From Napoleon’s revolutionary campaigns to the way insurgency, terrorism, and nuclear weaponry have defined the nature of warfare in the 21st century, the results of military strategy have changed the course of history. These 24 thought-provoking lectures give you an inside look at both the content and historical context of the world’s greatest war strategists.

From the triremes and hoplites of ancient Greece to the Special Forces in 21st-century Afghanistan, strategy is the process by which political objectives are translated into military action – using the means at a nation’s disposal to compel an enemy to bend to its political will.

In this concise and rigorous survey, Professor Wilson introduces: Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War; Sun Tzu’s famous The Art of War; Machiavelli’s strategy for a republic with a citizen-army; Jomini, Clausewitz, and the Napoleonic revolution in warfare; the development of naval strategy and the rise of airpower; Mao Tse-tung, David Galula, and Roger Trinquier’s reflections on insurgency and counterinsurgency and their influence on the U.S. Army’s Field Manual 3-24; Just-war theory, from Thucydides’ Melian Dialogue to Operation Iraqi Freedom; nuclear war, terrorism, and other strategic challenges for the 21st century.

You’ll come away from this course with new insight that will allow you to take an informed, active interest in political and military debates – which ultimately will determine the course of our nation.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this course are those of the professor and do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.

Masters of War: History’s Greatest Strategic Thinkers gives you an inside look at both the content and historical context of the world’s greatest war strategists. Taught by Professor Andrew R. Wilson, who serves on the faculty of the elite U.S. Naval War College, these 24 lectures will change the way you read newspaper headlines by instilling in you a new appreciation for the subtleties and complexities of strategy—and how nations and military leaders have adapted to the dynamic realm of fog, friction, and chance.

• See how George Washington adapted his strategy after losing New York during the American Revolution.
• Learn why FDR went against the advice of Chief of Staff George Marshall and embarked on a campaign in north Africa in the summer of 1942.
• Trace the United States’ Pacific strategy, from War Plan Dog to Guadalcanal to the island-hopping campaign.
• Apply Clausewitz’s “culminating point of victory” to the Persian Gulf War.
• Consider the strategy behind recent U. N. airstrikes in Libya.

The great masters of war have been writing about strategy for thousands of years, and understanding their works can help a nation achieve military and political success. You’ll come away from this course with new insight that will allow you to take an informed, active interest in political and military debates—which ultimately will determine the course of our nation.

Explore Strategy from Ancient Greece to the 21st Century

Warfare has changed, yet the classics of strategic thought endure. From the triremes and hoplites of ancient Greece to the Special Forces in 21st-century Afghanistan, strategy is the process by which political objectives are translated into military action—using the means at a nation’s disposal to compel an enemy to bend to its political will.

The best way to hone your strategic analysis is to study the classics of strategic theory and to test these theories across a range of historical and contemporary cases. Masters of War offers a concise and rigorous survey of history’s greatest students of war, placing each theorist within his unique historical and strategic context:

• Thucydides’ history of the Peloponnesian War
• Sun Tzu’s famous The Art of War
• Machiavelli’s strategy for a republic with a citizen-army
• Jomini, Clausewitz, and the Napoleonic revolution in warfare
• The development of naval strategy and the rise of airpower
• Mao Tse-tung, David Galula, and Roger Trinquier’s reflections on insurgency and counterinsurgency—and their influence on the U. S. Army’s Field Manual 3-24
• Just-war theory, from Thucydides’ Melian Dialogue to Operation Iraqi Freedom
• Nuclear war, terrorism, and other strategic challenges for the 21st century

Throughout Masters of War: History’s Greatest Strategic Thinkers, you’ll explore the social and moral dimensions of war and statesmanship; you’ll probe unresolved questions about limited nuclear war, the possibility of a just war, and the efficacy of our counterterrorist tactics; and you’ll come away with the confidence to participate in strategic debates—not only about present conflicts, but those in the future.

About the Author

Dr. Andrew R. Wilson is Professor of Strategy and Policy at the United States Naval War College in Newport, RI. He received a B.A. in East Asian Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and earned his Ph.D. in History and East Asian Languages from Harvard University. An award-winning professor and an expert in both military history and strategic theory, Professor Wilson has lectured on Asian military history, the classics of strategic theory, Chinese military modernization, and Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, among other topics. Prior to joining the Naval War College, he taught Chinese history at Wellesley College and at Harvard University.

