Author: Richard J. Evans
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 0241295777
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 1071
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Book Description
ECONOMIST BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2016 'A scintillating, encyclopaedic history, rich in detail from the arcane to the familiar... a veritable tour de force' Richard Overy, New Statesman 'Transnational history at its finest ... .. social, political and cultural themes swirl together in one great canvas of immense detail and beauty' Gerard DeGroot, The Times 'Dazzlingly erudite and entertaining' Dominic Sandbrook, The Sunday Times A masterpiece which brings to life an extraordinarly turbulent and dramatic era of revolutionary change. The Pursuit of Power draws on a lifetime of thinking about nineteenth-century Europe to create an extraordinarily rich, surprising and entertaining panorama of a continent undergoing drastic transformation. The book aims to reignite the sense of wonder that permeated this remarkable era, as rulers and ruled navigated overwhelming cultural, political and technological changes. It was a time where what was seen as modern with amazing speed appeared old-fashioned, where huge cities sprang up in a generation, new European countries were created and where, for the first time, humans could communicate almost instantly over thousands of miles. In the period bounded by the Battle of Waterloo and the outbreak of World War I, Europe dominated the rest of the world as never before or since: this book breaks new ground by showing how the continent shaped, and was shaped by, its interactions with other parts of the globe. Richard Evans explores fully the revolutions, empire-building and wars that marked the nineteenth century, but the book is about so much more, whether it is illness, serfdom, religion or philosophy. The Pursuit of Power is a work by a historian at the height of his powers: essential for anyone trying to understand Europe, then or now.
Author: David King
Publisher: Crown
ISBN: 0307407365
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 493
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Book Description
“Reads like a novel. A fast-paced page-turner, it has everything: sex, wit, humor, and adventures. But it is an impressively researched and important story.” —David Fromkin, author of Europe’s Last Summer Vienna, 1814 is an evocative and brilliantly researched account of the most audacious and extravagant peace conference in modern European history. With the feared Napoleon Bonaparte presumably defeated and exiled to the small island of Elba, heads of some 216 states gathered in Vienna to begin piecing together the ruins of his toppled empire. Major questions loomed: What would be done with France? How were the newly liberated territories to be divided? What type of restitution would be offered to families of the deceased? But this unprecedented gathering of kings, dignitaries, and diplomatic leaders unfurled a seemingly endless stream of personal vendettas, long-simmering feuds, and romantic entanglements that threatened to undermine the crucial work at hand, even as their hard-fought policy decisions shaped the destiny of Europe and led to the longest sustained peace the continent would ever see. Beyond the diplomatic wrangling, however, the Congress of Vienna served as a backdrop for the most spectacular Vanity Fair of its time. Highlighted by such celebrated figures as the elegant but incredibly vain Prince Metternich of Austria, the unflappable and devious Prince Talleyrand of France, and the volatile Tsar Alexander of Russia, as well as appearances by Ludwig van Beethoven and Emilia Bigottini, the sheer star power of the Vienna congress outshone nearly everything else in the public eye. An early incarnation of the cult of celebrity, the congress devolved into a series of debauched parties that continually delayed the progress of peace, until word arrived that Napoleon had escaped, abruptly halting the revelry and shrouding the continent in panic once again. Vienna, 1814 beautifully illuminates the intricate social and political intrigue of this history-defining congress–a glorified party that seemingly valued frivolity over substance but nonetheless managed to drastically reconfigure Europe’s balance of power and usher in the modern age.
