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Must History Repeat the Great Conflicts of This Century?
Will the end of the Cold War bring peace and harmony or war and chaos?
Is America going to play a dominant role in international affairs or is the U.S. in decline?
Is military power still the key to world leadership or has economic power become more important?
Should the U.S. attempt to play the role of global police force or should we withdraw from our overseas military commitments?
Professor Joseph S. Nye, Jr., the Dean of The Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, addresses these issues in this study of international politics.
This course examines the origins of the great conflicts of our century and asks if history is doomed to repeat them.
Twice in the first half of this century, nearly all the great powers engaged in wars that killed nearly 70 million people. During the past 50 years, the Cold War has dominated our lives and international politics.
The aftermath of each war shook the international political system, changed the maps of the world, and set the scene for the next great conflict.
The series examines how concepts like the balance of power and the international system interweave with history. It asks what actually happened in these great conflicts, so we can better evaluate if we are destined to repeat them.
International Politics: Foundations
The first three lectures give you background and tools for the study of international politics.
Lecture 1 discusses the basic international political systems and their characteristics, from empire to the anarchic state system in which we live today.
Lecture 2 deals with the key problem of defining an international system, and it uses the example of the unification of Germany to demonstrate an international political analysis on the individual, the state, and the systemic level.
Lecture 3 gives an introduction to one of the most frequently used concepts in international politics: the balance of power. You examine changing definitions of power as well as the varying definitions of the balance of power. You explore the period between 1814 and 1914 in Europe in order to see different phases of a balance of powers.
International Politics: The First And Second World Wars
Lectures 4 through 6 examine the origins of the great conflicts of the century and the attempts by world leaders to avoid history's mistakes. You discuss the origins of World War I in the balance of power in Europe and increasingly nationalist politics, as well as the fatalism that led states to believe war could not be averted.
Dr. Nye presents Woodrow Wilson's attempt to eliminate war from the face of the earth, along with the problems in U.S. domestic politics and the treaties themselves that doomed the League before it was begun.
You consider whether World War II was an inevitable continuation of World War I. Professor Nye distinguishes the causes of the war in the Pacific from those of the war in Europe. He assesses Hitler's role in the war along with other causes stemming from the Treaty of Versailles.
International Politics: The Present and Future
Lectures 7 and 8 discuss the origins of the cold war and the possibility for change in the international system in the post-cold war world.
You examine the aftermath of World War II and the confrontations that led to a period of intense U.S.-Soviet hostility, and you discuss changes that have occurred in the international political system to preclude repetition of history. The series concludes with an admonition not to simplify current situations into historical analogies.
Is America going to play a dominant role in international affairs or is the U.S. in decline?
Is military power still the key to world leadership or has economic power become more important?
Should the U.S. attempt to play the role of global police force or should we withdraw from our overseas military commitments?
Professor Joseph S. Nye, Jr., the Dean of The Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, addresses these issues in this study of international politics.
This course examines the origins of the great conflicts of our century and asks if history is doomed to repeat them.
Twice in the first half of this century, nearly all the great powers engaged in wars that killed nearly 70 million people. During the past 50 years, the Cold War has dominated our lives and international politics.
The aftermath of each war shook the international political system, changed the maps of the world, and set the scene for the next great conflict.
The series examines how concepts like the balance of power and the international system interweave with history. It asks what actually happened in these great conflicts, so we can better evaluate if we are destined to repeat them.
International Politics: Foundations
The first three lectures give you background and tools for the study of international politics.
Lecture 1 discusses the basic international political systems and their characteristics, from empire to the anarchic state system in which we live today.
Lecture 2 deals with the key problem of defining an international system, and it uses the example of the unification of Germany to demonstrate an international political analysis on the individual, the state, and the systemic level.
Lecture 3 gives an introduction to one of the most frequently used concepts in international politics: the balance of power. You examine changing definitions of power as well as the varying definitions of the balance of power. You explore the period between 1814 and 1914 in Europe in order to see different phases of a balance of powers.
