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Espionage and Covert Operations: A Global History
Step into the real world of the spy with this detailed and unforgettable tour of the millennia-long history and enduring legacy of espionage and covert operations. While most of us associate this top-secret subject with popular fiction and film, its true story is more fascinating, surprising, and important than you could possibly imagine. These 24 thrilling lectures survey how world powers have attempted to work in the shadows to gain secret information or subvert enemies behind the scenes. Filled with stories and insights that will change the way you think about world history's most defining events, this course lets you peer inside a subject whose truths most people are unaware of. Professor Liulevicius introduces you to the inner workings of covert organizations, including the Oprichnina, a feared secret service established by tsar Ivan the Terrible in the 1500s in an effort to cleanse Russia of treasonous activities; the CIA, established in 1947 by President Truman to replace the Office of Secret Services to be in charge of all intelligence collection - and which had an embarrassing early history; and Mossad, Israel's version of the CIA, which won a series of key intelligence victories during the cold war and over terror attacks and hostage crises in the second half of the 20th century. You'll also meet famous - and infamous - spies, including Sir Francis Walsingham, Mata Hari, and Kim Philby. In this stirring series of lectures, you'll study the psychological motives behind spies, the ethics of cyber warfare and corporate espionage, the question of whether we now live in a surveillance society, and more.
13 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
24 people are currently reading
375 people want to read
About the author
Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius
25Ìýbooks81ÌýfollowersDistinguished Professor in the Humanities in the College of Arts and Sciences
Biography
Professor Liulevicius specializes in modern German history, with a particular focus on German relations with Eastern Europe. He completed his Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania in 1994 and was a postdoctoral research fellow at the Hoover Institution on War, Peace, and Revolution from 1994-95. He has taught at the University of Tennessee since 1995. From 2008 to 2021, he served as the director of the Center for the Study of War and Society.
Biography
Professor Liulevicius specializes in modern German history, with a particular focus on German relations with Eastern Europe. He completed his Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania in 1994 and was a postdoctoral research fellow at the Hoover Institution on War, Peace, and Revolution from 1994-95. He has taught at the University of Tennessee since 1995. From 2008 to 2021, he served as the director of the Center for the Study of War and Society.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
July 16, 2017
This 24 course lecture is a broad overview of espionage operations throughout history. It moves chronologically, beginning with accounts from the Bible and incidents in ancient Greece and Rome. Each course thereafter touches on espionage operations in various times throughout history including medieval times, the Elizabethan Age, The American Revolution and Civil War, WWI, WWII, and the Cold War. The course was entertaining and I picked up some interesting tid-bits along the way, discovering some topics that I would like to dig into further (for example, Kim Philby and the Cambridge Five spy ring) But for the most part, it was too high-level to be of much value in learning about the topic.
October 16, 2013
I'll never forget walking the halls of Langley when I was twenty years old. My Alias dreams were finally coming true! Any moment Michael Vartan was going to pull me out of this rote recruitment tour into a cramped closet and tell me my country needed me and that he needed me and was going to be my CIA handler and live happily ever after with me in a house on the beach. I was going to become a super badass spy.
Unfortunately, I speak only one language, love to gossip, and would be so godawful and transparent about recruiting a source that it's kind of laughable. So I never saw much more of Langley than the Nathan Hale statue that was a replica of the one I already saw every day at Yale.
But old dreams die hard. I found this series while doing research for my manuscript. Is it relevant to anything that I'm writing? Maybe if I squint I can convince myself of that. All the same, I enjoyed it a lot and finished it in the course of a weekend. I listened to this on Audible. Liulevicius is a great lecturer and he covered all of the parts of espionage that I would have wanted to hear about. It was comprehensive, entertaining, and taught me a great deal about pre-WWII spy tactics, in particular.
I think espionage is mostly quite dull, painstaking work and Liulevicius does a good job of convincing you of this without ever being dull himself. He is a fantastic storyteller and I would definitely recommend this to anyone interested in the history of spies and spying.
5 stars
Unfortunately, I speak only one language, love to gossip, and would be so godawful and transparent about recruiting a source that it's kind of laughable. So I never saw much more of Langley than the Nathan Hale statue that was a replica of the one I already saw every day at Yale.