Author: François Guesnet
Publisher:
ISBN: 9789004191365
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 726
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Book Description
"This source-reader invites you to encounter the world of one thousand years of Jewish self-government in eastern Europe. It tells about the beginnings in the Middle Ages, delves into the unfolding of communal hierarchies and supra-communal representation in the early modern period, and reflects on the impact of the partitions of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and of growing state interference, as well as on the communist and post-communist periods. Translated into English from Hebrew, Latin, Yiddish, Polish, Russian, German, and other languages, in most cases for the first time, the sources illustrate communal life, the interdependence of civil and religious leadership, the impact of state legislation, Jewish-non-Jewish encounters, reform projects and political movements, but also Jewish resilience during the Holocaust"--
Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : World War, 1914-1918
Languages : en
Pages : 486
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Book Description
Author: Glenda Sluga
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691264619
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 392
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Book Description
The story of the women, financiers, and other unsung figures who helped to shape the post-Napoleonic global order In 1814, after decades of continental conflict, an alliance of European empires captured Paris and exiled Napoleon Bonaparte, defeating French military expansionism and establishing the Concert of Europe. This new coalition planted the seeds for today's international order, wedding the idea of a durable peace to multilateralism, diplomacy, philanthropy, and rights, and making Europe its center. Glenda Sluga reveals how at the end of the Napoleonic wars, new conceptions of the politics between states were the work not only of European statesmen but also of politically ambitious aristocratic and bourgeois men and women who seized the moment at an extraordinary crossroads in history. In this panoramic book, Sluga reinvents the study of international politics, its limitations, and its potential. She offers multifaceted portraits of the leading statesmen of the age, such as Tsar Alexander, Count Metternich, and Viscount Castlereagh, showing how they operated in the context of social networks often presided over by influential women, even as they entrenched politics as a masculine endeavor. In this history, figures such as Madame de Staël and Countess Dorothea Lieven insist on shaping the political transformations underway, while bankers influence economic developments and their families agitate for Jewish rights. Monumental in scope, this groundbreaking book chronicles the European women and men who embraced the promise of a new kind of politics in the aftermath of the Napoleonic wars, and whose often paradoxical contributions to modern diplomacy and international politics still resonate today.
Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : World War, 1914-1918
Languages : en
Pages : 728
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Book Description
Author: Thomas E. Weaver
Publisher: Post Hill Press
ISBN: 1637585853
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 237
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Book Description
“Over the years, no feature of the Constitution has attracted more criticism than that strange creature called the Electoral College. Thomas E. Weaver has made that history into a story with an intriguing cast of characters, some familiar, several new to me. If you want to know why it is so hard to do away with this long-standing anachronism, Weaver’s story will help you understand.” —Joseph J. Ellis, Professor Emeritus of History, Mount Holyoke College, author of Pulitzer Prize winning Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation “Weaver makes excellent use of well-chosen, vivid anecdotes and a clear, lively writing style in order to offer an engaging and insightful analysis of a topic that in less skilled hands could easily be offputtingly dry or arcane. Two other compelling aspects of the manuscript are that the subject matter is of obvious urgent contemporary concern, and that the author has ferreted out underappreciated narratives of women and minorities that are nevertheless central to understanding the historical development of the Electoral College system.” —Gregory S. Aldrete, Professor Emeritus of History and Humanities, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, author of Daily Life in the Roman City: Rome, Pompeii, and Ostia “Those who think that throwing stones at political institutions is the same as reasoned debate should take some lessons from this carefully researched book. With a cast of colorful characters in tow, Weaver examines the long-standing controversies surrounding the EC and sets out numerous proposals for reform, which range from outright abolition to removing the “plus two” clause. Weaver brings a wealth of historical research to the task, writing with authority and clarity.” —Kirkus “Weaver’s history of the origins of the Electoral College and the reasons put forth both for its abolition and its preservation is tremendously engaging. In lively and accessible prose, Weaver makes the history of the founding of the EC come alive, and he makes the issues surrounding it, pro and con, clear, understandable, and interesting.” —Booklist
Author: Library of Congress
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Subject headings, Library of Congress
Languages : en
Pages : 1516
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Book Description
Author: Lisa A. Alzo
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1440343276
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 241
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Book Description
Trace your Eastern European ancestors from American shores back to the old country. This in-depth guide will walk you step-by-step through the exciting--and challenging--journey of finding your Polish, Czech, or Slovak roots. You'll learn how to identify immigrant ancestors, find your family's town of origin, locate key genealogical resources, decipher foreign-language records, and untangle the region's complicated history. The book also includes timelines, sample records, resource lists, and sample record request letters to aid your research. In this book, you'll find • The best online resources for Polish, Czech, and Slovak genealogy, plus a clear research path you can follow to find success • Tips and resources for retracing your ancestors’ journey to America • Detailed guidance for finding and using records in the old country • Helpful background on Polish, Czech, and Slovak history, geography, administrative divisions, and naming patterns • How the Three Partitions of Poland and the Austro-Hungarian Empire affect genealogical research and records • Information on administrative divisions to help you identify where your ancestors' records are kept • Sample letters for requesting records from overseas archives • Case studies that apply concepts and strategies to real-life research problems Whether your ancestors hail from Warsaw or a tiny village in the Carpathians, The Family Tree Polish, Czech and Slovak Genealogy Guide will give you the tools you need to track down your ancestors in Eastern Europe.
Author: Albert Bushnell Hart
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Reference books
Languages : en
Pages : 460
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Book Description
