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Foundations of Western Civilization II: A History of the Modern Western World

Expand your understanding into the depth and breadth of an unprecedented period in world history with an expert historian as your guide.
 
 
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Brings the History Alive This is a course of 48 classes covering some 500 years. Obviously, it cannot be in depth, but Professor Bucholz did a great job in this fast paced survey of the latter part of Western Civilization. I normally watch two Great Courses classes while I exercise. I frequently found myself watching a third and at least once, a fourth class, as I had become so interested. The professor has a very engaging teaching style and has a love for his subject. He is definitely in the camp that believes we should be learning from history. His presentation of the Holocaust was very passionate. As he put it towards the end of the course, human beings only have a very thin veil of civilization wrapped around them that frequently falls off much too easily. Learning history is one way of hopefully keeping that veil in place. Not being able to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up, I had four different majors in my university career, History was one of those. I still enjoy it and considering learning about history one of my hobbies. If you enjoy learning about history, you will enjoy this course.
Date published: 2025-01-12
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Excellent, Excellent and Excellent The presenter did such a great job I just had to read the guide book along with the lessons. A perfect match for Western Civilization I.
Date published: 2024-09-25
Rated 3 out of 5 by from First course I was not 100% satisfied Generally the course was very informative to me, a newcomer in history studies. Unfortunately I early sensed a left-leaning anti-conservative bias, not a strong one, but nethertheless identifiable, which I found rather uncomfortable. I am also - like others - of the opinion, that Thomas Noble mad a better job in giving a well rounded objective picture of the subject. Finally I have to say, that - having finished to course - in my opinion there is a lack of wisdom in Professor Buchholtz final analysis.
Date published: 2024-05-26
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Fantastic The material covered in this course is very comprehensive as reflected in the number of lectures. Professor Bucholz delivers each topic with passion and makes the course that much more enjoyable and interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed the course and learned quite a bit from it.
Date published: 2024-04-08
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Amazingly captivating lectures I never liked history lessons but this series left me wanting more, more of the superb storytelling by prof B…
Date published: 2024-01-05
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Outstanding modern perspective! Well worth it. This s is a terrific example of “right update, right time, and (in particular) right teacher. Professor Bucholz is a passionate, enthusiastic, and wonderfully approachable scholar who outlines wonderfully new research in a talented manner that conveys, but also creates wonderful opportunities to think, ponder, and seek more. Outstandingly worth it. Highly recommend.
Date published: 2023-10-19
Rated 4 out of 5 by from Overall an excellent survey of Modern History Professor Bucholz is an excellent lecturer who keeps your attention and interest. I have his courses about English History and London as well. To me the only downside is his American bias in 20th century events.
Date published: 2023-08-09
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Excellent Overview Course I thoroughly enjoyed Dr. Bucholz's course. Obviously with such a broad subject matter, in many instances the treatment of the subject was pretty much at the surface level. However, the course provided an excellent overview of so much of Western civilization. I very much enjoyed his comments about what constitutes "civilization" and how we in America match up against his definition. Man's inhumanity to man continues and where is the "civilization."
Date published: 2023-07-28
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Foundations of Western Civilization II: A History of the Modern Western World

Trailer

The Importance of the West

01: The Importance of the West

This lecture is an overview of the past 500 years of European history and culture—the system of government, economic structures, science and technology, and much of the literature, art, and music.

32 min
Geography Is Destiny

02: Geography Is Destiny

We look at how the physical realities of Europe and the Atlantic world—its geography and climate—shaped its destiny by affecting patterns of population, immigration, diplomacy, war, and political and cultural divisions.

31 min
Culture Is Destiny

03: Culture Is Destiny

The "Great Chain of Being" assumed an ordered, hierarchical universe in which humans—like angels, animals, plants, and even stones—were placed in a particular rank by God. As Europe emerges from the Middle Ages, that concept is challenged and strained by forces in politics, society, religion, and culture.

30 min
Renaissance Humanism—1350–1650

04: Renaissance Humanism—1350–1650

A revived interest in the literary and historical works of classical Greece and Rome unleashes new ideas about the qualifications of a gentleman, the role of women, and the expectations of a prince—with a resulting emphasis on textual accuracy, literacy, education, and the human and practical.

31 min
Renaissance Princes—1450–1600

05: Renaissance Princes—1450–1600

The Humanist emphasis dovetails with the rise of a new kind of ruler, with expanding powers in every area of life and seeking to pay for their ambitions by claiming trade routes to the Far East and the Americas.

31 min
The New World & the Old—1400–1650

06: The New World & the Old—1400–1650

The exploration and exploitation of Africa and Asia by the Portuguese, and of the Americas by first the Spanish, then the French and English, change the economies, cultures, and political makeup of these regions forever.