International Politics: The First And Second World Wars
Lectures 4 through 6 examine the origins of the great conflicts of the century and the attempts by world leaders to avoid history's mistakes. You discuss the origins of World War I in the balance of power in Europe and increasingly nationalist politics, as well as the fatalism that led states to believe war could not be averted.
Dr. Nye presents Woodrow Wilson's attempt to eliminate war from the face of the earth, along with the problems in U.S. domestic politics and the treaties themselves that doomed the League before it was begun.
You consider whether World War II was an inevitable continuation of World War I. Professor Nye distinguishes the causes of the war in the Pacific from those of the war in Europe. He assesses Hitler's role in the war along with other causes stemming from the Treaty of Versailles.
International Politics: The Present and Future
Lectures 7 and 8 discuss the origins of the cold war and the possibility for change in the international system in the post-cold war world.
You examine the aftermath of World War II and the confrontations that led to a period of intense U.S.-Soviet hostility, and you discuss changes that have occurred in the international political system to preclude repetition of history. The series concludes with an admonition not to simplify current situations into historical analogies.
Audible Audio
Published July 8, 2013
86 people want to read
About the author
Joseph S. Nye Jr.
77 books298 followersJoseph Samuel Nye Jr. was an American political scientist. He and Robert Keohane co-founded the international relations theory of neoliberalism, which they developed in their 1977 book Power and Interdependence. Together with Keohane, he developed the concepts of asymmetrical and complex interdependence. They also explored transnational relations and world politics in an edited volume in the 1970s. More recently, he pioneered the theory of soft power. His notion of "smart power" ("the ability to combine hard and soft power into a successful strategy") became popular with the use of this phrase by members of the Clinton Administration and the Obama Administration. These theories from Nye are very commonly seen in courses across the U.S., such as I.B. D.P. Global Politics.
Nye was the Dean of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, where he later held the position of University Distinguished Service Professor, Emeritus. In October 2014, Secretary of State John Kerry appointed Nye to the Foreign Affairs Policy Board. He was also a member of the Defense Policy Board. He was a Harvard faculty member since 1964. He was a fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, a foreign fellow of the British Academy, and a member of the American Academy of Diplomacy.
The 2011 Teaching, Research, and International Policy (TRIP) survey of over 1,700 international relations scholars ranked Nye as the sixth most influential scholar in the field of international relations in the past 20 years. He was also ranked as one of the most influential figures in American foreign policy. In 2011, Foreign Policy magazine included him on its list of top global thinkers. In September 2014, Foreign Policy reported that international relations scholars and policymakers ranked Nye as one of the field's most influential scholars.
Nye was the Dean of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, where he later held the position of University Distinguished Service Professor, Emeritus. In October 2014, Secretary of State John Kerry appointed Nye to the Foreign Affairs Policy Board. He was also a member of the Defense Policy Board. He was a Harvard faculty member since 1964. He was a fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, a foreign fellow of the British Academy, and a member of the American Academy of Diplomacy.
The 2011 Teaching, Research, and International Policy (TRIP) survey of over 1,700 international relations scholars ranked Nye as the sixth most influential scholar in the field of international relations in the past 20 years. He was also ranked as one of the most influential figures in American foreign policy. In 2011, Foreign Policy magazine included him on its list of top global thinkers. In September 2014, Foreign Policy reported that international relations scholars and policymakers ranked Nye as one of the field's most influential scholars.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 28, 2022
Buyer beware! This is an old lecture. Older than the 98 copyright provided in the material, the lecturer is clearly performing this before the fall of the Soviet Union judging by the content. That means it's significantly dated at this point. That said it’s a good presentation and the historical perspective of how the napoleonic, first and second world wars changed the political game still holds up and are views you will encounter even today.
