The Pursuit of Power cover art

The Pursuit of Power

Europe 1815-1914

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The Pursuit of Power

By: Richard J Evans
Narrated by: Napoleon Ryan
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About this listen

The Pursuit of Power draws on a lifetime of thinking about 19th-century Europe to create an extraordinarily rich, surprising and entertaining panorama of a continent undergoing drastic change.

The aim of this audiobook is to reignite the sense of wonder that permeated this remarkable era, as rulers and ruled navigated overwhelming cultural, political and technological changes. It was a time where what was seen as modern with amazing speed appeared old-fashioned, where huge cities sprang up in a generation, where new European countries were created and where, for the first time, humans could communicate almost instantly over thousands of miles.

Richard Evans gives full coverage to the revolutions, empire building and wars that marked the 19th century, but the book is about so much more, whether it is illness, serfdom, religion or philosophy. The Pursuit of Power is an audiobook by a historian at the height of his powers and an essential audiobook for anyone trying to understand Europe, then or now.

©2016 Richard J Evans (P)2016 Audible, Ltd 19th Century Europe Modern Politics & Government World Imperialism War Socialism Middle Ages Soviet Union Capitalism Russia Latin American Africa Winston Churchill Taxation Social justice Self-Determination Interwar Period

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I really enjoyed this. It is interesting how much of or world, like universal suffrage and cars, was created in this period. I had been looking for a big sweeping history and this is it. The story is fascinating, really well told and supported by an incredible number of facts and statistics. Highly recommended.

excellent

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Great history, epic survey of a period of history that is often skipped, this plugged many gaps in my knowledge. Loved the performance too. Great production. Would recommend to anyone who likes European history.

Great stuff

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Richard J Evans is a genius. He handles a huge amount of material with matchless skill and provides the reader with a compelling picture of the century of Europe’s peak and the reasons for its precipitate decline.

Magnificent

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I can’t stand the voices, especially the female ones 😮 it’s not a novel, why the need for silly voices??

Silly voices are distracting

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This is an informative work by an excellent author. Unfortunately, the narration completely ruined it for me. It is ridiculous at best and monotone at worst.

Mixed bag

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A truly superb history of a surprisingly under-reported time period. If you enjoy sweeping narratives of the grand strategies of the competing powers, you should enjoy this book. It also goes into great detail about the political, economic and social forces at work in this era. I will definitely lists again.

The narrator is a little... unusual. However, he quickly becomes very engaging and I would listen to more of his work.

Excellent history

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Napoleon Ryan has the perfect voice for such a feat. Slow and comprehensive, he might not be everyone's taste but he is the best for a detailed history book. Evans is a great historian, expert on nazi germany, but he shines on the european 19th century with remarkable and interesting details. In conclusion, if you like history and the 19th century, give it a try. If you find difficult to follow the narrating, i would suggest to speed it up, however its not required to enjoy it.

Great writing and narrating

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Fascinating book- nice weaving of political developmemt with socio-economic coverage. The speaker was a grating disaster!

Great book let down by the "voice talent"

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It’s irritating that the title of the chapters isn’t available on a contents page. This makes it difficult to position where you are in the context of the book. For example I’m at Chap 46 but want to remind myself about Portugal in the 1830’s. How do I find it? If there was a table of contents I’d know that the section I’m looking for was in Chapter 20 (for example). This isn’t the only audible product with this basic problem.

Poor editing and presentation mar an exceptional work

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I like how much information, exploration and immersion this book, and narrator add to it all. Definitely have to listen to it again.

So much details

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