31 min
The Protestant Reformation—1500–22

07: The Protestant Reformation—1500–22

The rise of literacy and the development of the printing press make possible the dissemination of powerful new ideas—particularly those of Augustinian priest and reformer Martin Luther.

31 min
The Wars of Religion—1523–1648

08: The Wars of Religion—1523–1648

The Reformation splits Europe into opposing camps, producing a series of bloodbaths culminating in the Thirty Years' War, the near-bankruptcy of Spain, and the eventual conviction that perhaps religious matters are best settled peacefully.

31 min
Rational & Scientific Revolutions—1450–1650

09: Rational & Scientific Revolutions—1450–1650

Beginning with Copernicus in the 15th century, European thinkers such as Galileo, Kepler, Bacon, and Newton question old views on how the world works, pioneering the Scientific Method.

30 min
French Absolutism—1589–1715

10: French Absolutism—1589–1715

Following the disasters of the Wars of Religion, the monarchies of Europe experience a crisis of authority. The French response—ultimately perfected by Louis XIV—of an absolutism that makes the king a virtual god on Earth becomes an object of envy and imitation for nearly every monarchy on the continent.

31 min
English Constitutionalism—1603–49

11: English Constitutionalism—1603–49

The Stuart monarchs of England struggle with Parliament and their own foibles and extravagance. The resulting English Civil Wars culminate in the trial and execution of King Charles I in 1649.

31 min
English Constitutionalism—1649–89

12: English Constitutionalism—1649–89

After the execution of Charles I, England experiments with a republic, a protectorate, and even, once again, a semi-absolutist monarchy, before the Glorious Revolution sets an example of an alternative, more democratic, form of government for Europe and the Americas.

30 min
War, Trade, Empire—1688–1702

13: War, Trade, Empire—1688–1702

The Revolution of 1688–89 precipitates a series of general European wars pitting the French against the British and Dutch for mastery in Europe and control of trade with colonies in America and Asia.

31 min
War, Trade, Empire—1702–14

14: War, Trade, Empire—1702–14

Building on its military success—powered by innovative deficit financing—Britain becomes the most prosperous trading nation in Europe, with much of the foundation of that prosperity built on the misery of Africans forced into the Triangular Atlantic trade in sugar, tobacco, and African slaves.

30 min
War, Trade, Empire—1714–63

15: War, Trade, Empire—1714–63

Most of Europe, and France in particular, emerges from two decades of warfare exhausted financially and militarily, but the peace is temporary. A new round of conflicts leaves Britain the undisputed master of the Canadian and Eastern seaboards of North America.

31 min
Life Under the Ancien Régime—1689–1789

16: Life Under the Ancien Régime—1689–1789

Thanks to commercial and financial revolutions, the middling orders of merchants and professionals are growing in numbers, wealth, and political savvy—and will be key to the coming revolution in European social and economic relations.

31 min
Enlightenment & Despotism

17: Enlightenment & Despotism

European thinkers such as Voltaire, Diderot, Montesquieu, and Rousseau expand the ideas of Locke and others in a movement that comes to be known as the Enlightenment. When even enlightened monarchs fail to change their societies, some Europeans begin to consider an alternative: revolution.

31 min
The American Revolution

18: The American Revolution

The American Revolution becomes a fight over Enlightenment ideas. The new republic and its constitution represent the first comprehensive attempt to put those ideas into practice and become a model and inspiration to Europeans who want reform.

31 min
The French Revolution—1789–92

19: The French Revolution—1789–92

Nearly bankrupted by its participation in the American Revolution, and unable to achieve reform under its existing system, France becomes a constitutional monarchy, with aristocratic privilege abolished and a Declaration of the Rights of Man set forth. But will Louis XVI accept his reduced role?

31 min
The French Revolution—1792–1803

20: The French Revolution—1792–1803

As the king—urged on by monarchs elsewhere—refuses that new role, the Revolution turns violent, unleashing a Reign of Terror that eventually brings about war with virtually every other monarchy in Europe, a new nationalism, and the rule of Napoleon Bonaparte.

30 min
The Napoleonic Empire—1803–15

21: The Napoleonic Empire—1803–15

Despite a succession of brilliant victories, Napoleon's efforts to conquer Britain and force the nations of Europe into his system meet with eventual defeat. Nevertheless, the sense of nationalism spread by France has changed the political climate, as the Congress of Vienna learns in attempting to restore the Bourbon monarchy.

30 min
Beginnings of Industrialization—1760–1850

22: Beginnings of Industrialization—1760–1850

While several factors make Europe the logical place for industrialization to begin, it is Britain's advantages—financial, political, and social—that makes it the best-suited country to exploit those conditions. The result is a host of brilliant inventors, financiers, and managers who bring about the first Industrial Revolution.

