
The Rise and Fall of Soviet Communism: A History of 20th-Century Russia
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Narrated by:
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Gary Hamburg
About this listen
From the Oval Office to the streets of Moscow, world leaders and ordinary citizens alike share interest and concerns about Russia. Can democracy survive there? What does the future hold for the once expansive and still powerful Russian nation? Is Soviet Communism truly dead?
These are the kinds of questions diplomats struggle with every day. And now, through this series of 16 incisive lectures by an acclaimed scholar of Russian history, you can begin investigating them for yourself as you take a probing historical journey through the recent history and near future of a key world power. Whether your chief interest is Russian or world history, political theory, or international relations, you'll take away fresh knowledge and insight as Professor Hamburg examines the improbable origins of Communist rule in Russia, the ascent of the Red Star to its zenith, and its decline and apparent end in the wake of 1989's events.
Using new material from previously sealed Soviet archives and covering recent controversial findings by both Russian and Western scholars, he begins with the failures of the czarist regime and the horrors of the First World War, then takes you through the bloody era of Josef Stalin's purges and beyond to Mikhail Gorbachev's perestroika to offer you a thoroughgoing analysis of the Soviet experiment.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
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Martial Chaos
- By Cynthia on 08-16-16
By: The Great Courses, and others
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Elements of Jazz: From Cakewalks to Fusion
- By: Bill Messenger, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Bill Messenger
- Length: 5 hrs and 59 mins
- Original Recording
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Jazz is a uniquely American art form, one of America's great contributions to not only musical culture, but world culture, with each generation of musicians applying new levels of creativity that take the music in unexpected directions that defy definition, category, and stagnation. Now you can learn the basics and history of this intoxicating genre in an eight-lecture series that is as free-flowing and original as the art form itself.
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A Disappointingly Distorted, Myopic View Of Jazz
- By Parallax View on 08-18-13
By: Bill Messenger, and others
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Soviet Union: A History from Beginning to End
- By: Hourly History
- Narrated by: Matthew J. Chandler-Smith
- Length: 1 hr and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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The creation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) in 1922 was one of the defining events of the 20th century. This new federation, created to embody the ideals of communism and the notion of rule by the people, was intended to be different from any other nation in the world. This utopian vision inspired people around the world, and soon, communism became an international movement. However, the history of the Soviet Union did not develop in the way its originators envisaged.
By: Hourly History
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Stories of America’s National Parks
- By: Megan Kate Nelson, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Megan Kate Nelson
- Length: 5 hrs and 52 mins
- Original Recording
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Many Americans remember a family road trip to visit one of our 63 national parks. Why did Americans start preserving these sites of natural and historic interest? How were these parks selected, and what steps did conservationists, activists, philanthropists, politicians, and others take to protect millions of acres against the booming developments of an expanding nation? An award-winning writer, researcher, and American Studies scholar, Dr. Megan Kate Nelson tackles these questions as she takes you on a marvelous journey through some of the most beautiful places on Earth.
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Interesting history
- By Secret Santa on 03-30-25
By: Megan Kate Nelson, and others
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Collapse
- The Fall of the Soviet Union
- By: Vladislav M. Zubok
- Narrated by: David de Vries
- Length: 23 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1945, the Soviet Union controlled half of Europe and was a founding member of the United Nations. By 1991, it had an army four million strong, 5,000 nuclear-tipped missiles, and was the second biggest producer of oil in the world. But soon afterward, the union sank into an economic crisis and was torn apart by nationalist separatism. Its collapse was one of the seismic shifts of the 20th century.
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Hopefully Not Prescient
- By Joshua on 01-29-22
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Understanding the New Testament
- By: The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Professor David Brakke
- Length: 12 hrs and 5 mins
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Join Professor David Brakke, an award-winning Professor of History at The Ohio State University, for Understanding the New Testament. In these 24 eye-opening lectures, he takes you behind the scenes to study not only the text of the New Testament, but also the authors and the world in which it was created. You will explore Jewish lives under Roman occupation, reflect on the apocalyptic mood of the first and second centuries AD, witness the early Christians’ evangelism beyond the Jewish communities, and witness the birth of a faith that continues to shape our world today.
