World War I: The Great War

By: Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius

Length: 18 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

These 36 riveting half-hour lectures cut through the tangle of historical data to uncover the patterns that make sense of complex events. Whereas most World War I narratives focus on the Western Front in France and Flanders, with its mazelike trenches, gas attacks, constant shelling, assaults "over the top" into withering machine gun fire, and duels of dog-fighting aviators in the sky, Professor Liulevicius also devotes great attention to other important arenas, including the Eastern Front, the Southern Fronts, the War at Sea, the Arab Revolt, the Communist Revolution, the Armenian Massacre, the Spanish Influenza, and more.

Professor Liulevicius combines chronological and thematic approaches for a sweeping survey of World War I's many dimensions. He explores themes such as the surprising eagerness of all parties to plunge into mutual slaughter, the unexpected endurance of societies undergoing total war, the radically different hopes and hatreds that the war evoked, with remarkable contrasts between western and eastern Europe, the meanings that the different sides ascribed to the war, and the role of various ideologies in the war's course and conduct.

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

©2006 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2006 The Great Courses

Epic

Invaluable insight presented in a very understandable way. Truly the Great War stands out as what should have been an avoidable tragedy

Very good course

A study of much more than just battles and generals. I strongly recommend this course to anyone seeking to understand how Nations got to this point and the long term implications of those actions.

Great, Ties everything together.

Professor Liulevicius is entertaining and engaging and weaves the facts in with interesting background tidbits and facts that paint a vivid picture of the events during and surrounding the Great War.

Lots of information to take in

I didn't know much about The Great War, other than it cost my great, great-uncle Jake and his wife one of their two sons. He never made it past Great Lakes Naval Base before being struck down by the influenza pandemic. From reading about the Romanovs, I knew a little about Kaiser Wilhelm. I'd also heard about the horrible effects of trench warfare and poison gas.

I never fully realized just how global this war was. It got a bit confusing at times, so I was glad to have the accompanying materials to lean on. I'm on my second listen and it inspired me to watch a WWI documentary on Amazon Prime. In light of recent events in Turkey and Syria, it seems people in positions of power should be listening to this course as well.

He does have some strange pronunciations that I need to check out, ie, Romanovs with the emphasis on the second syllable. Looking forward to many more listens.

intriguing and educational

very in-depth detailed review of one of histories most under taught historical events. at times it was a little slow and 40. but as a whole the series taught me things that I would have never known otherwise. in addition to historical facts there is a lot of in-depth speculation in theoretical understanding of the events that you would not get from a strict scholarly historical account.

Worth the listen.

A great overview. Easy to listen to and insightful. Would recommend to anyone interested in WW1.

Interesting and informative

Fantastic series of that lectures that enlightened me on how the impacts of World War I is still be felt today. Loved it!

Great High-Level Overview

I definitely learned plenty from this course, and it was certainly an entertaining listen.

It is more of a high-level run through of the war, and focuses on big-picture social ideas more than day-to-day military events, etc.

Just the right amount of content

Professor Liulevicius delivers his lectures in a well thought out order. The depth of material is perfect. He includes not just the history but also what it means.

EXCELLENT SURVEY COURSE THAT NEEDS MORE CHRONOLOGY

I decided to listen to this course since this is the 100th Anniversary of WWI. I wanted to know more about this "Great War" that is so often overshadowed by WWII. The only two criticisms that I have is the lack of a chronology in the course and lack of an emphasis on the military history. The course is highly topical with lectures like: Air War, War at Sea, Propaganda War, Dissent and Its Limits, etc... All are well-researched and well-presented, but the lack of a clear chronology leaves some of these topics in a vacuum. I found myself on Wikipedia a few times being sure that I was not confusing some of the chronology. That being said, I understand why the professor decided to use a topical approach--it allowed him to tackle major issues in single comprehensive lectures rather than spreading those same issues throughout the course. The other thing missing from this course is a comprehensive discussion about the battles. The professor certainly mentions the major battles and provides some discussion, but this is far from a military history. The course is much more focused on the social and political issues than the military ones. If I was in charge of the Great Courses, I would expand this course by adding another six lectures--maybe two dedicated to a chronology and four emphasizing the military history.

While these are significant criticisms, I need to emphasize that I still consider this course excellent. While I believe the course would benefit from more chronology and more military history, these are mere omissions. The quality of the course content that is included is outstanding. The professor is clear and organized. The professor is interested in the topic and knowledgeable.

Since I was a history major in college and often read history books, I judge a history course by two factors: 1. Did I learn something? and 2. Do I understand the topic better? I can answer both of these in the affirmative after finishing this course. I learned much more than I previously did about the political fights throughout Europe that led up to the war and dominated military decisions. For instance, I found it fascinating that, at one point, German politicians were making strategic decisions about the conduct of the war with the next war clearly in mind--they wanted to be in a better position for the next time that Europe tore itself apart in bloody conflict. This certainly belays the myth that World War I was fought as the "War to End All Wars." The course did not make me an expert on the topic, but it gave me a better understanding and appreciation of the history of World War I.