But old dreams die hard. I found this series while doing research for my manuscript. Is it relevant to anything that I'm writing? Maybe if I squint I can convince myself of that. All the same, I enjoyed it a lot and finished it in the course of a weekend. I listened to this on Audible. Liulevicius is a great lecturer and he covered all of the parts of espionage that I would have wanted to hear about. It was comprehensive, entertaining, and taught me a great deal about pre-WWII spy tactics, in particular.
I think espionage is mostly quite dull, painstaking work and Liulevicius does a good job of convincing you of this without ever being dull himself. He is a fantastic storyteller and I would definitely recommend this to anyone interested in the history of spies and spying.
5 stars
December 16, 2021
In 24 lectures, this course provides a solid, basic overview over espionage and covert operations from ancient times into the 21st century, though focussing largely on the 20th century. While quite diverting and covering a lot of interesting ground, it must be noted that it is also quite shallow owing to the sheer amount of material Liulevicius tried to squeeze in - anyone with a good grounding in world history and the history of intelligence work won't find much here they don't already know. For those new to the subject this is surely a good start for delving into the shadowy work of espionage, others may not learn much but still find it quite interesting and entertaining. 3.5/5
April 6, 2016
Interesting Primer
This lecture series is not a comprehensive "deep dive" into espionage and covert action. Rather, we are given a primer on the subject with significant historical context.
The information was interesting and the data seemed carefully presented. Overall, the professor did an excellent job of puiqing my interest and illuminating avenues for further self-study.
This lecture series is not a comprehensive "deep dive" into espionage and covert action. Rather, we are given a primer on the subject with significant historical context.
The information was interesting and the data seemed carefully presented. Overall, the professor did an excellent job of puiqing my interest and illuminating avenues for further self-study.
September 13, 2020
This is really just about HUMINT and spying as we know it in the more traditional sense. I expected less of that and more talk on covert operations from the likes done by the Mossad and the CIA.
October 2, 2022
It is interesting in the beginning but as it goes on it becomes increasingly naive, especially in regards to the CIA and to the Iraq war
January 24, 2024
Mildly interesting history of espionage, a bit manila at times.
November 13, 2019
I almost gave this course 3 stars, but I felt my complaints were minor and that most people would get a lot learning about the history of espionage. Please note that while Professor Liulevicius's last name suggests he might have a thick accent, in fact he sounds like most Americans... probably because he is an American. His voice is clear and strong.
The history begins with the Egyptians, eventually moving into the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, World War I and World War II with Mata Hari, Kim Philby, Hitler and Stalin. Then we get into the modern day with cyber-war.
Now for my complaints: I was a little irked when the Professor suggested that Jews are a race. (I am Jewish, and I am also a Mexican-American straight out of the barrio. Jews are not a race. We are a tribal affiliation with an official religion.) To be fair, the Professor might have been trying to convey that the Nazis themselves thought of Jews as a race. He was not clear. Secondly, he seemed surprised that the German Nazis and Communist Russians would sign a non-aggression treaty. Granted, the Germans and Russians had had a bad history with each other up until then, but after all... the Nazis and the Communists had a big thing in common. They were both radical socialists.
A lot of background context was left out to cover the espionage aspects of major events. I strongly suggest the reader/listener look further into those major events. Otherwise you might get the wrong impression of them.
I might listen to these lecture again.
The history begins with the Egyptians, eventually moving into the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, World War I and World War II with Mata Hari, Kim Philby, Hitler and Stalin. Then we get into the modern day with cyber-war.
Now for my complaints: I was a little irked when the Professor suggested that Jews are a race. (I am Jewish, and I am also a Mexican-American straight out of the barrio. Jews are not a race. We are a tribal affiliation with an official religion.) To be fair, the Professor might have been trying to convey that the Nazis themselves thought of Jews as a race. He was not clear. Secondly, he seemed surprised that the German Nazis and Communist Russians would sign a non-aggression treaty. Granted, the Germans and Russians had had a bad history with each other up until then, but after all... the Nazis and the Communists had a big thing in common. They were both radical socialists.
A lot of background context was left out to cover the espionage aspects of major events. I strongly suggest the reader/listener look further into those major events. Otherwise you might get the wrong impression of them.
I might listen to these lecture again.
November 19, 2020
Liulevicius provides a solid overview of espionage and covert operations, with an emphasis on the 20th Century operations of World War I, World War II, and the Cold War. Liulevicius takes upon himself the complicated task of not only describing the history of HUMINT operations, but also briefly describing SIGINT and IMINT while describing the history of certain intelligence services and the ethics of spycraft. This course is well suited for somebody with an interest in intelligence, but who has not read much of the literature. Most of the examples will be familiar and Liulevicius does an excellent job placing them in the broader context of intelligence and operations.
