From being a backward agrarian country, German became a colossus. It challenged Europe and the world. Two world wars, the Holocaust, and a remarkable post-WWII transformation make Germany one of the most interesting countries on the planet.
Personality counts in history. One pope, Pius XII did little. Another pope, John Paul II, did much. The Holocaust, the end of communism and a new relationship with the Jewish people were all influenced by the actions of two leaders of the Catholic Church.
From being a backward agrarian country, German became a colossus. It challenged Europe and the world. Two world wars, the Holocaust, and a remarkable post-WWII transformation make Germany one of the most interesting countries on the planet.
This series examines the fascinating proliferation of Jewish communities from the very beginnings of the Diaspora. These settlements began and thrived in various corners of the world before and outside the principal historic Jewish centers of the Russian and Habsburg empires. How did the Diaspora begin? Where did Jews make their homes in distant and …
Continue reading W342B – Off the Beaten Track: Jewish Communities of the World
The Panama Canal was one of the greatest engineering accomplishments of all time. From a political perspective, building the canal was either a bold diplomatic stroke or a crude display of arrogance by America. The first part of this presentation will focus on how the United States was able to build and then maintain this …
Continue reading WPL02103 – The Panama Canal: A Complicated Political Backstory
Instructor: Edward Shapiro, Ph.D. This discussion group will analyze four of the most consequential American strategic decisions of World War II. Participants will examine and evaluate the political and military factors influencing these decisions and the role played by such key political and military leaders as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Adm. Ernest King, Gen. …
Continue reading WGD143B – Guided Discussion: Four Great American Strategic Decisions of World War II
Instructor: Stephen Berk, Ph.D. It shaped our lives in a plethora of ways. At home and abroad, the Cold War intruded. A ferocious arms race and great fear were some of its most salient consequences. On at least two occasions, the two superpowers came to the brink of war, and then suddenly, it was over. …
Continue reading W242B – The Cold War
This series examines the fascinating proliferation of Jewish communities from the very beginnings of the Diaspora. These settlements began and thrived in various corners of the world before and outside the principal historic Jewish centers of the Russian and Habsburg empires. How did the Diaspora begin? Where did Jews make their homes in distant and …
Continue reading W342B – Off the Beaten Track: Jewish Communities of the World
My grandfather always said what was on his mind, and he had strong opinions, good and bad, on the presidency and on the presidents who came before and after him. Taking on the persona of my grandfather, Harry S. Truman, I will give the audience an idea of his thinking on Washington: “There’s no question …
Continue reading WPL02173 – Where the Buck Stops: Harry Truman on Presidents and the Presidency
In 1952, a blizzard hit the ocean off Cape Cod with such force that two oil tankers split in half on the same day just thirty miles apart. Author Michael Tougias, who co-wrote the international bestseller “The Finest Hours”, will discuss the decision-making during the rescue and the leadership lessons learned. While Tougias retells the story, …
Continue reading WPL02212D – “The Finest Hours”: The True Story of the Coast Guard’s Greatest Rescue
Instructor: Edward Shapiro, Ph.D. This discussion group will analyze four of the most consequential American strategic decisions of World War II. Participants will examine and evaluate the political and military factors influencing these decisions and the role played by such key political and military leaders as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Adm. Ernest King, Gen. …
Continue reading WGD143B – Guided Discussion: Four Great American Strategic Decisions of World War II
Instructor: Stephen Berk, Ph.D. It shaped our lives in a plethora of ways. At home and abroad, the Cold War intruded. A ferocious arms race and great fear were some of its most salient consequences. On at least two occasions, the two superpowers came to the brink of war, and then suddenly, it was over. …
Continue reading W242B – The Cold War
This series examines the fascinating proliferation of Jewish communities from the very beginnings of the Diaspora. These settlements began and thrived in various corners of the world before and outside the principal historic Jewish centers of the Russian and Habsburg empires. How did the Diaspora begin? Where did Jews make their homes in distant and …
Continue reading W342B – Off the Beaten Track: Jewish Communities of the World
The 60th anniversary of the Eichmann Trial in Israel presents an important opportunity for us to take a closer look at the “architect of the Holocaust.” Did he really just represent the “banality of evil” as author Hannah Arendt so famously expressed it? Or was he indeed a fanatical and utterly brutal Nazi, as recent …
Continue reading WPL02242 – Eichmann before Jerusalem: Insights into the mind of a Mass Murderer
“The mission of women is to be beautiful and to bring children into the world.” These words, auspiciously written by Hitler’s mouthpiece Joseph Goebbels in 1929, laid out the simple but essential role German women were expected to play in the prospective Third Reich. By examining both the general situation of women in Nazi Germany …
Continue reading WPL02243 – The Women of the Third Reich
Instructor: Edward Shapiro, Ph.D. This discussion group will analyze four of the most consequential American strategic decisions of World War II. Participants will examine and evaluate the political and military factors influencing these decisions and the role played by such key political and military leaders as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Adm. Ernest King, Gen. …
Continue reading WGD143B – Guided Discussion: Four Great American Strategic Decisions of World War II
Instructor: Stephen Berk, Ph.D. It shaped our lives in a plethora of ways. At home and abroad, the Cold War intruded. A ferocious arms race and great fear were some of its most salient consequences. On at least two occasions, the two superpowers came to the brink of war, and then suddenly, it was over. …
Continue reading W242B – The Cold War
This series examines the fascinating proliferation of Jewish communities from the very beginnings of the Diaspora. These settlements began and thrived in various corners of the world before and outside the principal historic Jewish centers of the Russian and Habsburg empires. How did the Diaspora begin? Where did Jews make their homes in distant and …
Continue reading W342B – Off the Beaten Track: Jewish Communities of the World