30 min
Consequences of Industrialization—1760–1850

23: Consequences of Industrialization—1760–1850

The consequences of the first Industrial Revolution do more to create today's world than any other development studied in this course. But its innovations have a dark side that draws multiple responses from European intellectuals—which we examine in the next three lectures.

30 min
The Liberal Response—1776–1861

24: The Liberal Response—1776–1861

The appalling conditions of life and work for the working class produce a series of intellectual and political reactions in Western Europe, with the best routes to reform the subject of wide-ranging debate among liberal thinkers.

31 min
The Romantic Response—1789–1870

25: The Romantic Response—1789–1870

In the face of half-hearted or partial solutions to the problems of the Industrial Revolution, Romantic writers such as Wordsworth, Blake, and Shelley urge revolution, forever altering how Europeans and, later, Americans, perceive the world.

31 min
The Socialist Response—1813–1905

26: The Socialist Response—1813–1905

The urgings of early Socialists for voluntarily sharing wealth eventually give way to the demands of Marx and Engels for more radical action. Though Marx's critique is influential, several factors prevent industrial Europe from ever experiencing the revolution for which he calls.

31 min
Descent of Man; Rise of Woman—1830–90

27: Descent of Man; Rise of Woman—1830–90

Industrialization is the material product of an age of scientific advance. But science, with its emphasis on empirical evidence, reason, and experimentation, also revolutionizes how Europeans think, as one after another, fundamental beliefs and traditions are challenged.

31 min
Nationalism—1815–48

28: Nationalism—1815–48

The Industrial Revolution is primarily a northern and western European phenomenon. Elsewhere, the big issue is nationalism, and the failure of the Congress of Vienna to take nationalism and liberalism into account leads to revolutions across Europe throughout the next 30 years.

30 min
Nationalism—1848–71

29: Nationalism—1848–71

Despite the rise of nationalism on the continent, the balance of European power remains stable. It is not until the unification of Germany at the end of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871 that this fragile balance is affected for generations to come.

30 min
Imperial Rivalry—1870–1914

30: Imperial Rivalry—1870–1914

The European powers, as well as the United States, seek new empires overseas. The resulting competition for colonies breeds conflict between nations that otherwise have no reason to fight, a factor that in the long run contributes to World War I.

31 min
Industrial Rivalry—1870–1914

31: Industrial Rivalry—1870–1914

The second Industrial Revolution creates, for most people, a cornucopia of opportunities and new products. Internationally, two new industrial giants arise to challenge Great Britain, and tensions with one help to frame World War I.

30 min
The Alliance System—1872–1914

32: The Alliance System—1872–1914

A series of interlocking treaties devised by Otto von Bismarck to ease conditions in the Balkans prevents nationalistic and economic pressures from exploding into full-scale European war, but new tensions eventually grow to overwhelm it.

30 min
Decadence & Malaise—circa 1900

33: Decadence & Malaise—circa 1900

The start of the Great War is greeted by cheering crowds and floods of volunteering men all over Europe. For some the reasons involve nationalism and patriotism; for others it's a chance to flee a stagnant economy or find answers for a society and culture in flux.

30 min
The Great War Begins—1914–16

34: The Great War Begins—1914–16

The rapid mobilization of Russia and the determined resistance of France ruin Germany's plans for quick victory. The new inventions of the second Industrial Revolution give the defensive side all the advantages, and the armies of Europe are locked into a bloody stalemate of trench warfare.

30 min
Breaking the Deadlock—1915–17

35: Breaking the Deadlock—1915–17

Both sides try in vain to break the deadlock. Germany's sinking of merchant ships inevitably draws America into the war. In 1917, the Germans play another card as they attempt to foment revolution in Russia.

31 min
The Russian Revolution—1917–22

36: The Russian Revolution—1917–22

The most backward and repressive nation in Europe, terribly overmatched in the war, experiences the overthrow of both its czar and the republican government that succeeds him before suing for peace with Germany and establishing the world's first Communist government.

31 min
The End of the War—1917–22

37: The End of the War—1917–22

Its final effort to win the war thwarted, and facing food and fuel shortages, Germany finally agrees to an armistice. The ensuing peace conference produces a treaty that will weaken the German economy and breed tremendous resentment.

31 min
Recovery & Depression in the West—1919–36

38: Recovery & Depression in the West—1919–36

The world economy only slowly recovers from the Great War. America emerges as both Europe's creditor and the world's wealthiest nation, with the collapse of the stock market having a disastrous ripple effect.

30 min
Totalitarian Russia—1918–39

39: Totalitarian Russia—1918–39

Lenin's early experiments with forced collectivization at home and revolution abroad are disastrous for the Soviet Union's domestic and foreign policy and even worse for its people. When Lenin dies, a vicious power struggle results in the rise of Josef Stalin.