Product details

• Full Audiobook MP3 Program
• Full PDF Guidebook Included
• Listening Length : 12 hours and 13 minutes
• Author : Andrew R. Wilson, The Great Courses
• Narrator : Andrew R. Wilson
• Release Date : July 08, 2013
• Publisher : The Great Courses
• Version : Original recording
• Language : English
• ASIN B00DTO4GHC

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A knowledge of China’s imperial history is vital for any understanding of its present, as modern China is linked in many ways to the extraordinary culture of its empire. These 24 lectures take you to the heart of life during China’s imperial era, through the lives of individual subjects of all social ranks. Across the arc of the course, you’ll witness what daily life was like for government bureaucrats, for scholars, for women of the court, for soldiers, merchants, craftspeople, courtesans, imperial cooks, and many others – all against the backdrop of the diversity, the genius, and the majesty of imperial China.

You’ll hear about such memorable sights as the grand boulevards; splendorous palaces; imposing temples of Chang’an, the medieval world’s greatest city; and the Qingming Shanghetu, a 17-foot painted scroll that gloriously portrays Song Dynasty life. And you’ll meet unforgettable human beings, whose lives vividly reveal the world around them, such as Ban Zhao, Han-era woman of letters, poet, scholar, and teacher; Tao Yuanming, Daoist luminary and the empire’s first great poet; Zhu Yuanzhang, powerful warlord and founder of the Ming Dynasty; and Hong Xiuquan, visionary reformer and architect of the religiously inspired Taiping Rebellion.

Understanding Imperial China: Dynasties, Life, and Culture is your passport to this incredible, historic world.

Journey to One of History’s Greatest Empires

In 24 extraordinary lectures, you’ll explore numerous vital facets of life in imperial China, such as these:

• Visit the Qin imperial necropolis in 211 BCE, where an army of masons, painters, and potters labored to assemble the 7,000 terra-cotta warriors, promising emperor Qinshi Huangdi martial dominance in the afterlife.
• Observe how a Chinese daughter became a guixiu or cultivated young lady, from mastering graceful behavior and household skills to the painful rite of foot binding— witness her marriage arrangements, wedding festivities, and her duties as wife.
• Grasp the deeply integral role and meaning of poetry in the Tang Dynasty; see how poetry of distinct genres such as court poetry, nature poetry, and occasional poetry was employed in specific social settings—even including verses scribbled on the flesh of courtesans.
• Travel to Xanadu, the bejeweled imperial seat of Kublai Khan, and witness the multiculturalism of the Mongol rulers of China through the eyes of Marco Polo, the missionary Giovanni de Montecorvino, and other Western observers.

Understanding Imperial China: Dynasties, Life, and Culture shows you how life was actually lived in the world-shaping times of China’s empire. Across the span of the course, you’ll discover what daily existence was like for government bureaucrats, scholars, and women of the court, as well as for soldiers, merchants, craftspeople, and even for concubines, eunuchs, and imperial cooks. Drawing on decades of dedicated research, Professor Wilson uncovers how these people and many others lived, what they ate, and what their activities and concerns were—their world and their worldview—all set against the backdrop of the richness, the diversity, the genius, and the splendor of imperial China.

Through these intimate glimpses of individual lives—across the great dynastic eras of the Qin, Han, Sui, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing—you’ll gain an inside look at China’s empire, how its traditions developed, and how the Chinese civilization we know came to be.

Look Deeply into Chinese Dynastic Life

In these enthralling lectures, Professor Wilson introduces you to a stunning range of subject matter, revealing all strata of life and society within imperial China. Among core aspects of imperial life, you’ll delve into:

