From Colony to Superpower
US Foreign Relations Since 1776
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Narrated by:
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Robert Fass
About this listen
A finalist for the 2008 National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction, this prize-winning and critically acclaimed history uses foreign relations as the lens through which to tell the story of America's dramatic rise from 13 disparate colonies huddled along the Atlantic coast to the world's greatest superpower.
Robert Fass narrates George C Herring’s stunning history of successes and sometimes tragic failures with calm engagement, capturing the fast-paced narrative that illuminates the central importance of foreign relations to the existence and survival of the nation, and highlights its ongoing impact on the lives of ordinary citizens.
From Colony to Superpower is the most recent volume in the peerless Oxford History of the United States, which was described by the Atlantic Monthly as “state of the art” and “the most distinguished series in American historical scholarship.”
Please note: The individual volumes of the series have not been published in historical order. From Colony to Superpower is number XII in The Oxford History of the United States.
Listen to more of the definitive Oxford History of the United States.©2008 George C. Herring (P)2010 Audible, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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- Narrated by: Shaun Grindell
- Length: 18 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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World War I and the Russian Revolution together shaped the 20th century in profound ways. In The End of Tsarist Russia, acclaimed scholar Dominic Lieven connects for the first time the two events, providing both a history of the First World War's origins from a Russian perspective and an international history of why the revolution happened.
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A good book done in by bad narration.
- By James on 05-25-16
By: Dominic Lieven
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This Vast Southern Empire
- Slaveholders at the Helm of American Foreign Policy
- By: Matthew Karp
- Narrated by: Tom Zingarelli
- Length: 10 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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For proslavery leaders like John C. Calhoun and Jefferson Davis, the 19th-century world was torn between two hostile forces: a rising movement against bondage and an Atlantic plantation system that was larger and more productive than ever before. In this great struggle, Southern statesmen saw the United States as slavery's most powerful champion. Overcoming traditional qualms about a strong central government, slaveholding leaders harnessed the power of the state to defend slavery abroad.
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Excellent Listen
- By NCmom on 09-03-17
By: Matthew Karp
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Making the Future
- Occupations, Interventions, Empire and Resistance
- By: Noam Chomsky
- Narrated by: Peter Johnson
- Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Making the Future presents more than 50 concise and persuasively argued commentaries on U.S. politics and policies, written between 2007 and 2011. Taken together, Chomsky's essays present a powerful counter-narrative to official accounts of the major political events of the past four years: the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq; the U.S. presidential race; the ascendancy of China; Latin America's leftward turn; the threat of nuclear proliferation in Iran and North Korea; Israel's invasion of Gaza and more.
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Fifty-Two Reasons to Listen to Chomsky
- By Susie on 01-04-13
By: Noam Chomsky
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On China
- By: Henry Kissinger
- Narrated by: Nicholas Hormann
- Length: 20 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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In this sweeping and insightful history, Henry Kissinger turns for the first time at book length to a country he has known intimately for decades and whose modern relations with the West he helped shape. On China illuminates the inner workings of Chinese diplomacy during such pivotal events as the initial encounters between China and tight line modern European powers, the formation and breakdown of the Sino-Soviet alliance, the Korean War, and Richard Nixon’s historic trip to Beijing.
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Another History of China
- By Elton on 09-23-11
By: Henry Kissinger
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The Arabs
- A History
- By: Eugene Rogan
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 27 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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In this definitive history of the modern Arab world, award-winning historian Eugene Rogan draws extensively on Arab sources and texts to place the Arab experience in its crucial historical context for the first time. Tracing five centuries of Arab history, Rogan reveals that there was an age when the Arabs set the rules for the rest of the world. Today, however, the Arab world's sense of subjection to external powers carries vast consequences for both the region and Westerners who attempt to control it.
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Superb Book About the Arab World
- By Nostromo on 05-29-16
By: Eugene Rogan
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Interventions
- By: Noam Chomsky
- Narrated by: Peter Johnson
- Length: 6 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Interventions, by Noam Chomsky, is getting new press after the Pentagon banned the book from Guantanamo Bay's prison library. Interventions is Noam Chomsky at his best. Not since his all-time best-selling title, 9/11, published in the Open Media series in 2001, have readers and listeners had a timely, short, affordable Chomsky. Unlike 9/11, Interventions is a writerly work - a series of more than 30 tightly argued essays aimed at various aspects of U.S. power and politics in the post-9/11 world. While critical of U.S. military interventions around the globe, each piece in the book is in itself an intellectual intervention.
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Chomsky on Fire
- By Susie on 01-09-13
By: Noam Chomsky
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Magnificent Delusions
- Pakistan, the United States, and an Epic History of Misunderstanding
- By: Husain Haqqani
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 14 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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A character-driven history that describes the bizarrely ill-suited alliance between America and Pakistan, written by a uniquely insightful participant: Pakistan's former ambassador to the US. The relationship between America and Pakistan is based on mutual incomprehension, and always has been. Pakistan - to American eyes - has gone from being a stabilizing friend to an essential military ally to a seedbed of terror.
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It it Delusions or Sleeping with the Enemy
- By Shah Alam on 01-28-14
By: Husain Haqqani
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Diplomacy
- By: Henry Kissinger
- Narrated by: Paul Woodson
- Length: 37 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Moving from a sweeping overview of history to blow-by-blow accounts of his negotiations with world leaders, Henry Kissinger describes how the art of diplomacy has created the world in which we live, and how America's approach to foreign affairs has always differed vastly from that of other nations. Brilliant, controversial, and profoundly incisive, Diplomacy stands as the culmination of a lifetime of diplomatic service and scholarship. It is a must-listen for anyone concerned with the forces that have shaped our world today and will impact upon it tomorrow.
