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The Cause of All Nations
- An International History of the American Civil War
- Narrated by: Adam Grupper
- Length: 14 hrs and 2 mins
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Publisher's summary
When Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address, he realized that the Civil War had taken on a wider significance - that in Europe and Latin America people were watching to see whether the democratic experiment in "government by the people" would "perish from the earth." In The Cause of All Nations, distinguished historian Don H. Doyle explains that the Civil War was more than an internal American conflict; it was a struggle that spanned the Atlantic Ocean. This audiobook follows the agents of the North and South who went abroad to tell the world what they were fighting for, and the foreign politicians, journalists, and intellectuals who told America and the world what they thought this war was really about - or ought to be about. Foreigners looked upon the American contest as an epic battle in a grand historic struggle that would decide the fate of democracy as well as slavery for generations to come. A bold account of the international dimensions of America's defining conflict, The Cause of All Nations frames the Civil War as a crucial turning point in the global struggle over the future of democracy.
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Excellent history of our nation's founding
- By JJay on 02-23-15
By: David Stewart
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John Quincy Adams
- Militant Spirit
- By: James Traub
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 25 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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John Quincy Adams was the last of his kind - a Puritan from the age of the Founders who despised party and compromise yet dedicated himself to politics and government. The son of John Adams, he was a brilliant ambassador and secretary of state, a frustrated president at a historic turning point in American politics, and a dedicated congressman who literally died in office - at the age of 80, in the House of Representatives, in the midst of an impassioned political debate.
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Best narrator of all the audio books I've listened
- By grimm79 on 12-12-17
By: James Traub
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Abraham Lincoln and Civil War America
- A Biography
- By: William E. Gienapp
- Narrated by: L.J. Ganser
- Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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In Abraham Lincoln and Civil War America, historian William Gienapp provides a remarkably concise, up-to-date, and vibrant biography of the most revered figure in United States history. While the heart of the book focuses on the Civil War, Gienapp begins with a finely etched portrait of Lincoln's early life, from pioneer farm boy to politician and lawyer in Springfield, to his stunning election as 16th president of the United States. Students will see how Lincoln grew during his years in office and much more.
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A great man we could use in the current political climate.
- By dts67 on 01-30-24
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President Lincoln
- The Duty of a Statesman
- By: William Lee Miller
- Narrated by: Lloyd James
- Length: 19 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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The American president has come to be the most powerful figure in the world. And back in the 19th century, a great man held that office. William Lee Miller's new book closely examines that great man in that hugely important office: Abraham Lincoln as president.
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An analysis of Lincoln's life, not a history
- By D. Rairigh on 05-24-09
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A Disease in the Public Mind
- A New Understanding of Why We Fought the Civil War
- By: Thomas Fleming
- Narrated by: William Hughes
- Length: 11 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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By the time his body hung from the gallows for his crimes at Harper’s Ferry, abolitionists had made John Brown a "holy martyr" in the fight against Southern slave owners. But Northern hatred for Southerners had been long in the making. Northern rage was born of the conviction that New England, whose spokesmen and militia had begun the American Revolution, should have been the leader of the new nation. Instead, they had been displaced by Southern "slavocrats" like Thomas Jefferson. And Northern envy only exacerbated the South’s greatest fear: race war.
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Listen skeptically, but still listen
- By David on 04-01-21
By: Thomas Fleming
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A Country of Vast Designs
- James K. Polk, the Mexican War and the Conquest of the American Continent
- By: Robert W. Merry
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 18 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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When James K. Polk was elected president in 1844, the United States was locked in a bitter diplomatic struggle with Britain over the rich lands of the Oregon Territory, which included what is now Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. Texas, not yet part of the Union, was threatened by a more powerful Mexico. And the territories north and west of Texas---what would become California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and part of Colorado---belonged to Mexico.
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A Decent Overview of Polk's Presidency
- By James on 06-20-10
By: Robert W. Merry
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Patrick Henry
- Champion of Liberty
- By: Jon Kukla
- Narrated by: Paul Woodson
- Length: 17 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Born in 1736, Patrick Henry was an attorney and a planter and an outstanding orator in the movement for independence. A contemporary of Washington, Henry stood with John and Samuel Adams among the leaders of the colonial resistance to Great Britain that ultimately created the United States. The first governor of Virginia after independence, he was reelected several times. After declining to attend the Constitutional Convention of 1787, Henry opposed the Constitution, arguing that it granted too much power to the central government.
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Long awaited biography of Patrick Henry
- By GallowsJudge on 11-18-17
By: Jon Kukla
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'Mr. President'
- George Washington and the Making of the Nation's Highest Office
- By: Harlow Giles Unger
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 6 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Although the framers gave the president little authority, Washington knew whatever he did would set precedents for generations of his successors. To ensure their ability to defend the nation, he simply ignored the Constitution when he thought it necessary and reshaped the presidency into what James Madison called a "monarchical presidency." Modern scholars call it the "imperial presidency."
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A political genius
- By Michael on 03-28-17
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Alexander Hamilton
- By: Ron Chernow
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 35 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Historians have long told the story of America’s birth as the triumph of Jefferson’s democratic ideals over the aristocratic intentions of Hamilton. Chernow presents an entirely different man, whose legendary ambitions were motivated not merely by self-interest but by passionate patriotism and a stubborn will to build the foundations of American prosperity and power.
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An Outstanding & Riveting Book!
- By Kevin on 03-04-05
By: Ron Chernow
What listeners say about The Cause of All Nations
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Jay Perkins
- 07-23-15
Excellent
A wonderful book on international reactions and issues pertaining to the American civil war, a must read for those seeking to understand the wider context of the war
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- F. Rubino
- 01-23-22
Outstanding!
An aspect of the Civil War that I was totally unaware.
Like Paul Harvey the journalist used to say “And that’s the rest of the story”.
The political and diplomatic battle between those of the North and that of the South trying to gain favor with the European countries to gain support and recognition of each position is story that is both complex and simple. It was slavery stupid!
Well written scholarly book we all should read lest our past needlessly repeat itself.
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- Roger
- 05-07-15
Enlightening perspective
Doyle meticulously uses a wealth of research to present the various international aspects of the US Civil War, from diplomatic maneuvering to public relations to military recruiting. All depended, in one form or another, on the arguments advanced by each side, and all played out, of course, within the specific contexts of the foreign audiences.
For European elites, especially Napoleon III and the Pope, who feared democracy, the South’s appeal to class and racial oligarchy was attractive. For the non-elites, most with fresh memories of the failed democratic movements of 1848, the North’s appeal to the rule of law and majority rule resonated deeply. When the North then combined that appeal with the goal of freedom, its appeal became overwhelming. Given that the major European powers had already abolished slavery, Confederate sympathizers could not risk being seen to support a revolt whose only purpose was the preservation of slavery.
Doyle’s international perspective sheds interesting light on the appeal of the early, and sometimes overly legalistic, arguments of the Union. The issue at stake was the principle of majority rule, which is why Lincoln spoke at Gettysburg about the survival of popular government on “the earth” and not just in the US. Doyle’s perspective also shows how this principle led to arguments for, and the acceptance of, abolition.
The Union’s success demonstrated the power and resilience of popular government, thereby giving encouragement to democratic movements throughout Europe.
Doyle’s book helps shed light on the ways in which the American War for Independence was, and was seen to be, a social as well as a political revolution. America not only shook off British rule, but also empowered the ordinary citizen, at least the ordinary white, male citizen. That move scared elitists, both abroad and in the South. It helped make the Civil War inevitable and created enduring tension with the European power structure. It also, as it was intended to do, provided inspiration to the unfranchised around the world.
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