War, Peace, and Power: Diplomatic History of Europe, 1500�2000
Taught By Professor Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania,
University of Tennessee
AUDIO MP3 (96Kbps)
For much of the past five centuries, the history of the European continent has been a history of chaos, its civilization thrown into turmoil by ferocious wars or bitter religious conflicts�sometimes in combination�that have made and remade borders, created and eliminated entire nations, and left a legacy that is still influencing our world.
Is there an explanation for this chaos that goes beyond the obvious: political ambition, religious intolerance, the pursuit of state power, or the fear of another state's aspirations? Can we discover a hidden logic that could possibly explain the Thirty Years' War, the Napoleonic Wars, two World Wars, and other examples of national bloodletting? Is it possible to formulate a meaningful rationale against which to order a history as tumultuous as Europe's, gaining insights that enrich our understanding of Europe's past and future, and perhaps even of ours as well?

Espionage and Covert Operations: A Global History
Taught By Professor Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania,
University of Tennessee
24 Lectures (30 minutes / lecture)
Course No. 8922
Hidden deep within the daily workings of governments and civilizations is a secret world of mystery, danger, and intrigue. A world where deception is a form of art. Where people are never who they say they are. Where the tiniest observation has the power to save an empire or spark a global war.
Welcome to the world of the spy�a world that most of us associate with popular fiction and film but the true story of which is more fascinating, surprising, and important than you could possibly imagine.
For thousands of years, espionage and covert operations have been powerful but shadowy forces.