Themes in Modern European History, 1890–1945 brings together an international team of scholars to address an eclectic range of developments and issues in European history in the period between 1890 and the end of the Second World War. This lively collection of essays adopts a thematic approach, in order to explore comprehensively a period of great change and upheaval in Europe.Concentrating on the main powers in Europe, from Germany, Italy and Russia, to the UK an...

The Wiley-Blackwell Dictionary of Modern European History Since 1789 is an authoritative and accessible reference guide to the major people, events, and issues that have shaped the development of Europe from the French Revolution to the present day.Features almost a thousand alphabetical entries on modern European historyOffers extensive cross-references to enhance clarity and reveal historical links and connections, and a series of maps charting the evolut...

Arising from collaboration between a doctor and a historian, Disease and History offers the general listener a wide-ranging and accessible account of the ways in which disease has left its dramatic mark on the past.It discusses the impact made by bubonic plague and other infections upon the ancient and medieval worlds; the likely role of syphilis in the careers of Henry VIII and Ivan the Terrible; the significance of smallpox for the conquest of Mexico; and the contributio...

'Superb ... likely to become a classic' ObserverIn the summer of 1914 most of Europe plunged into a war so catastrophic that it unhinged the continent's politics and beliefs in a way that took generations to recover from. The disaster terrified its survivors, shocked that a civilization that had blandly assumed itself to be a model for the rest of the world had collapsed into a chaotic savagery beyond any comparison. In 1939 Europeans would initiate a seco...

**An acclaimed examination of the global history of communism, from one of the finest historians of modern Russia.‘One of the best-ever studies of the subject . . . a remarkable accomplishment.’ – The Economist**Decades after the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe and the USSR, Robert Service sets out to trace its origins, tracking its spread across the globe throughout the twentieth century. From the USSR to Yugoslavia, Cuba to Western Europe, he chronicles t...

This Very Short Introduction provides an analytical narrative of the main events and developments in Soviet Russia between 1917 and 1936. It examines the impact of the revolution on society as a whole--on different classes, ethnic groups, the army, men and women, youth. Its central concern is to understand how one structure of domination was replaced by another. The book registers the primacy of politics, but situates political developments firmly in the context of massive economic, social...

The twentieth century in Europe witnessed some of the most brutish episodes in history. Yet it also saw incontestable improvements in the conditions of existence for most inhabitants of the continent - from rising living standards and dramatically increased life expectancy, to the virtual elimination of illiteracy, and the advance of women, ethnic minorities, and homosexuals to greater equality of respect and opportunity. It was a century of barbarism and civilization, of cruelty and tende...

The Russian Revolution of 1917 transformed the face of the Russian empire, politically, economically, socially, and culturally, and also profoundly affected the course of world history for the rest of the twentieth century. Historian S. A. Smith presents a panoramic account of the history of the Russian empire, from the last years of the nineteenth century, through the First World War and the revolutions of 1917 and the establishment of the Bolshevik regime, to the end of the 1920s, when S...

In The Shock of War: Civilian Experiences, 1937-1945, Sean Kennedy shifts the reader's focus from the battlefields of the Second World War to the civilian experience. This short yet comprehensive history complements existing studies of the war that document diplomatic and military operations. While many of these studies acknowledge the significance of the conflict for civilians, The Shock of War places civilians at the centre of events, drawing attention to the many diffe...

A History of Modern Europe surveys European history from the defeat of Napoleon to the twenty-first century, presenting major historical themes in an authoritative and compelling narrative.Concise, readable single volume covering Europe from the early nineteenth century through the early twenty-first centuryVigorous interpretation of events reflects a fresh, concise perspective on European historyClear and thought-provoking treatment of major hist...

Updated and expanded, this second edition of Bismarck and the German Empire, 1871–1918 is an accessible introduction to this important period in German history.Providing both a narrative of events at the time and an analysis of social and cultural developments across the period, Lynn Abrams examines the political, economic and social structures of the Empire. Including the latest research, the book also covers:how Bismarck consolidated his regimethe...

The Age of the Dictators presents a comprehensive survey of the origins and interrelationship of the European dictatorships. All the regimes are addressed, with ample coverage of the period 1939-45, and analysis of the Soviet government up to Stalin’s death in 1953.Exploring their ideological and political roots, and the role of the First World War in their rise to power, David Williams identifies the dictatorships as products of their time. He examines the Soviet, Italian...