Mark Steinberg has 5 audiobooks on Listento.it, narrated by 3 narrators, with an average listener rating of 4.2★ across 29 ratings. The most-rated is A History of Russia: From Peter the Great to Gorbachev.
A History of Russia: From Peter the Great to Gorbachev
Summary
It's difficult to imagine a nation with a history more compelling for Americans than Russia. Before the collapse of the Soviet Union, this was the nation against which we measured our own nation's values and power and with whom war, if it ever came, could spell unimaginable catastrophe for our planet. Yet many Americans have never had the opportunity to study Russia in depth, and to see how the forces of history came together to shape a future so different from the dreams of most ordinary Russian people, eager to see their nation embrace Western values of progress, human rights, and justice. Now a much-honored teacher has created a series of 36 lectures designed to give you one of the deepest glimpses into Russia you've ever had - a vivid journey through 300 years of Russian history as seen through the eyes of her own people. You'll discover historical themes made clear not by discussing treaties, war declarations, or economic statistics - but by examining the lives and ideas of the men and women who were Russia: tsars, emperors, Communist Party leaders, writers, artists, peasants, and factory workers. You'll grasp what Russian life was like as Professor Steinberg analyzes ideas of power not only from the viewpoint of its rulers, but also from that of the ruled; the theme of happiness and its pursuit that resonates throughout Russian history, and ideas of morality and ethics as wielded by both the Russian state and its critics. And you'll listen as he brings alive the vibrant Russian imagination - so willing to visualize a different kind of life for its people, yet so burdened by its darker sides of doubt and pessimism that those visions were rejected. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2003 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2003 The Great Courses
Great Minds
Summary
The last 400 years have been some of the most incredible years in human history. From the 17th century to the 21st century, humans went from being almost universally agrarian with sailing vessels, muskets, and astrolabes being the most cutting-edge technology on the planet, to an era where the world is almost universally industrial or post-industrial with airplanes, cars, spaceships, computers, widespread electricity, enormous power from coal, oil, and nuclear power, and the ability to produce much more food than was ever possible before the Industrial Revolution. This book describes the lives and ideas of three of the minds who made this transition possible: Isaac Newton, Nikola Tesla, and Albert Einstein. What was it about these men that allowed them to change the world with their ideas about how the universe and technology worked? In this book you will learn about how these three men were able to turn their respective worlds upside-down with their unconventional thinking, thirst for knowledge, far-reaching vision, and sheer genius. They all had rather different personalities but what unites them is that they all wanted to know how the world really worked, and were able to train their minds to accomplish that goal. It wasn't easy for any of them and they all lived in relative isolation developing their ideas and inventions, often receiving opposition from the existing scientific, political, and cultural establishment, but in so doing they were able to transform our understanding of the universe and society in a way that led to the birth of the modern scientific age. The modern world is indebted to these men for good or ill.
©2016 Mark Steinberg (P)2016 Mark Steinberg
Alexander Hamilton - Founding Father
Summary
Alexander Hamilton: Founding Father is the story of one of America's great founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton. The book is a detailed account of this very important but controversial figure in American history. The story is a classic rags-to-riches one and begins with his childhood in the British West Indies. Though his life was filled with tragedy and he was very poor, Hamilton managed to distinguish himself through his writing and his business skills. Eventually he left the West Indies and immigrated to North America, where he received a first-rate education. Later he became a hero in the Revolutionary War and was appointed to be General George Washington's right-hand man. Because of his service to Washington, Hamilton became the secretary of the treasury when Washington was elected president. As a member of the new government, Hamilton made significant contributions, including setting up a banking system and a currency system that are still used today. He also played a major role in the ratification of the United States Constitution. While Alexander Hamilton: Founding Father primarily focuses on Hamilton's great contributions, it also presents his dark side. Though Hamilton married a wealthy woman and became a member of the aristocracy, he was also involved in a scandalous affair and ultimately died in a duel defending his honor.
©2016 Mark Steinberg (P)2016 Mark Steinberg
The Progressive Pope
Summary
The Political Pope: Francis and His Fractured Church is the new book from best-selling author Mark Steinberg. Pope Francis is one of the most revered figures in the world today. His Catholic church, rocked by scandals, is in danger of being torn apart. Sexual abuse among the clergy, mismanagement of church funds, blackmail, and bickering have divided the Vatican and the Catholic church from Argentina to Zaire and everywhere in between. In this deeply researched and yet still highly accessible book about the successor to Benedict XVI and Pope John Paul II, Steinburg takes us through Pope Francis' early days as a parish priest in Argentina, his Jesuit education, his role in Argentina's infamous "Dirty War", and his time as a bishop and a cardinal at the seat of the Catholic church in Rome. The book climaxes with the papal election of Francis to the highest religious post in the Western world. Can the charismatic and hugely popular pope make the reforms his ailing church so desperately needs before it becomes irrelevant in the face of abuse scandals and rising public indifference to religion? Can Pope Francis re-inspire the faithful and return the church to the glory it used to possess?
©2016 Mark Steinberg (P)2016 Mark Steinberg
Alexander Hamilton, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Abraham Lincoln
Summary
The New World. Popular conceptions of colonists in a reduced role spread. Heated debates and pamphleteers ignited the spirits of the underrepresented as various European powers involved the colonies in attempts to dominate North America. A brand of civilized order was brought to the chaos found in the colonial wilderness. Without the trouble that 18th-century Europe faced, a new ordered world along European lines could glorify its past in bringing its best self back to life. The revolutionary generation would come to question this early colonial order. As Franklin, Washington, and Hamilton would learn, attempts to forge a unique identity would become inevitable. With it came high risks that they were reluctant to take. They would eventually help carry the New World from colonial status to confederation and ultimately a nation. Not without a fight in shedding their colonial responsibilities in favor of self-determination. Join us as we investigate what influenced these three trailblazers and what framed many debates, including the wars, the Great Awakening, the Enlightenment, and rebellions. Abe's America fit a different era. How did it resemble and differ from its revolutionary birth? Did it evolve in concert with the intentions of these three founding fathers? How did he build on their enduring literature?
©2017 Mark Steinberg (P)2017 Mark Steinberg