• Opulent Lifestyles of the Han Nobility: Through stunning tomb artifacts, visualize the sumptuous mansion and social existence of Xin Zhui, prominent Han noblewoman. Take account of her family’s luxurious household, silk garments, lavish banquets, and entertainments, as well as their concern for learning and scholarship during the empire’s first golden age.
• Life on the Imperial Grand Canal: Discover the ingenious engineering, the lore, and the vast historical role of the Grand Canal, as it linked and integrated the empire economically, culturally, and politically. Witness the operation of the canal by bargemen, merchants, shipping brokers, customs agents, and others, and learn how the fortunes of the canal reflected those of the empire itself.
• The Celebrated Song Literati: Take the measure of the cultured class of gentlemen-scholars known as literati. Follow the careers, writings, and societal roles of two exemplars of this tradition: Su Shi, public servant, poet, painter, raconteur, and style setter; and Zhu Xi, educator, moral philosopher and Neo-Confucian innovator.
• The Empire’s Peasant Heartland: Within two lectures on rural life, investigate agriculture in the empire and the daily lives of peasants—their work and gender roles, family composition, homes, diet, and clothing. Learn also how rural workers cultivated and harvested rice, grew and processed tea, and produced China’s iconic silk.
• Sophisticated Living under the Ming: In the 16th century, grasp how flourishing trade in luxury goods and the import of New World silver gave rise to a remarkable era of high living—seen in the appearance of dinner parties; palatial restaurants; high fashion; pleasure travel; how-to guides for cooking, painting, and other leisure activities; commercial sex; and more.
• Imperial Gastronomy—The Qing Emperor’s Kitchens: At emperor Qianlong’s spectacular summer retreat, observe the massive apparatus of the Imperial Buttery as it prepares a luxuriant banquet. See how imperial menus reflected the social rank of diners, and how an epic feast in 1793 served as the setting for a Sino-British diplomatic encounter.

Explore the Dazzling Spectrum of Imperial Culture

Throughout the course, Professor Wilson’s detailed knowledge of China’s empire makes this an endlessly intriguing and engrossing journey. Within the wealth of historical narratives covered, he demonstrates a flair for describing events from centuries past as if they’re unfolding in present time.

Join aspiring bureaucrats on the path to the harrowing civil service examinations. From the years of studious preparation to the heart-stopping ordeal of the exams, you witness the process that forged the jinshi, the “elevated men” who administered the empire. In another unique experience, enter the opium salons of the elite, where connoisseurs savor the drug in pipes fashioned of cloisonné, silver, or ivory.

Your travels within the empire include such memorable sights as the grand boulevards, splendorous palaces and imposing temples of Chang’an, the medieval world’s greatest city, and the Qingming Shanghetu, a 17-foot painted scroll that gloriously portrays Song Dynasty life. And you’ll meet unforgettable human beings, whose lives vividly reveal the world around them, such as Ban Zhao, Han-era woman of letters, poet, scholar, and teacher; Tao Yuanming, Daoist luminary and the empire’s first great poet; Zhu Yuanzhang, powerful warlord and founder of the Ming Dynasty; and Hong Xiuquan, visionary reformer and architect of the religiously-inspired Taiping Rebellion.

In Professor Wilson’s dynamic presentation, China’s great empire comes alive in all its brilliance, poignancy, and majesty. Enriched with extraordinary imagery—artworks, texts, photos, timelines, maps, and animations—Understanding Imperial China: Dynasties, Life, and Culture is your passport to this phenomenal, historic world.

About the Author

Dr. Andrew R. Wilson is Professor of Strategy and Policy at the United States Naval War College in Newport, RI. He received a B.A. in East Asian Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and earned his Ph.D. in History and East Asian Languages from Harvard University. An award-winning professor and an expert in both military history and strategic theory, Professor Wilson has lectured on Asian military history, the classics of strategic theory, Chinese military modernization, and Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, among other topics. Prior to joining the Naval War College, he taught Chinese history at Wellesley College and at Harvard University. Additionally, he has been invited to speak at numerous military colleges and universities in the United States. Professor Wilson is the author of numerous articles on Chinese military history, Chinese sea power, and Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. His books include Ambition and Identity: Chinese Merchant-Elites in Colonial Manila, 1885-1916; The Chinese in the Caribbean; China’s Future Nuclear Submarine Force; and War, Virtual War and Society. He has lectured on strategic theory and international security in nearly two dozen countries and six continents, and he has contributed to the curriculum of military colleges all over the world. The views expressed in this course are those of the professor and do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.

Product details

• Full Audiobook MP3 Program
• Full PDF Guidebook Included
• Listening Length: 12 hours and 27 minutes
• Author: Andrew R. Wilson, The Great Courses
• Narrator: The Great Courses
• Release Date: 22 September 2017
• Publisher: The Great Courses
• Version: Original recording
• Language: English
• ASIN B0758Q7BWL

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