The Decline and Fall of the British Empire, 1781-1997

The Decline and Fall of the British Empire, 1781-1997 PDF Author: Piers Brendon
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0307388417
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 850

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Book Description
A WASHINGTON POST BOOK WORLD NOTABLE BOOK After the American Revolution, the British Empire appeared to be doomed. Yet it grew to become the greatest, most diverse empire the world had seen. Then, within a generation, the mighty structure collapsed, a rapid demise that left an array of dependencies and a contested legacy: at best a sporting spirit, a legal code and a near-universal language; at worst, failed states and internecine strife. The Decline and Fall of the British Empire covers a vast canvas, which Brendon fills with vivid particulars, from brief lives to telling anecdotes to comic episodes to symbolic moments.

The Decline and Fall of the British Empire, 1781-1997

The Decline and Fall of the British Empire, 1781-1997 PDF Author: Piers Brendon
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0307388417
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 850

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Book Description
A WASHINGTON POST BOOK WORLD NOTABLE BOOK After the American Revolution, the British Empire appeared to be doomed. Yet it grew to become the greatest, most diverse empire the world had seen. Then, within a generation, the mighty structure collapsed, a rapid demise that left an array of dependencies and a contested legacy: at best a sporting spirit, a legal code and a near-universal language; at worst, failed states and internecine strife. The Decline and Fall of the British Empire covers a vast canvas, which Brendon fills with vivid particulars, from brief lives to telling anecdotes to comic episodes to symbolic moments.

Reader's Guide to Military History

Reader's Guide to Military History PDF Author: Charles Messenger
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135959706
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 985

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Book Description
This book contains some 600 entries on a range of topics from ancient Chinese warfare to late 20th-century intervention operations. Designed for a wide variety of users, it encompasses general reviews of aspects of military organization and science, as well as specific wars and conflicts. The book examines naval and air warfare, as well as significant individuals, including commanders, theorists, and war leaders. Each entry includes a listing of additional publications on the topic, accompanied by an article discussing these publications with reference to their particular emphases, strengths, and limitations.

The Oxford History of the British Army

The Oxford History of the British Army PDF Author: David G. Chandler
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 9780192803115
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 518

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Book Description
From the Napoleonic Wars to the battle of the Falklands, from the pike and musket to the Challenger tank, The Oxford History of the British Army brings to life the far-reaching history of this long-lived institution. This definitive one-volume reference provides a wealth of historical detail as it takes readers on a lively journey through the annals of the British Army. Here are vivid descriptions of all the famous military campaigns and battles--from Agincourt and Crecy, to Trafalgar, Waterloo, and Yorktown Heights, to Dunkirk and D-Day--as well as insightful portraits of the great commanders, including Edward I, the Duke of Marlborough, Cromwell, the Duke of Wellington, and Field Marshall Montgomery. Military experts and military history buffs will be particularly interested in the special sections that highlight vital aspects of the Army, including tactics, weaponry, and major figures. Finally, the volume boasts a distinguished roster of contributors, including not only prominent military historians, but also former servicemen, who provide expert technical insight and vivid, eyewitness accounts of modern soldiering and warfare. Comprehensive and authoritative, The Oxford History of the British Army will fascinate military history buffs as well as anyone seeking a broader understanding of British or modern world history.

Warrior's Dishonour

Warrior's Dishonour PDF Author: George Kassimeris
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317000242
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 396

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Book Description
The characteristic act of men at war is not killing. It is killing by committing shocking and unspeakable atrocities, when circumstances permit. What drives ordinary people into hatred, genocide, inhumanity and evil? What turns friends and neighbours against each other with such savagery? Where does such barbarity come from? This collection examines the anarchy, cruelty and overwhelming confusion of modern warfare. In particular it analyzes: ¢ what happens when morality vanishes from the battlefield and why torture is endemic in modern warfare; ¢ how human rights, in times of war, lose meaning as a set of principles; ¢ whether official propaganda and enemy demonization make barbaric behaviour easier; ¢ how we can develop cultures opposed to torture that damage the legitimacy of our societies. Through a wealth of case studies that have been carefully selected in terms of their themes, approaches and methodologies, this comprehensive volume provokes discussion and enhances understanding from a variety of disciplinary perspectives.

Special Force

Special Force PDF Author: Alastair MacKenzie
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 0857730096
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 452

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Book Description
The exploits of the British Army's elite 22nd Special Air Service Regiment - the regiment of the SAS that forms part of the Regular army - are shrouded in mystery and myths abound about its members. But what is the truth behind the public facade of clinical professionalism? How has such a small regiment attracted so many weighty legends? And what is the purpose of the SAS in the 21st century? "Special Force" provides an original and unusually critical overview of the activities of the SAS from the Malayan Emergency of 1950 to the present day. In the context of a detailed and often controversial analysis of the post-war activities of the Regiment, MacKenzie establishes that the Regiment's almost legendary professional competence is often not backed up by reality. Far from being part of a structured deployment of strategic military assets, MacKenzie argues that the use of the SAS in recent years has been primarily driven by the 'entrepreneurial' actions of a few SAS commanding officers. "Special Force" not only offers a revelatory history of the SAS in the modern period, it is also a disturbing expose of the truth behind the myth. It will be essential reading for anyone with an interest in the British military - past, present and future.