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Familiar but Worthwhile
- By Mark on 12-01-19
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Forgotten America
- Rediscovering Events That Changed the Nation
- By: Rachel Michelle Gunter, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Rachel Michelle Gunter
- Length: 5 hrs and 49 mins
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In Forgotten America: Rediscovering Events that Changed the Nation, turn your attention to the unfamiliar in United States history with historian and author Dr. Rachel Michelle Gunter.
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Definitely Worth Your Time
- By Ryan on 07-11-25
By: Rachel Michelle Gunter, and others
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Augustine: Philosopher and Saint
- By: Phillip Cary, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Phillip Cary
- Length: 6 hrs and 12 mins
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These 12 illuminating lectures paint a rich and detailed portrait of the life, works, and ideas of this remarkable figure, whose own search for God has profoundly shaped all of Western Christianity. You'll learn what Augustine taught and why he taught it – and how those teachings and doctrines helped shape the Roman Catholic Church. These lectures are rewarding even if you have no background at all in classical philosophy or Christian theology.
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Good, but problematic in parts.
- By Adam on 02-28-16
By: Phillip Cary, and others
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1066: The Year That Changed Everything
- By: Jennifer Paxton, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Jennifer Paxton
- Length: 3 hrs
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With this exciting and historically rich six-lecture course, experience for yourself the drama of this dynamic year in medieval history, centered on the landmark Norman Conquest. Taking you from the shores of Scandinavia and France to the battlefields of the English countryside, these lectures will plunge you into a world of fierce Viking warriors, powerful noble families, politically charged marriages, tense succession crises, epic military invasions, and much more.
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History brought to life
- By Joshua on 07-10-13
By: Jennifer Paxton, and others
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The Soviet Century
- Archaeology of a Lost World
- By: Karl Schlogel, Rodney Livingstone - translator
- Narrated by: Ciaran Saward
- Length: 29 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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The Soviet Union is gone, but its ghostly traces remain, not least in the material vestiges left behind in its turbulent wake. What was it really like to live in the USSR? What did it look, feel, smell, and sound like? In The Soviet Century, Karl Schlögel, one of the world's leading historians of the Soviet Union, presents a spellbinding epic that brings to life the everyday world of a unique lost civilization. A museum of—and travel guide to—the Soviet past, The Soviet Century explores in evocative detail both the largest and smallest aspects of life in the USSR.
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Great work
- By J. H. Robinson on 07-28-24
By: Karl Schlogel, and others
evaluation of The Rise and Fall of Soviet Communis
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What happened to Brezhnev!?!?!
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If anything, it's worth noting that this audiobook appears to have been recorded in the late 90s, so about the last 25% of the course feels oddly abbreviated. This is no doubt due to the historical proximity which still existed to the Soviet Union's collapse when this was recorded. The professor does make some prescient observations about the "rebirth" of Russia and what the country might shape up to be in the subsequent years, which some listeners might find interesting.
Informative overview, if a bit dated
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the valid complaint.
it really should have been a longer lecture series. There is just so much more to the story, what he did cover he did a great job of and I get he was making tradeoffs and trying to keep this more survey level and can understand the content choices made. But some of the things that got skipped over or get barely touched on really deserve some more explanation on their own right. Especially within the breshnev years.
the complaints I think are overblown
1. it's an old course
I didn't think this really affected it much and his predictions about Russian nationalism being the most likely future that he made in the intro are all the more impressive now that I know he was making them 25 years ago.
2. it's biased
I thought he mostly played it straight but yea he did make it clear he didn't think society communism was a good thing, occasionally he would say something like, "Tragically Lenin succeeded in x"
Which I suppose is biased but.....it was a tragedy he succeeded! sorry but the soviet Union was really really bad. you don't have to be a die hard capitalist to look at the mountain of bodies Soviet communism produced and think, "well that wasn't great"
Overall great, wish it could have been a bit longe
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Bad day?
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simce then... Historical presentation is very interesting, however not enough is said about the ussr economic
should be updated
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What made the experience of listening to The Rise and Fall of Soviet Communism: A History of 20th-Century Russia the most enjoyable?
I was expected an unbiased report on communism and Russia but what I got is a professor that makes jokes at communism and people laughing in the audience.If it wasn't for slight biases it would have been better.
Biased but good
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good story bad audio
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good overview of things that happened up to the death of Stalin in 1953, but very skimpy on what happened after that.
dated but interesting
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Good broad overview but needs several updates
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