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Espionage and Covert Operations: A Global History
- Narrated by: Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius
- Length: 12 hrs and 19 mins
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Publisher's summary
Step into the real world of the spy with this detailed and unforgettable tour of the millennia-long history and enduring legacy of espionage and covert operations. While most of us associate this top-secret subject with popular fiction and film, its true story is more fascinating, surprising, and important than you could possibly imagine.
These 24 thrilling lectures survey how world powers have attempted to work in the shadows to gain secret information or subvert enemies behind the scenes. Filled with stories and insights that will change the way you think about world history's most defining events, this course lets you peer inside a subject whose truths most people are unaware of.
Professor Liulevicius introduces you to the inner workings of covert organizations, including the Oprichnina, a feared secret service established by tsar Ivan the Terrible in the 1500s in an effort to cleanse Russia of treasonous activities; the CIA, established in 1947 by President Truman to replace the Office of Secret Services to be in charge of all intelligence collection – and which had an embarrassing early history; and Mossad, Israel's version of the CIA, which won a series of key intelligence victories during the cold war and over terror attacks and hostage crises in the second half of the 20th century.
You'll also meet famous – and infamous – spies, including Sir Francis Walsingham, Mata Hari, and Kim Philby. In this stirring series of lectures, you'll study the psychological motives behind spies, the ethics of cyber warfare and corporate espionage, the question of whether we now live in a surveillance society, and more.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.
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Story
There’s a fundamental tension buried within the heart of the CIA’s mission to protect the American people: between democratic accountability and the inherent need for secrecy. Ultimately, it’s US citizens who bear the responsibility of staying informed about what the CIA has done and continues to do. In these 24 engrossing lectures, explore the roles the CIA has played in recent American history, from the eve of the Cold War against communism to the 21st-century War on Terror.
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Axe to Grind
- By MissBouquet on 05-26-19
By: Hugh Wilford, and others
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The Rise of Communism: From Marx to Lenin
- By: Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius
- Length: 5 hrs and 31 mins
- Original Recording
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How did communism become such a pervasive economic and political philosophy? Why did it first take root in early 20th-century Russia? These and other questions are part of a fascinating story whose drama has few equals in terms of sheer scale, scope, or human suffering and belief. These 12 lectures invite you to go inside communism’s journey from a collection of political and economic theories to a revolutionary movement that rocked the world.
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Disappointing, simplistic, biased
- By Proteus_Undead on 11-09-19
By: Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius, and others
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The Vietnam War
- By: John C. McManus, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: John C. McManus
- Length: 11 hrs and 23 mins
- Original Recording
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In The Vietnam War, you will learn about the causes and consequences of the war in Vietnam. You will explore the scope of American intervention from air campaigns to large-scale military operations on the ground. You will survey the history of Vietnam from colonial Indochina onward, getting to know the homegrown ideas, personalities, and politics that would come to shape the conflict. You will reconstruct major military operations like the Tet Offensive and Rolling Thunder.
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information
- By boznremtp on 12-22-22
By: John C. McManus, and others
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The Italians before Italy: Conflict and Competition in the Mediterranean
- By: Kenneth R. Bartlett, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Kenneth R. Bartlett
- Length: 12 hrs and 8 mins
- Original Recording
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Take a riveting tour of the Italian peninsula, from the glittering canals of Venice to the lavish papal apartments and ancient ruins of Rome. In these 24 lectures, Professor Bartlett traces the development of the Italian city-states of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, showing how the modern nation of Italy was forged out of the rivalries, allegiances, and traditions of a vibrant and diverse people.
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A useful survey, just what I wanted
- By Adeliese Baumann on 11-07-16
By: Kenneth R. Bartlett, and others
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Ancient Civilizations of North America
- By: Edwin Barnhart, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Edwin Barnhart
- Length: 12 hrs and 19 mins
- Original Recording
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For the past few hundred years, most of what we’ve been taught about the native cultures of North America came from reports authored by the conquerors and colonizers who destroyed them. Now - with the technological advances of modern archaeology and a new perspective on world history - we are finally able to piece together their compelling true stories. In Ancient Civilizations of North America, Professor Edwin Barnhart, Director of the Maya Exploration Center, will open your eyes to a fascinating world you never knew existed - even though you’ve been living right next to it, or even on top of it.
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A different perspective - civilizations not tribes
- By Steve Goppert on 07-26-18
By: Edwin Barnhart, and others
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Norse Mythology
- By: Jackson Crawford, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Professor Crawford
- Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins
- Original Recording
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Thor, Odin, Loki, Freyja, the Valkyries, Valhalla, Ragnarok — many of the places we encounter these and other names, places, and events from Norse mythology in daily life and pop culture are connected to the medieval sources in name only.
