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The Pursuit of Power
- Europe: 1815-1914
- Narrated by: Napoleon Ryan
- Length: 41 hrs and 37 mins
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Publisher's summary
Richard J. Evans's gripping narrative ranges across a century of social and national conflicts, from the revolutions of 1830 and 1848 to the unification of both Germany and Italy, from the Russo-Turkish wars to the Balkan upheavals that brought this era of relative peace and growing prosperity to an end. Among the great themes it discusses are the decline of religious belief and the rise of secular science and medicine, the journey of art, music, and literature from Romanticism to Modernism, the replacement of old-regime punishments by the modern prison, and the dramatic struggle of feminists for women's equality and emancipation. Uniting the era's broad-ranging transformations was the pursuit of power in all segments of life, from the banker striving for economic power to the serf seeking to escape the power of his landlord, from the engineer asserting society's power over the environment to the psychiatrist attempting to exert science's power over human nature itself.
The first single-volume history of the century, this comprehensive and sweeping account gives the listener a magnificently human picture of Europe in the age when it dominated the rest of the globe.
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In this fascinating work, winner of the Wolfson Prize for History Mark Mazower uncovers the history of the Balkans with detail and clarity. He explores the reasons for current conflicts and examines the Balkans as a religious, cultural, and economic melting pot for Europe and Asia. Through Robert O'Keefe's articulate narration, listeners will be absorbed by this rich world.
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Thorough History...
- By David on 09-30-05
By: Mark Mazower
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Inglorious Empire
- What the British Did to India
- By: Shashi Tharoor
- Narrated by: Shashi Tharoor
- Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins
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In the 18th century, India's share of the world economy was as large as Europe's. By 1947, after two centuries of British rule, it had decreased six-fold. Beyond conquest and deception, the Empire blew rebels from cannons, massacred unarmed protesters, entrenched institutionalized racism, and caused millions to die from starvation. British imperialism justified itself as enlightened despotism for the benefit of the governed, but Shashi Tharoor takes on and demolishes this position, demonstrating how every supposed imperial "gift" was designed in Britain's interests alone.
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An entertaining and provocative history
- By James Moseley on 01-07-20
By: Shashi Tharoor
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Empire
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The British Empire was the largest in all history: the nearest thing to global domination ever achieved. The world we know today is in large measure the product of Britain's age of empire. The global spread of capitalism, telecommunications, the English language, and the institutions of representative government - all these can be traced back to the extraordinary expansion of Britain's economy, population, and culture from the 17th century until the mid-20th. On a vast and vividly colored canvas, Empire shows how the British Empire acted as midwife to modernity.
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Not Balanced till Conclusion
- By Hectoris on 08-13-20
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The Third Reich in History and Memory
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In the 70 years since the demise of the Third Reich, there has been a significant transformation in the ways in which the modern world understands Nazism. In this brilliant and eye-opening collection, Richard J. Evans offers a critical commentary on that transformation, exploring how major changes in perspective have informed research and writing on the Third Reich in recent years. Drawing on his most notable writings, Evans reveals the shifting perspectives on Nazism's rise to political power, its economic intricacies, and its subterranean extension into postwar Germany.
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each book is better than the first. your writing is genius
- By Anonymous User on 05-10-24
By: Richard J. Evans
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The Third Reich in Power
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The definitive account of Germany's malign transformation under Hitler's total rule and the implacable march to war. This magnificent second volume of Richard J. Evans's three-volume history of Nazi Germany was hailed by Benjamin Schwartz of The Atlantic Monthly as "the definitive English-language account... gripping and precise." It chronicles the incredible story of Germany's radical reshaping under Nazi rule.
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Great book, annoying narrator
- By Maria on 08-14-10
By: Richard J. Evans
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The Fate of Africa
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Performance
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Martin Meredith has revised this classic history to incorporate important recent developments, including the Darfur crisis in Sudan, Robert Mugabe’s continued destructive rule in Zimbabwe, controversies over Western aid and exploitation of Africa’s resources, the growing importance and influence of China, and the democratic movement roiling the North African countries of Tunisia, Egypt, and Jordan.
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Africa: Land of Hope and Horror
- By Jeff on 03-08-14
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A Concise History of Spain
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- Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins
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Performance
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This audiobook traces Spain's development from prehistoric times to the present, focusing particularly on culture, society, politics, and personalities. It introduces listeners to key themes that have shaped Spain's history and culture, including its varied landscapes and climates; the impact of waves of diverse human migrations; the importance of its location as a bridge between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean and Europe and Africa; and religion, particularly militant Catholic Christianity and its centuries of conflict with Islam and Protestantism.
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Underwhelmed
- By Anonymous User on 02-20-20
By: William Phillips Jr., and others
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Blood and Iron
- The Rise and Fall of the German Empire; 1871-1918
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Before 1871, Germany was not yet a nation but simply an idea. Its founder, Otto von Bismarck, had a formidable task at hand. How would he bring 39 individual states under the yoke of a single Kaiser? How would he convince proud Prussians, Bavarians, and Rhinelanders to become Germans? Once united, could the young European nation wield enough power to rival the empires of Britain and France - all without destroying itself in the process?