The Foreign Policy of the Douglas-Home Government

The Foreign Policy of the Douglas-Home Government PDF Author: A. Holt
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 1137284412
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 204

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Book Description
This book provides an important study of a short-lived government making foreign policy in the shadow of an impending general election. It considers Britain's relations with the United States, Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

Arabia Without Sultans

Arabia Without Sultans PDF Author: Fred Halliday
Publisher: Saqi
ISBN: 0863567142
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 281

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Book Description
Fred Halliday writes: 'The Arab Middle East is probably the most misunderstood of all regions; the one with the longest history of contact with the west; yet it is probably the one least understood. Part of the misunderstanding is due to the romantic mythology that has long appeared to shroud the deserts of the peninsula. Where old myths have broken down, new ones have absorbed them or taken their place. Now the Sheikh of Arabia has stepped down from his camel. Instead, through the delusive lens of the 'energy crisis' he is seen to be riding a Cadillac and squeezing the powerless Western consumer of oil.' First published in the 1970s, Arabia Without Sultans retains its validity for the present as it analyses the Arabian peninsula and Iran within the global context of western post-colonial strategy and the political economy of oil. Halliday offers a thorough study of the history, the politi and the economi of this region in an ambitious, encompassing and entertaining manner. This classic work remains indispensable for students, academi, and all those who wish to have a greater understanding of the Arabian peninsula. 'A well-documented work, written by an author who knows the language of the area.' Maxime Rodinson 'Halliday provides an unusual view-point and a well-documented description of the history of these states.' Middle East International 'Anyone interested in this area will want to read this.' International Affairs 'A most valuable account of the developments which have taken place in the Arab Gulf over the last hundred years.' Tariq Ali

Faith and Sword

Faith and Sword PDF Author: Alan G. Jamieson
Publisher: Reaktion Books
ISBN: 9781861892720
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 268

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Book Description
"Faith and Sword explores the long and bloody history of the Muslim-Christian conflict, and examines the causes of present-day tensions between Islamic nations and the secular West. This book examines the Christian-Muslim conflict through all its stages and shows how our current situation has emerged. Ranging from Morocco to Indonesia, and from Russia to Somalia, it sheds light on the complex political and religious dynamics that form the background to one of the most important conflicts of our time."--BOOK JACKET.

British Ways of Counter-insurgency

British Ways of Counter-insurgency PDF Author: Matthew Hughes
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134920458
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 262

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Book Description
This edited collection examines the British ‘way’ in counter-insurgency. It brings together and consolidates new scholarship on the counter-insurgency associated with the end of empire, foregrounding a dark and violent history of British imperial rule, one that stretched back to the nineteenth century and continued until the final collapse of the British Empire in the 1960s. The essays gathered in the collection cover the period from the late nineteenth century to the 1960s; they are both empirical and conceptual in tone. This edited collection pivots on the theme of the nature of the force used by Britain against colonial insurgents. It argues that the violence employed by British security forces in counter-insurgency to maintain imperial rule is best seen from a maximal perspective, contra traditional arguments that the British used minimum force to defeat colonial rebellions. Case studies are drawn from across the British Empire, covering a period of some hundred years, but they concentrate on the savage wars of decolonisation after 1945. The collection includes a historiographical essay and one on the ‘lost’ Hanslope archive by the scholar chosen by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to manage the release of the papers held. This book was published as a special issue of Small Wars and Insurgencies.

‘Fair Play’ or Poisoned Chalice

‘Fair Play’ or Poisoned Chalice PDF Author: Sultan Ghalib bin ‘Awadh al-Qua‘iti II
Publisher: Darf Publishers Ltd.
ISBN: 1850773327
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 468

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Book Description
The region of South Arabia (including the vast region of Hadhramaut) has been a part of the Yemen since 1990 due to a shot-gun marriage of an arrangement following the perestroika, leading to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the withdrawal of its protecting presence. Since then it has been in a regular state of ever-increasing political turmoil and instability. This is due to the United Nations' failure to implement its Resolutions concerning the region's political future prior to British withdrawal in 1967, with Southern Arabia's strategic location at the doorstep of the world's major oil resources and its constant insecurity adding fuel to fire, the latest case being the current crisis and the launch of Operation Decisive Storm in 2015. This study may be deemed authoritarian for the period it covers from many aspects due to the pen from which its authorship flows and the high and sensitive position held by its wielder at the time of the events it covers. It should certainly prove a revealing and illuminating eye-opener about the recent political history of a region that continues to suffer from grave paucity of material for the purpose of scholarship, and about which, regardless of its past greatness and current significance and strategic importance to the world at large, so little is known.