It has some historical value as a US positive presentation of its time, predicting that the information economy will spell the end of the Soviet Union along with nationalistic awakenings. Perhaps especially prescient are the thoughts about the diffusion of technology and the worries of the future being transnational issues including terrorism.
Good lecture, just 3 decades out of date.
It has some historical value as a US positive presentation of its time, predicting that the information economy will spell the end of the Soviet Union along with nationalistic awakenings. Perhaps especially prescient are the thoughts about the diffusion of technology and the worries of the future being transnational issues including terrorism.
Good lecture, just 3 decades out of date.
April 19, 2022
Must History Repeat the Great Conflicts of This Century by Joseph Nye is a fantastic introduction to Great Power Politics in International Affairs. The only real failing of the course is that it is 1: Too Short and 2: Too Old. Unlike most humanities or liberal arts courses, Political Science, and International Affairs in particular, is a moving discipline. It reflects the external world and is constantly pushing forward the frontier of our understanding. The IR schools of realists and liberals were kings of the roost back when Nye became a leading scholar in the field. To an extent, they still are, but much has happened to eat away at the edges of their primacy. The field exploded with studies of authoritarianism, non-state violence, and middle power states, all of which seem relevant to the heart of this course. Its age shows more obviously when we take a look at this course as prepared before the Soviet Union fell and the German state fully reunified. China, the principal competitor of focus over the past ten years, was not really on Nye's radar.
I would recommend this course to people just starting out in IR/Security Studies, but it really needs to be updated and extended. Joseph Nye was something of a superstar, so perhaps a good replacement to update the course would be a Hal Brands or Frank Gavin.
89/100
I would recommend this course to people just starting out in IR/Security Studies, but it really needs to be updated and extended. Joseph Nye was something of a superstar, so perhaps a good replacement to update the course would be a Hal Brands or Frank Gavin.
89/100
June 21, 2023
This is a serious college course without a test at the end, the professor quipped. The audience laughed. Apparently this audio course had an audience. I could hear the occassional cough. Nothing annoying. The professor was quite serious as he went through various theories on why wars come about and why they don't. No single theory explains everything, but one could imagine a combination of theories might. There is the one man theory... a single person can turn the course of history... or a series of people. Then there is the economic theory which probably worked best in the 18th and 19th century but less so today. And other theories that the professor applied to the history of war to see which fit best.
The professor didn't mention this but there is that tongue-in-cheek theory that no country with a McDonald's restaurant will ever attack another with a McDonald's restaurant. That was disproven in the Yugoslav Wars.
I found this audio course very helpful I'll probably listen to it again.
The professor didn't mention this but there is that tongue-in-cheek theory that no country with a McDonald's restaurant will ever attack another with a McDonald's restaurant. That was disproven in the Yugoslav Wars.
I found this audio course very helpful I'll probably listen to it again.
December 8, 2024
It’s a series of lectures sharing the same principles and context of Joseph S. Nye Jr.’s masterpiece, Understanding Global Conflict and Cooperation (2011-2017). Undoubtedly, the most influential teaching in the field of political science and international politics. There are several important things in it. Such as unipolar, bipolar, multipolar worlds; the balance of power; interstate dependency; state, non-state, and transnational actors; and so on. The lecturer explains the initial phase of the 19th-century multipolar system that couldn’t prevent the big wars to the present post-Cold War multipolar world while denying the hegemony of the US. In general, the lectures cover alternative views as well as official rhetorics and conspiracy theories to distinguish historical truth. There is no better series of lectures on the topic for any political spectrum.
April 1, 2022
Rather outdated, given that these lectures stem from before the Soviet Union ceased to exist, but nevertheless quite interesting. Of course, being a very short course, it doesn't have time to cover everything it touches on in great detail, but it's a good overview at least.
April 23, 2022
An interesting analysis, my only regret is that it preceded the attacks on Ukraine by Russia.
February 5, 2023
Very good class on learning from.20th century wars that show how modern wars willchange
September 29, 2015
“Beware of historians with bad analogies.”
