Western Civ

France, under Napoleon, reaches the apex of its power. But, within the empire, the Spanish Ulcer and Continental System begin to unravel everything he had built. Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial 

Napoleon reaches the height of his powers on the frozen fields of Moravia. Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial

It does not take long for Napoleon to consolidate power. But reversals in the Caribbean require the First Consul to rethink his North American strategy resulting in the Louisiana Purchase. Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial

We catch up on the fledgling United States. George Washington becomes the first President of the United States (obviously...) and then the Election of 1800 secures the first peaceful transition of power in American history. Well, peaceful unless your name is Alexander Hamilton or Aaron Burr, that is... Western Civ Podcast 2.0 Free Trial

Napoleon Bonaparte becomes First Consul in what will be, thankfully, our final coup of the French Revolution.  Western Civ 2.0

This one is a bit different and I admit that. But I like opportunities to speak with incredibly intelligent people so I took it.  I sit down with Arman Verjee today and discuss a book he is finishing up: A Brief History of Financial Bubbles . The conversation is much more of a back and forth than an interview. But I think our discussion of the Dotcom Bubble and its application to the present AI ci...

Napoleon and Talleyrand move the French armies to the east to pressure Britain and the Directory starts to run out of steam. Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial

The French Revolution begins to end with the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial

It is about time to introduce the man who will change it all: Napoleon Bonaparte. Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial

Toussaint Louverture changes the situation in Haiti from a rebellion to a full-on revolution. Support Western Civ

Maximilien Robespierre leads France into the maw of violence and blood. His death ends this period of the French Revolution. Western Civ 2.0 Support

France sleepwalks into one of the vicious periods of the French Revolution as the countryside erupts in revolt. Western Civ Podcast 2.0 Support

The trial of Louis XVI ends with the last Bourbon monarch being led to the guillotine. The reaction of the rest of Europe is not good. Hence, the War of the First Coalition. Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial

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

Buy The Book In his own day, the ancient philosopher Diogenes the Cynic had a reputation for eccentricity, heckling his fellow philosophers in the marketplace, living in a clay pot, and relieving himself in public. Since his death in 323 BCE, devoted followers made him and his ideas famous the world over. But what we think we know about Diogenes remains distorted and sanitized. In Diogenes , class...

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...

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

Today I sit down with historian Michael Livingston and talk about one of my favorite subjects: the Hundred Years War. Henry V at Agincourt. Edward III at Crécy. The Black Prince at Poitiers. Joan of Arc at Orléans. The period we call “the Hundred Years War” was a cascade of violence bursting with some of the most famous figures and fascinating fights in history. The central combatants, England and...

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