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Great foreign policy overview!
- By Mikhail on 02-02-20
By: Henry Kissinger
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The Jungle Grows Back
- America and Our Imperiled World
- By: Robert Kagan
- Narrated by: Jason Culp
- Length: 5 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Recent years have brought deeply disturbing developments around the globe. American sentiment seems to be leaning increasingly toward withdrawal in the face of such disarray. In this powerful, urgent essay, Robert Kagan elucidates the reasons why American withdrawal would be the worst possible response, based as it is on a fundamental and dangerous misreading of the world. Like a jungle that keeps growing back after being cut down, the world has always been full of dangerous actors who, left unchecked, possess the desire and ability to make things worse.
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Out of date: covid, Trump nobel nominations etc
- By David on 11-13-18
By: Robert Kagan
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How Wars End
- Why We Always Fight the Last Battle
- By: Gideon Rose
- Narrated by: Gideon Rose
- Length: 12 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1991, the United States Army trounced the Iraqi army in battle only to stumble blindly into postwar turmoil. Then in 2003 the United States did it again. How could this happen? How could the strongest power in modern history fight two wars against the same opponent in just over a decade, win lightning victories both times, and yet still be woefully unprepared for the aftermath? Because Americans always forget the political aspects of war.
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Excellent book
- By Luis on 11-04-10
By: Gideon Rose
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Outdated edition!!
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What listeners say about From Colony to Superpower
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- MasterPsych
- 01-03-16
Ruined by Political Correctness
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
No. Regardless of some very good historic insights, the author tends to dismiss or ignore the unattractive features of progressives and leftists (Wilson's racism was just like others of his era or disregard the failures of the FDR economic plan) and exaggerate the "paranoia" of the Cold War without any review if the mass murder and atrocities of the Soviets. There was no review of post-WWII brutality behind the Iron Curtain, but a prolonged discourse of American racism as a diplomatic factor. Pity because a balanced view of diplomatic history would be a valuable book
What do you think your next listen will be?
TBA
What three words best describe Robert Fass’s voice?
Reedy, flat and uninteresting.
If this book were a movie would you go see it?
No. Not the sort of book that makes a good movie.
Any additional comments?
You need a broader range of historical books with many viewpoints.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Ksenia
- 11-26-12
Informative, but kind of boring.
Very interesting subject, with lots of details, but dull writing made it (for me) a constant fight against putting it away. It took me at least 'till the US civil war before getting some traction. It doesn't have the splendor of eg. 'Streelife' (Europe, 20th century). I think the author is foremost a great researcher, but lacks the skill of presenting facts in a accessible way.
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1 person found this helpful
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- GaryLR
- 05-03-20
A different take...
It was quite informative to hear a panoramic view of US history from a foreign policy perspective. And surprisingly apolitical until reaching the modern era.
In the last chapter covering the George Bush III presidency, the author's view abruptly changed from neutral to a liberal progressive globalist interpretation. Which was disappointing, and a sad commentary on the current state of elite academia.
Strongly recommended for anyone interested in either US or world history, or in gaining an understanding of how we got to the world of today.
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- Blaine
- 01-25-18
A fair summary of the facts
This book takes each step of American policy with detail while remaining to the points that are important. Any person who enjoys history and wants a large scope of the presidents actions and this country's actions abroad then look no further than this book.
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- George
- 03-06-21
Extremely thorough, but with some biases.
Wow a very indebted look at Foreign Policy of the United States. It flowed well and was easy to listen to. The author candy coated something the U. S. did and laid too much criticism on others. Showing an internationalist bias. All in all well worth a listen.
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- Christine A. Haimann
- 09-13-11
Was a bit of a slog... so hang in there worth it!
IF you want the full gamut of US foreign policy since we threw out the Brits (yikes I am one of them!) well here it is in all its glorious detail. Make sure you listen on long trips, it will help pass the time and is full of detail. Enjoy
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4 people found this helpful
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- John Barger
- 07-06-23
Review
Well written. Examines US foreign policies with a clear precision. I recommend highly recommend this book.
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- Anonymous User
- 01-08-20
Very Informative
I thought this book was highly erudite. I do not agree with some that say the voice was dull, in fact I found the reader captivating and voiced quotes exceptionally. George Herring, in my opinion, provides little bias towards or against the US doctrine through the ages and gives a brilliant conclusion in the end when all things are considered.
The only lacking aspect was when discussing the topic at this grand of scale, it is hard to go into detail about things - for example: a shocking event would typically get about 5 minutes worth of text before moving onto another event. This does not leave the listener repined for further expatiation, however, as such time must be devoted to a topic in order to keep the narrative moving along.
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- Michael
- 07-01-18
Long, but wavetops
Nice survey of the highlights of US foreign policy over time. Inspires me to dig deeper on many individuals and events that had to be only discussed briefly. At 40 hours, it takes some time, but I found myself gaining momentum as it went on.
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Overall
- Bob
- 05-31-11
Interesting overview of US system.
I found this title to be an interesting overview of the US political systems operations over the past 200 years or so. I did not find much of the content revelationary, but its a great single source of information of most of this counties major historical events in the international arena. Gives perspective around the many events that were taugnt in abstract when I was in school. Maybe this should have been my textbook instead! I would have seen the forest instead of the trees.
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6 people found this helpful