At only 24 lectures, this course unfortunately is too broad and lacks enough focus on espionage and covert operations to be rewarding for more people more familiar with the history of intelligence operations. Liulevicius could have narrowed the focus in a longer course focused more narrowly on covert operations specifically, provided a broader overview of intelligence operations, or focused on one of the several other aspects of intelligence and espionage that he briefly covers in the course.
At only 24 lectures, this course unfortunately is too broad and lacks enough focus on espionage and covert operations to be rewarding for more people more familiar with the history of intelligence operations. Liulevicius could have narrowed the focus in a longer course focused more narrowly on covert operations specifically, provided a broader overview of intelligence operations, or focused on one of the several other aspects of intelligence and espionage that he briefly covers in the course.
August 10, 2020
This is less of a book and more of a university course. I picked this up to help educate myself to write about spies and Espionage in my fantasy fiction.
This has a lot of great anecdotes, but I never felt like I had an in-depth view on anything, but that's what happens when you go through an entire history of spying instead of focusing on a single era.
It's also worth noting that while it's titled a "global history" it focuses very much on the western perspective, and only touches upon other cultures.
I'm interested in listening to more about this topic, but my next read would be a more focused one, but this gave a nice broad foundation, and I can always return to one lecture if it's particularly relevant to what I'm writing.
Narrator
The Narrator is also the Professor here, and he had a very clear voice and his passion for the subject really comes through, which is always nice.
This has a lot of great anecdotes, but I never felt like I had an in-depth view on anything, but that's what happens when you go through an entire history of spying instead of focusing on a single era.
It's also worth noting that while it's titled a "global history" it focuses very much on the western perspective, and only touches upon other cultures.
I'm interested in listening to more about this topic, but my next read would be a more focused one, but this gave a nice broad foundation, and I can always return to one lecture if it's particularly relevant to what I'm writing.
Narrator
The Narrator is also the Professor here, and he had a very clear voice and his passion for the subject really comes through, which is always nice.
May 30, 2021
Espionage and spying have long captured the imaginations of the public, and Hollywood. This is the broad overview of history of spying. The history that is know, of course.
Why I started this book: Spies! And I enjoyed Liulevicius's other great courses. and .
Why I finished it: Edutainment at its best. Liulevicius is an engaging lecturer and the material is fascinating... personally I could have skipped beginning with the Bible, if it meant more time with twentieth and twenty-first century stories.
Why I started this book: Spies! And I enjoyed Liulevicius's other great courses. and .
Why I finished it: Edutainment at its best. Liulevicius is an engaging lecturer and the material is fascinating... personally I could have skipped beginning with the Bible, if it meant more time with twentieth and twenty-first century stories.
July 9, 2021
This course is broad, covering dates from about as far back as history can allow and extending up to the present day. Unfortunately, the course is also incredibly shallow. Much of the course felt like it was "phoned in" with a few sentences here and there about something before moving on. I suppose this is a survey course but if you have read much else then it seems a bit of a grind. As an audiobook, I don't want to have to go to the accompanying PDF to see if there are citations and suggested reading but felt the lectures mentioned things that I'd really like to hear the works cited. It overall had the feeling of a highschool essay that went down Wikipedia. I think this course could have been greatly expanded upon.
February 26, 2023
2.5 Stars. Not super in-depth -- it is a global history of espionage and covery operations after all - but still a fairly enjoyable listen. Lectures leap fairly quickly from Sargon of Akkad up to the 20th century which is probably where most folks' interest lay. The course could use an update as a lot of things have happened in the last 10-12 years: Israeli Pegasus software, surveillance capitalism, Putin's continued special operations (from 'little green men' in 2014 to open war in 2022), and the deeper descent into the kinds of authoritarian surveillance state in many countries only hinted at in the conclusion. I'd be up for a repeat if he did the refresh.
February 5, 2022
The topics covered were interesting enough, but the speaker was not so good at speaking. Uninteresting jokes were repeated multiple times, things meant to be funny fell flat in general, and the cadence of his spearhead was quite annoying. Every other word was stressed in awkward ways, as if every word he spoke was meant to be conveyed as “important�. I had to listen at at least 1.25 speed just to be able to focus on what was said instead of how it was said. He was still a significantly better speaker than I will likely ever be, but listening to him talk was exhausting and irritating.
May 27, 2024
Lectures about espionage from Biblical times to the early 2000s. One of the themes is how spy agencies increasingly rely on SIGINT (signal intelligence, such as satellite photos and wiretaps) rather than HUMINT (human intelligence, which means sending human beings into a particular site to get information out of other human beings). SIGINT is becoming better and cheaper, and HUMINT in general is becoming worse and more expensive. It's extraordinarily difficult to use HUMINT in closed societies such as North Korea.
July 19, 2018
This was another survey course (overview of a lot of ideas and events). Not only was this a fun topic (spies and covert missions) but he managed to identify big ideas and thread them throughout the course. So while we constantly changed the details we discussed, it didn't feel disconnected, it felt like one larger story.
Loved this one.
Loved this one.
August 17, 2018
Very interesting material with decent presentation. I had no idea Ian Flemming was actually a spy before he was am author, so that's cool. I wish the presentation was newer since there's a LOT of espionage going around, but he only gets as far forward as Snowden and didn't even mention him by name. I'd recommend this for anyone interested in spy craft. Neat stuff!
February 25, 2019
A shallow dive into the history of espionage, but a fun one. These lectures give a glimpse into the the evolving world of spies, traitors, and saboteurs, from ancient times to the present day. Whether you're into spy novels, or are a history buff, Espionage and Covert Operations: A Global History is worth a listen.
April 17, 2019
For anyone who's read history or lots of true/fictional espionage stories, this was awful dry. The prof gets fairly wrapped up in his stories, but failed to provide much of real interest beyond some specific examples that I hadn't read about. None of which struck me as significant he felt they were. No bad, if you need a general history.
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September 23, 2020Liulevicious is the best Great Courses lecturer that I’ve come across. I’ve listened to everything by him that I can get my hands on, even courses that I was uninterested in the subject of (like this one!) He just makes it all interesting, and he has such an enthusiasm for his subject matter!
I highly recommend his A History of Eastern Europe.
I highly recommend his A History of Eastern Europe.
October 23, 2020
I felt the presentation was informative plus energetically and brilliantly presented. Some information was review of areas I was aware of while other parts gave new data and perspectives. Listening and reading the pdf that came with the course is a real learning experience. I am sure there is more that could be said but a lot of territory was covered in a way that kept me engaged throughout.
December 20, 2024
Sięgnąłem po tą pozycję dzięki podcastowi Lex Friedman show. Lex Friedman przeprowadził wywiad z autorem i opowiadał w nim o szpiegostwie i historii szpiegostwa na świecie. Tak mnie ten wywiad zainteresował, że postanowiłem rzutem na taśmę sięgnąć po książke autora w tkórej opisuje globalną historię szpiegostwa od czasu prehistorycznych aż po czasu współczesne. Świetna książka.
January 2, 2019
Finished a couple weeks ago.
Having had some time to think about it, I can say that it’s a great overview of the subject but left me wanting more. This is not a negative. It made me curious to explore the topic more in the future.
Having had some time to think about it, I can say that it’s a great overview of the subject but left me wanting more. This is not a negative. It made me curious to explore the topic more in the future.
February 5, 2019
Really, this is 4/5 four star and 1/5 two star. The early 20th century section is first rate, as is the medieval and early american section. The others are packed with stereotyped anecdote and credulous biblical citations.
August 10, 2020
I really enjoyed this audio class. It is always interesting to me when events discussed in one book intersect with events or people I have read about in other books in other contexts. Good instructor - interesting subject - presented well.
January 10, 2022
This is a primer of the subject and not much more. This usually doesn't bother me but in this case I was just expecting more. If you want a good overview of the subject this is a good place to start but for anyone has even a cursory understating of the subject this will be just review.
April 5, 2025
I found this to be an interesting overview on a historical topic that has long piqued my interest. The content of this book was primarily presented by bullet points, which made it easy for me to gather facts, although it went rather quickly over the content being presented.
June 23, 2017
A rapid and brief overview of some famous spies and covert operations. Interesting but not very substantial.
July 18, 2017
Not what I expected. Not quite so much about craft as a series of stories strung together.
July 27, 2017
Excellent history replete with details. I especially enjoyed the sections on Casanova flirting with life as a spy.
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