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Brilliant Course
- By Frederik on 12-05-21
By: Jackson Crawford, and others
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The Mongol Empire
- By: Craig Benjamin, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Professor Craig Benjamin
- Length: 11 hrs and 34 mins
- Original Recording
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The Mongol Empire was the largest empire the world has ever seen, forged by conquests across Eurasia in the 13th and 14th centuries. Yet despite the unparalleled brutality of the Mongols, they played a key role in launching civilization’s evolution into the modern world. In 24 half-hour lectures delivered by award-winning teacher and historian Craig Benjamin of Grand Valley State University, explore the paradox of the Mongols’ extreme barbarity combined with their enlightened religious attitudes and respect for high civilization, in The Mongol Empire.
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Good Info, Terrible Chinese Pronunciation
- By K. Cullen on 10-12-20
By: Craig Benjamin, and others
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Hannibal: The Military Genius Who Almost Conquered Rome
- By: Eve MacDonald, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Eve MacDonald
- Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins
- Original Recording
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Hannibal Barca is famous for marching an eclectic mix of troops across the Alps and into the Roman heartland during the Second Punic War. But how much do we know about the world Hannibal was born into and came of age in? In Hannibal: The Military Genius Who Almost Conquered Rome, get to know one of history’s most impressive generals from the political and military conflicts that defined his adolescence to the battles that made him famous. These 15 lectures will paint a portrait of not only Hannibal, but also his enemies and allies.
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bad recording audio. too many breaks and crackles,
- By Kindle Customer on 04-02-23
By: Eve MacDonald, and others
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Understanding the Mysteries of Human Behavior
- By: Mark Leary, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Mark Leary
- Length: 12 hrs and 11 mins
- Original Recording
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Every day of your life is spent surrounded by mysteries that involve what appear to be rather ordinary human behaviors. What makes you happy? Where did your personality come from? Why do you have trouble controlling certain behaviors? Why do you behave differently as an adult than you did as an adolescent?Since the start of recorded history, and probably even before, people have been interested in answering questions about why we behave the way we do.
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I wanted to like this course
- By Diane Tincher on 08-06-18
By: Mark Leary, and others
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The Foundations of Western Civilization
- By: Thomas F. X. Noble, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Thomas F. X. Noble
- Length: 24 hrs and 51 mins
- Original Recording
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What is Western Civilization? According to Professor Noble, it is "much more than human and political geography," encompassing myriad forms of political and institutional structures - from monarchies to participatory republics - and its own traditions of political discourse. It involves choices about who gets to participate in any given society and the ways in which societies have resolved the tension between individual self-interest and the common good.
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Not Engaging or Very Interesting
- By Tommy D'Angelo on 03-05-17
By: Thomas F. X. Noble, and others
What listeners say about Espionage and Covert Operations: A Global History
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Tze
- 09-30-17
The best course so far
The professor had my attention all the time and I absorbed every single word. To me this was a history course with a twist.
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- Seth A.
- 08-18-17
Worthwhile, period.
Great lecture series. Enjoy a well prepared series, excellent world history and let your imagination go.
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- Angry Infidel
- 06-04-18
Heavy on Espionage - Light on Covert Ops
Ehhh - it was alright. I found it pretty heavy on espionage and lacking in the covert operations the title suggests. Perhaps a good start for someone just becoming interested in the topic, but a bit lacking for anyone who has done some previous research.
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- Angel R.
- 12-13-20
Amazing
My favorite by far!
Thank you for this production.
I highly recommend it for intelligence education.
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- K. Lawson
- 05-09-23
Interesting
Very interesting, learned something and could relate to many of the subjects as I remember them from the time they happened.
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- Ben
- 04-14-15
A good overview
Although I enjoyed this course and I'm a big fan of the author, I was hoping for some more detail rather than a general overview to cover a large number of examples over the period.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 01-02-20
Great listen
I enjoyed listening to this "course" on espionage. The professor's narration style really helped to make listening that much more enjoyable. I learned alot and look forward to listening to more great courses.
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1 person found this helpful
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- R
- 11-10-15
Surprisingly Informative and Entertaining
I bought this book to check out The Great Courses library, and I ended up learning way more than anticipated. The audiobook presents the history of espionage in an interesting and informative way.
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- Charles
- 08-19-21
Good but sometimes hard to follow
An interesting read, but somewhat hard to follow. My only issue was that so many stories were packed together or within one another that I would occasionally get lost with who's who, and whether or not we were still talking about X. Maybe I might have some minor ADD or perhaps it's just the vaporous nature of the subject!
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- KD
- 03-30-16
Interesting but a blur of anecdotes
This was quite the blur of anecdotes... Fascinating, but it helps if one is well versed in history in order to situate the stories he tells in time and space.
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