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Misleading title/subtitle
- By Ethan Brown on 12-15-21
By: Katja Hoyer
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A History of the American People
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- Narrated by: Nadia May
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Johnson's monumental history of the United States, from the first settlers to the Clinton administration, covers every aspect of American culture: politics, business, art, literature, science, society and customs, complex traditions, and religious beliefs. The story is told in terms of the men and women who shaped and led the nation and the ordinary people who collectively created its unique character.
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A British conservative's view of American history.
- By Mike From Mesa on 06-17-09
By: Paul Johnson
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Compelling and depressing
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Great book, annoying narrator
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each book is better than the first. your writing is genius
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Great book, annoying narrator
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What listeners say about The Pursuit of Power
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Awake Tex
- 02-02-17
Terrific comprehensive history
Evans's history of 19th century Europe should be required reading for anyone interested in how we came to the situation facing us in the 21st. The beginning of the book,with its focus on geopolitics, is slow going but worth the effort. Evans seems to cover everything: A rich social history that spans the continent from the end of the Napoleonic wars to the onset of WW1. Highly recommended.
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19 people found this helpful
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- Maan Younes
- 12-11-18
A great book
This is a very good and comprehensive history of the 19th century. It is very well written and also very well performed; I do Recommend it highly.
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- L.
- 01-19-18
An Excellent History of Pre Great War Europe
Delivered by the steady dulcet tones of Napoleon Ryan, The Pusuit of Power goes in depth with the history of 19th Century Europe and it's inevitable march to WWI.
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- Lord Hampton
- 01-31-17
Good History, Rough narration
This is a very academic history. Evans is to be commended for a thorough analysis of this time period, and how it brings us into the cataclysms of the 20th century. The narrator has a good voice, but then spoils it with weird voices to emphasize quotations. The writer uses years to indicate where an individual belongs in the "history" of the time, but listening to years from and to, over and over, does end up spoiling the flow of the narrative.
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3 people found this helpful
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- MD
- 04-11-17
Facts and Anecdotes
Is there anything you would change about this book?
This is full of facts. However the narrative is dry and jerky as the author goes from fact to fact without enough context or interpretation
What did you like best about this story?
The sweep of history it embraces. It filled in many gaps in my knowledge
What do you think the narrator could have done better?
The endless dates of personages needed to be edited out. They work in a book, not in an audio book. The reader's German needs some work. It is not Bismaaach!
If this book were a movie would you go see it?
No
Any additional comments?
I struggled to finish this book because I felt I was learning something. However it was not entertaining in any way. Comprehensive but dry.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Lindsey D Boozer
- 05-23-17
Great History I Loved It Highly Recommend
What did you love best about The Pursuit of Power?
This book is so comprehensive and I think accurate, I can apply it to current events, the same human issues exist today, only desquised by modern conditions. The author's use of a single person to help you understand, say, the life of a serf, was perfect. As was taking a topic like health or the industrial revolution and separating it from the constant wars that were going on. Marvelous, overall.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Pursuit of Power?
The descriptions of individual persons, their misbehavior and their fumbling with leadership skills they lacked, and the understanding of the feelings of others -- perfectly described.
What about Napoleon Ryan’s performance did you like?
I actually got into it, and loved his performance. Others might disagree, but I liked his British accent, and his sometimes use of dialect to make a part of the story less boring and repetitive. This is a massive amount of material, 82 chapters, 50 hours I suspect, he had a mammoth job to do, and I think he did it well.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
I did not listen in one sitting, it took 40 sittings .. it is 82 chapters. I listen in the car, this is a serious book, real learning about human nature, and government and "how we got to where we are' in history, as nations, and how these 100 years are still affecting European borders, conflicts and hatreds.
Any additional comments?
Anyone who likes history should love this -- different and in many ways better organized than most history books. Not quite at the level of Will Durant's work, but just as comprehensive and even more detailed. You live the book, not just read it.
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- ManInTheHighFlat
- 08-12-19
less about power- more about history
the title is misleading insofar as this isn't a study of the pursuit of power as much as a fascinating delve into the Europe of 1750-1915. excellent, from that PoV.
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- Dolly S.
- 10-31-23
Narration ruins the book
I don't want to be mean but the narration makes this completely unlistenable. It's just horrid. You'd be better off reading it.
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- alan
- 01-23-17
terrible reader, excellent book
What made the experience of listening to The Pursuit of Power the most enjoyable?
A great history of Europe after Napoleon, by a historian of Germany. Unfortunately the reader pauses after every fifth or sixth word for no discernable reason, making this a very rocky choppy ride. Evans' history is best when most detailed, in the period leading up to the revolutions of 1830 and then 1848, followed by more cursory potted treatments of social, artistic, scientific, literary, musical, i.e. "cultural" milestones, and then we're suddenly at the turn of the century, rush through the Balkan wars, and its time for world war I. Nice exposition of some modern historiography - imperial atrocities in the colonies got imported into Europe, women's suffrage, etc.
What didn’t you like about Napoleon Ryan’s performance?
Pauses after every fifth or sixth word; it's like listening to hiccups.
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10 people found this helpful
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- T. Anderson
- 12-20-16
Skipping stones across history.
I think the time period covered is way too long for a one volume history. It's supposed to be a "peoples history" but by necessity it is mainly political and military. There is an attempt to describe cultural changes but most of the social and demographic groups involved are mentioned by you do not get the sense that the story of the view of the individuals in those groups is anything but cursory.
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5 people found this helpful