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Turning Points in Modern History

By: Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius, The Great Courses
Narrated by: Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius
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Publisher's Summary

This lecture series takes you on a far-reaching journey around the globe - from China to the Americas to New Zealand - to shed light on how two dozen of the top discoveries, inventions, political upheavals, and ideas since 1400 have shaped the modern world. In just 24 thought-provoking lectures, you'll get the amazing story of how life as we know it developed.

Starting in the early 15th century and culminating in the age of social media, you'll encounter astounding threads that weave through the centuries, joining these turning points in ways that may come as a revelation. You'll also witness turning points with repercussions we can only speculate about because they are still very much in the process of turning.

Professor Liulevicius doesn't merely recount the greatest events of history, but rather has selected true catalysts in provoking changes in worldview. Some of the events you'll investigate, including the discovery of the New World and the fall of the Berlin Wall, will immediately resonate as watershed moments. The global significance of other pivotal events may only become apparent through the detailed analysis contained in these lectures, such as the publication of the Enlightenment-era Encyclopédie and the Russo-Japanese War - which has been historically overshadowed by the two world wars that followed.

As you discover how turning points such as the discovery of penicillin and the opening of East Berlin hinged on chance, accident, and, in some cases, sheer luck, you'll realize how easily history might have played out differently.

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

©2013 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2013 The Great Courses

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Nice snapshots of big moments in history

Very interesting selection of the big moments in history and the background to the story. One thing I loved was the lecturer pronouncing the foreign names exactly like how it's pronounced in that language.

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Simplistic

I didn't learn much that was new to me. The 30 minute format does not help. Would be good for kids or teens.

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Wide Ranging

The turning points covered in the lecture series are all ones of great importance, though one or two changes I might have made. From conflict to invention, you will get a better understanding of how humanity has progressed so far. The lecturer is well spoken and his enthusiasm is audible making for a easy listen.

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