
Interpreting the 20th Century: The Struggle Over Democracy
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Narrated by:
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Pamela Radcliff
About this listen
Consider the intense and rapid changes that transformed the political, social, and economic struggles of the world during the 20th century: the first flight and space flight, the Manhattan Project and the welfare state, Nietzsche and Freud, the Great Depression and inflation, moving pictures and home computers, the Cold War and terrorism - and war and peace.
These 48 comprehensive lectures examine this extraordinary history and provide a multidisciplinary understanding of how the modern world came to be and how democracy has emerged as a political ideal, although the parameters of a truly democratic world order are still being vigorously contested. You'll see how the 20th century can be read as a history of ideas, and how those ideas both influenced events and were in turn influenced by them to shape today's world.
Professor Radcliff not only distills political and economic trends from a century of world history, but she explains them with clarity, drawing on other disciplines as necessary to make key points come alive. She defines the perspective of this course as including what she calls the "Enlightenment Project" - the adoption of liberal, democratic, rationalist principles in much of the world - while emphasizing the unresolved nature of the struggle for democracy.
As you move chronologically through the century, you'll explore a range of ideas in depth, including the "crisis of meaning" unleashed by World War I, the different approaches of Fascism and Communism to organizing and mobilizing masses, and how art provided a window into the psychological forces swirling through public life. Detailed case studies also bring history's ideas alive.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
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Gregory S. Aldrete is a treasure
- By Laurel Tucker on 02-04-19
By: Gregory S. Aldrete, and others
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Law School for Everyone: Constitutional Law
- By: Eric Berger, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Eric Berger
- Length: 6 hrs and 28 mins
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Americans wage many of today’s fiercest policy debates and culture wars over constitutional meaning. It’s because constitutional law is so fundamental to our democracy that law schools across the country teach the subject. It's the area of law that determines what federal and state governments are permitted to do, and what rights you have as an individual citizen of the US. Here, you'll get the same accessible, well-rounded introduction to constitutional law as a typical law student - but with the added benefit of noted constitutional scholar Eric Berger's brilliant insights.
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Read with this Neil Gorsuch!
- By Amazon Customer on 02-03-20
By: Eric Berger, and others
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Thinking Like an Economist: A Guide to Rational Decision Making
- By: Randall Bartlett, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Randall Bartlett
- Length: 6 hrs and 11 mins
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Economic forces are everywhere around you. But that doesn't mean you need to passively accept whatever outcome those forces might press upon you. Instead, with these 12 fast-moving and crystal clear lectures, you can learn how to use a small handful of basic nuts-and-bolts principles to turn those same forces to your own advantage.
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Great for beginners, nothing you for an economist
- By V. Taras on 07-08-15
By: Randall Bartlett, and others
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1066: The Year That Changed Everything
- By: Jennifer Paxton, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Jennifer Paxton
- Length: 3 hrs
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With this exciting and historically rich six-lecture course, experience for yourself the drama of this dynamic year in medieval history, centered on the landmark Norman Conquest. Taking you from the shores of Scandinavia and France to the battlefields of the English countryside, these lectures will plunge you into a world of fierce Viking warriors, powerful noble families, politically charged marriages, tense succession crises, epic military invasions, and much more.
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History brought to life
- By Joshua on 07-10-13
By: Jennifer Paxton, and others
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Understanding the World of Financial Markets
- By: Connel Fullenkamp, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Connel Fullenkamp
- Length: 5 hrs and 5 mins
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Whether you’re buying a home, saving for retirement, running a business, or just plain speculating, it’s important to understand financial markets. These are the engines of commerce in today’s world, powering economic activity and steering the flow of capital. Taught by Professor Connel Fullenkamp of Duke University, Understanding the World of Financial Markets is aimed at the ordinary investor and surveys the impressive range of financial markets—from stocks and bonds to futures, options, real estate, private equity, and virtual assets.
By: Connel Fullenkamp, and others
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Communism in Decline: From Sputnik to Gorbachev
- By: Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius
- Length: 6 hrs and 37 mins
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In Communism in Decline: From Sputnik to Gorbachev, Professor Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius reveals the internal and external forces that ripped apart the grand communist experiment. What were the mistakes made by the Soviet leaders who believed too deeply in their own propaganda? And why were they not able to see the many ironies in their own poor decisions? In 12 fascinating lectures, you will learn how the Soviet Union went from winning the space race against the United States in 1957 to Gorbachev’s resignation and the dissolution of the great experiment in 1991.
By: Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius, and others
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The Iliad of Homer
- By: Elizabeth Vandiver, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Vandiver
- Length: 6 hrs and 4 mins
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For thousands of years, Homer's ancient epic poem the
Iliad has enchanted readers from around the world. When you join Professor Vandiver for this lecture series on the Iliad, you'll come to understand what has enthralled and gripped so many people. Her compelling 12-lecture look at this literary masterpiece -whether it's the work of many authors or the "vision" of a single blind poet - makes it vividly clear why, after almost 3,000 years, the
Iliad remains not only among the greatest adventure stories ever told but also one of the most compelling meditations on the human condition ever written.
