Western Civ

Europe finally reacts to the French Revolution, and a startling discovery sets in motion events which will condemn Louis XVI to death.Western Civ 2.0

Saint-Dominque, soon to be Haiti, erupts in its own revolution.Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial

Louis XVI makes a break for it. France passes a new Constitution into law. And the storm clouds continue to grow around the French Revolution.Western Civ 2.0

Riots in Paris provoke unrest, while in the countryside French peasants recoil at attacks upon the Catholic Church.Western Civ Podcast 2.0

Bread shortages force the Revolution's hand.Western Civ Podcast 2.0

The French Revolution gets serious as the people of Paris rise up and storm the Bastille. Western Civ Podcast 2.0

In this bonus interview, I sit down with Phillips Payson O'Brien and we discuss his latest book: War and Power: Who Wins Wars—and Why. For nearly two centuries, international relations have been premised on the idea of the “Great Powers.” As the thinking went, these mighty states—the European empires of the nineteenth century, the United States and the USSR during the Cold War—were uniquely able to exert their influence on the world stage because of their overwhelming military capabilities. But as military historian Phillips Payson O’Brien argues in War and Power, this conception of power fails to capture the more complicated truth about how wars are fought and won.Our focus on the importance of large, well-equipped armies and conclusive battles has obscured the foundational forces that underlie military victories and the actual mechanics of successful warfare. O’Brien suggests a new framework of “full-spectrum powers,” taking into account all of the diverse factors that make a state strong—from economic and technological might, to political stability, to the complex logistics needed to maintain forces in the field.Drawing on examples ranging from Napoleon’s France to today’s ascendant China, War and Power offers a critical new understanding of what makes a power truly great. It is vital reading in today’s perilous world.Buy The Book HereSupport Western Civ

An oath on a tennis court, of all things, sparks the French Revolution.Western Civ Podcast 2.0

Efforts to reform France under Louis XV and Louis XVI fail, plunging the kingdom into the flood of revolution. Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial

Also known as the Ancien Regimé, the system of France going into the revolution was maddeningly complex and, seemingly, designed to fail. Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial

The Americans won their independence, but what would they do with it?Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial

Today I sit down with historian Edward J. Watts and talk about his latest book: The Romans.When we think of “ancient Romans” today, many picture the toga-clad figures of Cicero and Caesar, presiding over a republic, and then an empire, before seeing their world collapse at the hands of barbarians in the fifth century AD.  The Romans does away with this narrow vision by offering the first comprehensive account of ancient Rome over the course of two millennia. Prize-winning historian Edward J. Watts recounts the full sweep of Rome’s epic past: the Punic Wars, the fall of the republic, the coming of Christianity, Alaric’s sack of Rome, the rise of Islam, the Battle of Manzikert, and the onslaught of the Crusaders who would bring about the empire’s end. Watts shows that the source of Rome’s enduring strength was the diverse range of people who all called themselves Romans. This is the Rome of Augustus, Marcus Aurelius, and Constantine, but also Charlemagne, Justinian, and Manuel Comnenus—and countless other men and women who together made it the most resilient state the world has ever seen.  BUY THE BOOK HERESUPPORT WESTERN CIV

Washington's victory at Yorktown effectively ends the war and costs Great Britain her colonies.Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial

The Battle of Saratoga turns the tide while Washington builds resilience in Valley Forge.Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial

The American colonists vote for independence and Washington crosses the Delaware. Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial