The Geopolitical Blueprint

How did a young Corsican become Emperor of France in 1804?In this talk to his Chinese high school students, Jiang Xueqin argues that it was Napoleon's myth-making genius that seduced the French people, and killed the fledging French Republic.In this way, Napoleon was like Caesar and Hitler. Will Trump take America down the same path?

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Professor explains how the Dutch Golden Age gave birth to the Middle Class. With the transition from feudalism to market economics and from Catholicism to Calvinism, people changed their focus from accumulating status to accumulating wealth. This created the concept of "class." This concept brought with it certain pathologies (fears of disorder, failure, and germs) that expressed themselves in the Middle Class obsessions with money, art, and materialism.With his paintings, Johannes Vermeer captured the hypocrisies of Middle Class life during the Dutch Golden Age.

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How did England -- a poor and divided island -- become the world's greatest empire?In this talk to his Chinese high school students, Jiang Xueqin explains that England succeeded because it was a poor and divided island.Throughout most of its history, the different peoples of Britain were engaged in open co-operative competition. Their division meant that foreign invaders could come and conquer them, which led to creative destruction. The conflict and poverty within the island forced many to migrate, which led to colonial expansion.These structural forces would permit England to adopt the three major innovations that would allow it to dominate the globe. Its royal navy opened markets for British goods, and protected global trade. The Bank of England allowed for the financing of wars. The English language allowed England to project soft power.

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How did Shakespeare father the British empire?In this talk to his Beijing high school students, Jiang Xueqin explains that it was Shakespeare's innovations in syntax and diction that transformed English into the linguistic Internet. Cultures, ideologies, and peoples could now meet on this Internet, and have their ideas and values pollinate and cross-breed within the framework of British civilization. References:1.) Hamlet by William Shakespeare2.) Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare3.) "To Autumn" by John Keats

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Oscar Wilde once quipped: "America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilisation in between."What did he mean by this?In this talk to his Beijing high school students, Jiang Xueqin argues that America in its attempt to become an "enlightened" civilization ultimately became an anti-civilization. Civilizations have history, culture, and values, and therefore they have prejudices. These prejudices often lead to conformity, stagnation, and close-mindedness. America was a diverse open society that was determined to embrace its diversity and openness. It would welcome immigrants from all corners of the world in order to achieve its Manifest Destiny.As such, the Founding Fathers focused on turning America into a "game" rather than a civilization. The Constitution became the basis for a fair, transparent, and competitive game that permitted all to achieve the American Dream. References:1.) Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin2.) Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson3.) Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay4.) Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln5.) Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville

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Why did Putin invade Ukraine?In this lecture to his Beijing high school students, Jiang Xueqin explains that the war in Ukraine is a clash of civilizations. In his novels "Crime and Punishment" and "Brothers Karamazov" Fyodor Dostoevsky captures and expresses the Russian soul. As a Christian Orthodox people, the Russians believe the meaning of life is to accept the mystery, miracle, and authority of the human heart. This contrasts with Anglo-American civilization, which proposes a utilitarian and materialistic conception of the universe. References:1. "Anna Karenina" by Leo Tolstoy2. "Crime and Punishment" by Fyodor Dostoevsky3. "Brothers Karamazov" by Fyodor Dostoevsky

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What explains the rise of Adolf Hitler?In this talk to his Beijing high school students, Jiang Xueqin explains that Hitler was a manifestation of the German obsession with the unity of will. After the humiliating defeat of World War I and amidst the economic turmoil of the Weimar Republic, Germans sought salvation and redemption in their civilization, especially the music of Richard Wagner and the philosophy of Frederick Nietzsche. They longed for an "ubermensch" to emerge, and Hitler rose to the occasion. References:1. The World as Will and Representation by Arthur Schopenhauer2. The Ring Cycle by Richard Wagner 3. The Genealogy of Morals by Frederick Nietzsche 4. Tragedy and Hope by Carroll Quigley5. The Speeches of Adolf Hitler

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What is the legacy of Immanuel Kant, considered our greatest philosopher?In this talk to his Beijing high school students, Jiang Xueqin explains that Kant's insights had a tremendous impact on the development of neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and quantum mechanics. Kant's philosophical revolution was equivalent to that of the Copernican revolution in astronomy. With his precise logic, Kant showed us that we were active participants in the making of reality, rather than just passive observers. But Kant's epistemology had three major limitations:1. He argued we could never know true reality (the "things-in-themselves"), thus creating an ontological dilemma.2. He did not show us the source for our capacity to interpret the world. 3. He failed to show us why interpretations would be uniform across history and cultures. These problems led Hegel to develop his theory of the dialectic of the "geist," which will come to influence the development of both Marxism and the nation-state. References:1. The Critique of Pure Reason by Immanuel Kant2. The Critique of Practical Reason by Immanuel Kant3. The Phenomenology of the Spirit by Friedrich Hegel

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Why was Karl Marx -- who believed that industrial capitalism would evolve into a worker's paradise -- wrong? In this talk to his Beijing high school students, Jiang Xueqin explains that while Marx understood the ills of capitalism he failed to appreciate the psychology of people. People strive for religious community, not economic equality. We want to connect with God, and we seek status. That's why those countries that did succeed in their communist revolutions devolved into theocracies dominated by cults of personalities. References:1. The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels2. Letters of Karl Marx3. Three Lectures to Swiss Members by Mikhail Bakunin

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Freud proposed the theory of the Oedipal Complex. Where did he get the idea? Why did it become so popular?In this talk to his Beijing high school students, Jiang Xueqin explains that Freud developed his psychological theories in order to protect the interests of the powerful. His protege Carl Jung would take Freud's theory of the unconscious, and turn it into a systemic model of human psychology. Because of modernist literature and art, this "cult of the self" has permeated throughout the entire culture, becoming the air we breathe. This has led to devastating social consequences, especially among the young.References:1. Aetiology of Hysteria by Sigmund Freud2. Interpretation of Dreams by Sigmund Freud3. Civilization and Its Discontents by Sigmund Freud4. The Assault on Truth by Jeffrey Masson5. Ulysses by James Joyce6. To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

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