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Vandiver never disappoints
- By Machteacher on 07-23-13
By: Elizabeth Vandiver, and others
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Creation Stories of the Ancient World
- By: Joseph Lam, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Joseph Lam
- Length: 4 hrs and 57 mins
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Creation stories, found within many ancient cultures, are traditional accounts of the origins of the universe, the earth, and humanity. Often embodied as epic poetry, and told through the acts of divine beings, creation stories illuminate the values, beliefs, and creeds of the earliest civilizations. As such, these stories show us how early cultures made sense of the human condition, in theological, philosophical, and political terms. These 12 dynamic and thought-provoking lectures offer you a penetrating look at the origin stories of the great civilizations of the Mediterranean.
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great survey of Ancient Creation stories
- By Anthony Alemany on 07-13-23
By: Joseph Lam, and others
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The Theory of Evolution: A History of Controversy
- By: Edward J. Larson, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Edward J. Larson
- Length: 6 hrs and 10 mins
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Charles Darwin's theory of organic evolution-the idea that life on earth is the product of purely natural causes, not the hand of God-set off shock waves that continue to reverberate through Western society, and especially the United States. What makes evolution such a profoundly provocative concept, so convincing to most scientists, yet so socially and politically divisive? These 12 eye-opening lectures are an examination of the varied elements that so often make this science the object of strong sentiments and heated debate.
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Little mistakes here and there
- By Daniel on 06-21-16
By: Edward J. Larson, and others
What listeners say about Interpreting the 20th Century: The Struggle Over Democracy
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- Amadon
- 12-04-21
So good!
Thoroughly enjoyed these lectures. Learned a ton about the United States and the rest of the world. But the thing that I will probably take from these lectures is a deeper appreciation of and commitment to democracy as an ideal form of government. Even after 24 hours of listening, I wanted more. Thank you Pamela Radcliff!
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- Asha Sceanca
- 01-15-20
Great overall book!
I liked how the book got into more detail than other history books that I normally read. I felt that the book started off a bit slow. But then it got its stride and I was really captivated by the narrative. The narrator has a nice soothing voice.
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- George
- 12-08-22
Great
Really interesting take on recent history. Solid narration, although she starts a little rough. Totally worth a listen.
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- Christian
- 09-05-17
Truly a gem
I have a degree in political science, psychology, an LLB and my MBA. I have always had an interest for history and always regretted not taking more classes in that field. Now I can say I am starting to make up for it. This is a wonderful product, very thoughtful and fair. The lectures are rich, well organized and try to present critiques from various political science streams when appropriate. I will be listening to some of them again no doubt. Thank you for an enriching series.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Faycal Ikhouane
- 07-28-24
Illuminating
48 lectures look like a lot; however, so much happened in the XXth century that, even when focusing on a single aspect (i.e. the struggle over democracy), the lectures need to be and are focused. The subject covers related issues like global warming, the role of women, the construction of the European Union, etc.
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- John Burrus
- 02-08-15
No more 'other words' please
Overall, a good course with many useful insights. My only complaint is the lecturer's apparent inability to quit saying 'in other words.' She says this a minimum of 5 times per lecture, sometimes many more. In one span of about a minute and a half, she said it 3 times. As annoying as a Valley Girl's 'like' or the early John Denver's 'far out.' Stop It!!!!!
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2 people found this helpful
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- Chili Tex
- 04-19-17
Making the 20th Century much more understandable.
Dr Radcliffe clearly and succinctly shows the major themes, philosophies and cultures of the last century and how they impact upon us.
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- Christopher
- 04-07-15
Refreshingly Global, Wonderfully Interpretive
This is an excellent history course for a number of reasons. The first is that it makes an attempt at global coverage, which is rare. We hear about Asian and African and South American countries that are often ignored in Western-centric modern histories. Another is that it is interpretive -- not merely stating facts but identifying larger themes and tendencies as well. It also tackles social and cultural events and changes of the century, giving a history of ideas, not merely politics -- and the 20th century is a time when ideas were very powerful. Finally its nice to hear a woman's perspective on the 20th century; there seem to be very few female lecturers on history in the Great Courses' repertoire, which may be representative of the field writ large, but is nonetheless disappointing from such a great company.
As far as performance goes, Radcliff -- just like all the other Great Courses people -- is a professor and not an orator, but she has a fine, NPR-ish voice that makes for very decent listening. Someone else pointed out that she says "in other words" (or its equivalents) a lot, which she does -- but the re-wording that follows always helps to elucidate the point, so I can't consider it a fault.
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20 people found this helpful
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- SouthDenverDave
- 03-20-23
Good unbiased overview of the 20th century
PRO’S: Author/reader presents facts in an unbiased manner. Very pleasant sounding voice. Names the players and good/bad results of the ideas in action. Ideas presented in an orderly easy to follow manner.
CON’S: Many mistakes in the verbal presentation. Lots of pauses, ahhhs, taking back words to correctly present the ideas, talking when she sounded out of breath etc.
At the end of every chapter she should say something like “To Summarize,” and then restate one or two key concepts from the chapter.
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- Chris
- 02-10-15
Lots of information not covered by our right wing
Media coverage of these more recent events has smacked of right wing nationalism. It's great to hear the facts delivered so articulately. During the presentations of democracies that have failed, I couldn't help but see remarkable parallels to the United States today. Pretty scary that WE THE PEOPLE have allowed our country to be sold out from underneath us
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6 people found this helpful