Epochs of European Civilization: Reformation to the Twenty-First Century

by Geoffrey Hosking, Henry Strozier (Narrator)

set "7 audio cds"plus paper back

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Audiobook

Audio CD

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Geoffrey Alan Hosking is a historian of Russia and the Soviet Union and formerly Leverhulme Research Professor of Russian History at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES) at University College, London.

Reviews

[Dwain · Rating 3 out of 5]

This course had a lot to offer in the way of tidbits of history that I had not heard before. For example, the water-powered grain mill was invented during the Roman empire, but for some reason it never caught on and didn't become widely used until the late middle ages. This isn't just trivia, but part of an explanation of the stagnation of the Roman economy. Interesting book, although very PC at times. An example of this was its treatment of Islam as a challenge to western civilization and Christianity. Prof. Hosking goes way out of his way to talk up Islam as a tolerant and enlightened force during the middle ages. He says that they were the guardians of much of western culture during the middle ages. He doesn't really mention that they were the custodians of western knowledge because they destroyed the previous custodians. He also doesn't mention that the tolerance of Islam was interrupted many times with purges of Jews and Christians, especially during the later middle ages.

[Beauregard Bottomley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Big History look at the steps for making modern Europe up through the Renaissance. He starts the making of modern Europe with Moses crossing the Red Sea, he gives equal credence to the truths (or myths) inherent in the big three religions therefor making them all equally true or equally silly depending on ones perspective. It is not important whether or not their revealed truths are reliable what is important is that latter people believed them and their effects on the development of modernity.

I really enjoyed these lectures, not so much for the new things I learned, but mostly for the way he ties all the pieces of things I already knew together and puts a coherent story to them.

[Rodney Harvill · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this lecture series, Professor Hosking discusses European civilization from the ancient Greeks and Romans to the Renaissance but starts the series with two lectures dealing with ancient Jewish history, definitely not European, because of the Jewish influence on Christianity. Furthermore, he includes a lecture on the birth and spread of Christianity.

Professor Hosking’s primary focus in the lecture series was the development of four major contributions of European civilization to the world:

• The nation state, a sovereign authority attached to a nation or people with a common identity
• Citizenship and the resultant greater commitment to the community
• The scientific method
• Broadly based public finance, in which a government can mobilize the wealth of the entire people

Personally, I thought he did an outstanding job of outlining the development of these contributions, but I had some issues with his discussion of Jewish and Christian history, specifically where he occasionally contradicted something the Bible, the best documentary source of this history, actually said. Examples of issues with Jewish history include:

• Professor Hosking claims that Samuel believed the tribes needed to be united under a monarch and persuaded the people to accept a king. On the contrary, 1 Samuel 8 states that the people wanted a monarch but Samuel didn’t like the idea. He anointed a king only when God told him to do so.
• Professor Hosking claims that Elijah competed with the prophets of Baal to see who could conjure rain after a long period of drought. On the contrary, 1 Kings 17-18 states that Elijah told king Ahab of Israel that it would not rain until he said so on account of the Baal worship. Furthermore, it states that the competition with the prophets of Baal was for God or Baal to send fire down from heaven to consume a sacrifice. Only after God did this was there rain.

Personally, I suspect that Professor Hosking or his source for his information is displaying an anti-supernatural bias against the documentary evidence. Furthermore, how is he so sure that his reconstruction of events is any more accurate than the documentary evidence he apparently rejects?

Another issue I have is Professor Hosking’s assertion that Paul’s doctrines were probably drawn from Eastern religions. Paul had been a Pharisee, with an exceedingly high regard for the Old Testament. Why would he not draw from it? This point was explored in great length in Gresham Machen’s book The Origin of Paul’s Religion, written at a time when scholars who needed to explain the origin of Christian theology without God were proposing other sources such as eastern religion, Greco-Roman paganism, mystery religions and Gnosticism.

If not for these issues, I would have rated the lecture series with four stars. However, on account of them, I am rating it only three stars.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Geoffrey Hosking takes the listener on a journey through the evolution of Europe in part II of a series about European history. In Epochs of European Civilization: Reformation to the Twenty First Century
the following events are explored: The Reformation: Luther and Calvin, The Catholic Reformation and Confessionalization, The Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment, Military Change and "Enlightened Absolution" The French Revolution and Napoleon, The Industrial Revolution and Urbanization, The Rise of German Nationalism, The First Global Economy and Socialism, The First World War and Fascism, and other topics leading to the Fall of the Berlin Wall. This series of lectures along with its predecessor Epochs of European Civilization from Antiquity to the Renaissance is engaging and just challenging enough for the listener to enjoy and enrich their understanding of European history.

[Andreas Sjölin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Del två i föreläsningsserien om den europeiska historien från reformationen till nutid. Sista föreläsningen knyter ihop säcken väl och visar på paradoxen som ryms inom Europa: den har all denna rikedom, välfärd, uppbyggd ur vetenskap och upplysningsideal och har dominerat världen. Samtidigt brottas den med problem om vilka som ska ingå i unionen, saknar militär enhet och stark centralstyrning. Hosking liknar det vid det gamla Aten. Mycket lärorikt och givande långa linjers historia, med en del djupdykningar.

[Melinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great read from the Modern Scholar series. This series takes us through the ages from the Reformation through to modern times. The professor speaks and explains concepts very well - and the reader feels like they have learnt a fair bit by the end of the lecture series.

[Rob Jacobs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good background knowledge.

[Dwain · Rating 3 out of 5]

This course had a lot to offer in the way of tidbits of history that I had not heard before. For example, the water-powered grain mill was invented during the Roman empire, but for some reason it never caught on and didn't become widely used until the late middle ages. This isn't just trivia, but part of an explanation of the stagnation of the Roman economy. Interesting book, although very PC at times. An example of this was its treatment of Islam as a challenge to western civilization and Christianity. Prof. Hosking goes way out of his way to talk up Islam as a tolerant and enlightened force during the middle ages. He says that they were the guardians of much of western culture during the middle ages. He doesn't really mention that they were the custodians of western knowledge because they destroyed the previous custodians. He also doesn't mention that the tolerance of Islam was interrupted many times with purges of Jews and Christians, especially during the later middle ages.

[Bruce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although Professor Hosking of University College London regularly interrupts his own thoughts with “umm” the thoughts are well worth the listening as he insightfully summarizes European history and civilization from the Reformation to 2005 in fourteen short lectures. The short study guide that accompanies the lectures is a bonus that includes maps, portraits, and bibliographies for going into more depth on particular subjects.

[Oscar · Rating 2 out of 5]

This audiobook I kinda felt was too much the edited history narrative. So much of the mainstream history has threads of truth with an agenda of fiction they want you to believe as fact. If one soaks up all the knowledge in this series, and takes it as fact, he has in effect been dumbed down. It follows the narrative generally taught without uncovering the controlled narrative errors and misleads.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has been languishing in the Review to Come pile for a while now, so here it goes. This is an audiobook version of a history lecture. So I'm not sure how many would enjoy it. I picked this up from one of our local library sales since I'm a huge history junkie. Unfortunately, most of what was in this lecture had already been covered in my college classes but it was a good refresher.

[MEK · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dang it! This audio book is overdue! I've only heard the lectures on the Jews and the Greeks. I'll have to re-request it from the library again and pick up with the Romans. ++++ As of 5/4 I'm back on track with this...

[Markus · Rating 4 out of 5]

great primer

[Hakija · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great lecture.