30 min
Fascist Italy, Nazi Germany—1922–36

40: Fascist Italy, Nazi Germany—1922–36

The disillusionment in Europe with democracy and, later, capitalism following the Great War and the Great Depression make alternatives seem reasonable. Mussolini and Hitler seize power and create states that boast full employment—at a price.

30 min
The Holocaust—1933–45

41: The Holocaust—1933–45

The Nazi regime embarks on the extermination of Jews, Slavs, homosexuals, and other "undesirables" in Europe. The lecture concludes with a meditation on the meaning of this crime and its implications for the concept of Western civilization.

31 min
The Failure of Diplomacy—1935–39

42: The Failure of Diplomacy—1935–39

In both the Far East and Europe, aggression brings the world closer to war. Following its earlier invasion of Manchuria with an invasion of the rest of northern China in 1937, Japan has joined the Axis powers, and Hitler marches a rearmed Germany into the Rhineland, Austria, and then Czechoslovakia.

31 min
World War II—1939–42

43: World War II—1939–42

This first lecture on World War II begins with Hitler's Blitzkrieg invasion of Poland and continues until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and Hitler's decision to declare war on the United States.

30 min
World War II—1942–45

44: World War II—1942–45

From 1942 on, the sheer size of the Soviet Union and its army, combined with the industrial might of the United States, guarantee an Allied victory—but the cost will be very high.

31 min
American Hegemony, Soviet Challenge—1945–75

45: American Hegemony, Soviet Challenge—1945–75

The two undisputed superpowers threaten each other with nuclear arsenals and fight proxy wars for global dominance. Americans use their leadership and wealth to establish democracies in Germany and Italy and to restore Western European economies through the Marshall Plan. This lecture doesn't address the end of the Cold War.

30 min
Rebuilding Europe—1945–85

46: Rebuilding Europe—1945–85

The great nations of Europe are forced to re-evaluate their positions. Gradually, often reluctantly, and sometimes violently, they divest themselves of overseas colonies, accommodate themselves to a precarious existence between the superpowers, and concentrate on rebuilding their economies.

30 min
The New Europe—1985–2001

47: The New Europe—1985–2001

After the fall of the Soviet Union, the nations of Europe form a European Union with an aim to reshape the politics and economics of the region and the world, even as it deals with many new challenges.

30 min
The Meaning of Western Civilization

48: The Meaning of Western Civilization

At the dawn of the 21st century, the European legacy of democracy, capitalism, and relative freedom for the individual is challenged by internal and external movements, including the rise of religious fundamentalism, international terrorism, tensions over immigration, and integration into a global economy. Will European ideals survive?

32 min

Overview Course No. 8700

Beginning with the Renaissance, the culture of the West exploded. Over the next 600 years, rapid innovations in philosophy, technology, economics, military affairs, and politics allowed what had once been a cultural backwater left by the collapse of the Roman Empire to dominate the world. This comprehensive series of 48 lectures by award-winning professor Robert Bucholz of Loyola University Chicago will show you how - and why - this extraordinary transformation took place.

As you listen to these lectures delivered by a captivating lecturer, you'll grasp not only the history of Western civilization, but the meaning of civilization itself, as this grand narrative creates a coherent context for the period's events and trends, and offers an analysis of what these five centuries have bequeathed to us. You'll explore the ideas, events, and characters that modeled Western political, social, religious, intellectual, cultural, scientific, technological, and economic history between the 16th and 20th centuries. You'll learn how Western civilization was shaped by the low as well as the mighty, the practical as well as the artistic. You'll gain a larger understanding of the political, social, and cultural events that shaped Europe. And you'll explore the ramifications of these epoch-making events on the rest of the world, including the United States.

About

Robert Bucholz
Robert Bucholz

This course is much more than a way to pass the time. It is, rather, a toolkit for any citizen of the West, a survival kit for any citizen of the world.

INSTITUTION

Loyola University Chicago

Dr. Robert Bucholz is Professor of History at Loyola University Chicago, where he has taught since 1988. He earned his B.A. in History from Cornell University and his D.Phil. in Modern History from Oxford University. Before joining the faculty at Loyola University, Professor Bucholz taught at numerous universities, including Cornell University; California State University, Long Beach; and Loyola, Marymount University. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. Among Professor Bucholz's numerous teaching awards are the Sujack Award for Teaching Excellence, the highest such award presented by the Loyola College of Arts and Sciences. On two occasions, he received the Honors Program Faculty Member of the Year Award. At Loyola University, Professor Bucholz teaches courses on Early Modern London, Early Modern England, and English Social History. He is the author or coauthor of books on English history, including Early Modern England: A Narrative History and The Augustan Court: Queen Anne and the Decline of Court Culture. Professor Bucholz is also the project director of the Database of Court Officers, which contains the career facts of every person who served in the British royal household from the Restoration to the death of Queen Victoria.

By This Professor

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