/historian did a wonderful job researching the numerous data points displayed in this book. However, that's just it, a statement of data point on populations, farming yield per region per decade, etc. This is not your traditional history book and for me, a lack of cohesion with those data points and traditional historical aspects left me, frankly, bored at times. As someone who loves learning about history of various places and people, this was not my cup of tea.
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7 people found this helpful
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- WhoAmI
- 06-03-24
Sociology rather than history
It is full of grand sociological analysis but you get no sense of historical development and it starts in the middle age.
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- brightlight
- 05-22-19
Blech
This book took the story out of history. I kept waiting for it to get better. If you liked social studies class this one is right up your alley. You’ll learn everything you never needed to know about production output. However, of what makes the French people French, you’ll learn nothing.
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6 people found this helpful