1 Continuity and Change in World Politics
2 What Is an International System?
3 The Balance of Power and Its Problems
4 The Origins of the First World War
5 The Problems and Promise of Collective Security
6 The Origins of the Second World War
7 The Origins of the Cold War
8 Alternatives to the Present International System
This course was first released in 1991 so it was before the fall of the Soviet Union and the rise of terrorism in the world, but I found it very enlightening and still relevant for today. I wish President Bush and his cabinet had listened to this course before plunging us in another war with Iraq, but what is happened.
Professor Nye gives a promising scenario for the future of the world and the United States in these lectures. The first three (around 45 minutes in length) lectures explain International politics and systems and how important the Balance of Power is.
The next three explain the origins of the World Wars and the different scenarios that could have happened instead of global conflicts. I have always thought that they were inevitable but through his perspective, I can see how things could have been different.
The seventh chapter takes on the Cold War and how it happened and if it was necessary. I found it fascinating.
My favorite lecture was his last on what the future may hold for us as a nation and the world at large. While he didn’t take on China or terrorism directly, he did show the way to a peaceful future in a global economy. If the world relies on each country for its economic base, than why would we want to fight? If we use democracy as a helpful tool for the poorer nations of the world, it is less likely that democracies fight each other.
I loved these lectures and it helped me understand why the world is so screwed up, but it also showed me why history doesn’t have to repeat itself.
1 Continuity and Change in World Politics
2 What Is an International System?
3 The Balance of Power and Its Problems
4 The Origins of the First World War
5 The Problems and Promise of Collective Security
6 The Origins of the Second World War
7 The Origins of the Cold War
8 Alternatives to the Present International System
This course was first released in 1991 so it was before the fall of the Soviet Union and the rise of terrorism in the world, but I found it very enlightening and still relevant for today. I wish President Bush and his cabinet had listened to this course before plunging us in another war with Iraq, but what is happened.
Professor Nye gives a promising scenario for the future of the world and the United States in these lectures. The first three (around 45 minutes in length) lectures explain International politics and systems and how important the Balance of Power is.
The next three explain the origins of the World Wars and the different scenarios that could have happened instead of global conflicts. I have always thought that they were inevitable but through his perspective, I can see how things could have been different.
The seventh chapter takes on the Cold War and how it happened and if it was necessary. I found it fascinating.
My favorite lecture was his last on what the future may hold for us as a nation and the world at large. While he didn’t take on China or terrorism directly, he did show the way to a peaceful future in a global economy. If the world relies on each country for its economic base, than why would we want to fight? If we use democracy as a helpful tool for the poorer nations of the world, it is less likely that democracies fight each other.
I loved these lectures and it helped me understand why the world is so screwed up, but it also showed me why history doesn’t have to repeat itself.
June 14, 2013
I did really enjoy this 8-lectures series (audio lecture format), despite being out-of-date (published in 1998). Prof Nye traces the causes of the major conflicts of the 20th century (WWI, WWII, Cold War) with the overriding question "is history repeating itself?" His presentation style is all business, but light enough to keep my interest...I would imagine his books might be on the dry side. If you want a brief overview of the political and social reasons for the greatest conflicts in human history, this one's for you. For myself, I'll be delving into the details of each war, using what I've learned in these lectures. Enjoy.
March 3, 2017
Short series of 8 lectures, but rather dry. I always learn a tremendous amount from TTC, but this one is a subject that would benefit from yearly updates. Furthermore, it should cover more Modern Conflict than those of the World Wars. We are in a new century, after all. This could help keep the attention of the younger listening crowd.
December 13, 2011
these lectures are bit interesting but bit short and out dated as the lecturer is speaking maybe 1 or 2 years before the fall of the USSR
August 14, 2014
A bit out of date, having come out just as the Soviet Union was collapsing, this is nevertheless a great little primer on international relations.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews