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Interpreting the 20th Century: The Struggle Over Democracy
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Touched off by a terrorist act in Bosnia and spreading all too quickly beyond the expectations of those who were involved, World War I was an unprecedented catastrophe with a ghastly cost. After this first "total war"-the first conflict involving entire societies mobilized to wage unrestrained war, devoting all their wealth, industries, institutions, and the lives of their citizens to win victory at any price - the world itself would never be the same.
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 21
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Mutiny. Disease. Starvation. Cannibals. From the ancient wayfarers to modern astronauts, world explorers have blazed trails fraught with danger. Yet, as History's Greatest Voyages of Exploration vividly demonstrates, exploration continues to be one of humanity's deepest impulses. Across 24 lectures that unveil the process by which we came to know the far reaches of our planet, you'll witness the awe-inspiring and surprisingly interconnected tale of global exploration.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent course
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 19
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 17
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What is the meaning of life?It's a question every thoughtful person has pondered at one time or another. Indeed, it may be the biggest question of all-at once profound and universal, but also deeply personal.We want to understand the world in which we live, but we also want to understand how to make our own lives as meaningful as possible; to know not only why we're living, but that we're doing it with intention, purpose, and ethical commitment.
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 51
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 44
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3 out of 5 stars
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Biased
- By Anonymous User on 2019-09-06
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Big History: The Big Bang, Life on Earth, and the Rise of Humanity
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 18
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How is it possible for the disciplines of cosmology, geology, anthropology, biology, and history to fit together? These 48 lectures answer that question by weaving a single story from accounts of the past developed by a variety of scholarly disciplines. The result is a story stretching from the origins of the universe to the present day and beyond, in which human history is seen as part of the history of our Earth and biosphere, and the Earth's history, in turn, is seen as part of the history of the universe.
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4 out of 5 stars
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a good overview but requires further reading
- By Olena Kulikova on 2019-09-03
Publisher's Summary
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.
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Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Christopher
- 2015-04-07
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.
14 of 15 people found this review helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Lance
- 2014-01-09
Philosophical differences aside, well worth it!
There are several warnings I would give to someone considering this investment in time. This is a course of 48 lectures delivered by a professor who is relatively monotone and does not convey warmth or enthusiasm the way most people do. I felt that I got used to the way she uses tone and I got over it. If you can't do monotone, you should consider whether this course is for you. Very long course, but commensurate with scope. Despite the length, the topics are treated at a high level. Most readers will find a percentage of lectures that they feel they know better than the professor. You may find her viewpoint in some lectures to be a bit naive, very liberal, or flat out wrong. If this puts you off and you are a conservative or libertarian, you may have difficulty finishing the course. Personally I found the perspective and the focus on "democracy" to be incredibly interesting. She is unabashedly focused on the struggle for democracy even though we find democracy to be in quite a bit of trouble recently, and our founders were not very sanguine about the future of democracy and thus designed a republic. Democracy may not fit in all places, and it may at the end of the day not be the correct system to manage the affairs of human beings, but I think most alternative anchors for a course of the 20th century would fail miserably. Like it or not most in the US believe in the living constitution as well as the Tocquevillian tumble towards equality in all things. Conservatives and libertarians who can accept democracy as an anchor should be able to enjoy and gain insight into how liberals view the 20th century. The broad scope is reflected in the lectures. I would recommend that you Google great courses pamela radcliff 20th century and look at the lecture list. Most non-expert history buffs will find alot here that they will enjoy. Highly recommended. Will challenge your perspective and help you understand better the liberal viewpoint. There was also a PDF course guidebook that I found while googling. I actually believe these guidebooks are essential for many of these courses. Not essential for this one as she sticks to her notes which are very related to the guidebook. If you find the guidebook it may also help you decide if this course is for you.
26 of 29 people found this review helpful
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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
- Christian
- 2017-09-05
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.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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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
- Chris
- 2015-02-10
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
5 of 9 people found this review helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Luke
- 2014-09-30
Below the usual standard of the Great Courses
If you’ve listened to books by The Great Courses before, how does this one compare?
I've been listening to a lot of the Great Courses and this professor's presentation was noticeably below the usual standard. The presentation improves over time but gives the impression of inexperience or lack of confidence.
What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?
Disappointment and frustration. How any historian or sociologist can literally gloss over the first world war in minutes but then devote hours to insignificant and esoteric movements, and credit them with the greatest influence, is beyond me. And sorry to be pedantic but any professor who covers WW1 in any way should know the correct pronunciation of the Battle of the Somme.
Any additional comments?
The course has a somewhat Marxist Feminist flavour to it combined with that 'every other possible angle was already taken for my PhD' which leaves the author placing a disproportionate focus minor themes and influences. The significance given to artists and their supposed influence on societies is quite ridicules.
11 of 20 people found this review helpful
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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
- Sandra Hotere Tarau
- 2019-07-16
Informative
From an older, indigenous perspective, the book is hugely informative, easy to follow and instructive. Radcliff provides an insight into dominant ideological forces such as racism and capitalism that shapes and defines the current global impetus for expansion, power and greed. Underpinning Radcliff's democracy theme are concepts such as fascism and communism juxtaposed against liberal/neoliberal principles which triggered several 'ahaaa!' moments for me and emphasized 'what not to' do in our struggle for freedom and authority. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and commend the author.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Allison
- 2018-04-28
Not the best
Not the best I've listened to. Good information, but a boring lecturer. I did appreciate that she went through not just the military and political events but also the philosophical changes, as the evolution of philosophical, sociological, and economic theory during the 20th century were as influential as military events in shaping the last century, but I think she overlooked some important factors in WWI, and she did not present the first half of the material in a way that kept my attention. The latter half was much better.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Jacob Billings
- 2017-08-12
What a tour!
It's funny how many histories there are, and how many I looked away from in high school. Professor Radcliff developes a thorough examination of western modernity. I am happy to have caught up!
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Lisa
- 2017-07-13
narrator is boring
sounds like she's reading a textbook in a monotone voice. good material made really boring
1 of 2 people found this review helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- John Burrus
- 2015-02-08
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!!!!!
1 of 3 people found this review helpful