History

Jeff Wallace

Beginning Modernism

Editura: Manchester University Press

Anul aparitiei: 2010

Modernism was the artistic and intellectual revolution of the early twentieth century. Yet despite its now-secure location in history, the radical experimental practices of modernism continue to bewilder as much as they excite. 'Beginning Modernism' offers a clear and reader-friendly introduction to this complex and invigorating subject. With an emphasis on the close reading of modernist artefacts, from literary texts to buildings, paintings to musical compositions, the book aims to demystify the notorious difficulties of 'high' modernism, showing them to be an incentive rather than an obstacle to understanding and exploration. At the same time, it highlights the emergence of a new modernist studies, emphasizing the eclectic, the popular, and the global or transnational. Readers are encouraged to situate their reading of modernist literature within a wider set of cultural contexts, which include: visual art; ideas of time and space; sculpture; photography; film; politics; technology; sexuality; primitivism; architecture; dance; drama, and music. 'Beginning Modernism' will be of interest both to the general reader, and to undergraduates and postgraduates in the fields of literary ...

James H. Billington

Fire in the Minds of Men

Editura: Transaction Publishers

Anul aparitiei: 1999

This book traces the origins of a faith--perhaps the faith of the century. Modern revolutionaries are believers, no less committed and intense than were Christians or Muslims of an earlier era. What is new is the belief that a perfect secular order will emerge from forcible overthrow of traditional authority. This inherently implausible idea energized Europe in the nineteenth century, and became the most pronounced ideological export of the West to the rest of the world in the twentieth century. Billington is interested in revolutionaries--the innovative creators of a new tradition. His historical frame extends from the waning of the French Revolution in the late eighteenth century to the beginnings of the Russian Revolution in the early twentieth century. The theater was Europe of the industrial era; the main stage was the journalistic offices within great cities such as Paris, Berlin, London, and St. Petersburg. Billington claims with considerable evidence that revolutionary ideologies were shaped as much by the occultism and proto-romanticism of Germany as the critical rationalism of the French Enlightenment. The conversion of social theory to political practice was essentially ...

Hamid Bayati, Hamid Al-Bayati

From Dictatorship to Democracy: An Insider's Account of the Iraqi Opposition to Saddam

Editura: University of Pennsylvania Press

Anul aparitiei: 2011

Selected by Choice magazine as an Outstanding Academic Title Today, Hamid al-Bayati serves as Iraqi ambassador to the United Nations. But for many years he lived in exile in London, where he worked with other opponents of Saddam Hussein's regime to make a democratic and pluralistic Iraq a reality. As former Western spokesman for the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), and as a member of the executive council of the Iraqi National Congress, two of the main groups opposing Saddam's regime, he led campaigns to alert the world to human rights violations in Iraq and win support from the international community for the removal of Saddam. An important Iraqi diplomat and member of Iraq's majority Shia community, he offers firsthand accounts of the meetings and discussions he and other Iraqi opponents to Saddam held with American and British diplomats from 1991 to 2004. Drawn from al-Bayati's personal archives of meeting minutes and correspondence, From Dictatorship to Democracy takes readers through the history of the opposition. We learn the views and actions of principal figures, such as SCIRI head Sayyid Mohammed Baqir Al-Hakeem and the other leaders of the Iraqi ...

Mark Twain

Pudd'nhead Wilson and Those Extraordinary Twins

Editura: Modern Library

Anul aparitiei: 2002

Featuring the brilliantly drawn Roxanna, a mulatto slave who suffers dire consequences after switching her infant son with her master's baby, and the clever Pudd'nhead Wilson, an ostracized small-town lawyer, Twain's darkly comic masterpiece is a provocative exploration of slavery and miscegenation. Leslie A. Fiedler described the novel as "half melodramatic detective story, half bleak tragedy," noting that "morally, it is one of the most honest books in our literature." Those Extraordinary Twins , the slapstick story that evolved into Pudd'nhead Wilson, provides a fascinating view of the author's process. The text for this Modern Library Paperback Classic was set from the 1894 first American edition.

Kerry Noble

Tabernacle of Hate: Seduction Into Right-Wing Extremism

Editura: Syracuse University Press

Anul aparitiei: 2010

In the summer of 1984, Noble came within seconds of committing what would have been the largest domestic terrorist act in U.S. history at that time. As one of the founders of the Covenant, Sword, and Arm of the Lord (CSA), a cult paramilitary group, he carried a bomb into a gay-affirming church, intending to murder over seventy congregants. In Tabernacle of Hate, Noble provides an unprecedented first-person account of how a small spiritual community moved from mainstream religious beliefs to increasingly extreme positions, eventually transforming into a domestic terrorist organization. Written after his release from prison, the author's cogent narrative reveals the deceptive allure of extremist movements and the unmatched power of charismatic leadership. Noble also chronicles the intense standoff with federal agents at the group's compound in northern Arkansas in April 1985. Originally published in 1998, this second edition includes an authoritative introduction placing Noble's narrative and the CSA into the broader picture of American religio-political extremism.

Afif Safieh

The Peace Process: From Breakthrough to Breakdown

Editura: Saqi Books

Anul aparitiei: 2011

"Safieh presents an enthralling compilation that expresses his love for humanity through essays, articles, and lectures." - Publishers Weekly "These brilliant essays are essential reading for all who would seek to bridge the divide between Palestinians and Israelis."--Eugene Rogan"Afif Safieh is that rare combination of scholar, diplomat and humanist. There is much to be learned from reading his work--a compelling and principled call for examination and engagement."--Sara RoyAfif Safieh served as Palestinian General Delegate in London; Washington, DC; and Moscow from 1990 to 2009. During this time, he met and interacted with the leading figures of our age from Yasser Arafat, John Major, and Tony Blair to Jimmy Carter, George W. Bush, and Pope John Paul II.The Peace Process: From Breakthrough to Breakdown brings together Safieh's articles, lectures, and interviews spanning three decades, revealing the political and intellectual journey of one of Palestine's most skilled and distinguished diplomats.His writings center on the Palestinian struggle for independence and are a testament to his vision and humanity.Born in Jerusalem in 1950, Afif Safieh is the roving ambassador for special ...

Robert J. Mahoney

The Mayaguez Incident: Testing America's Resolve in the Post-Vietnam Era

Editura: Texas Tech University Press

Anul aparitiei: 2011

On May 12, 1975, just days after the U.S. withdrawal of troops from Vietnam, the American merchant cargo ship SS Mayaguez was seized by the Cambodian Khmer Rouge in international waters. President Gerald Ford--the first (and only) non-elected president of the United States--found himself in the midst of an intense four-day international crisis with significant historical ramifications. The Mayaguez incident was the first test of the president's role as commander-in-chief since the enactment of the 1973 War Powers Act, which was intended to limit presidential power. While the Ford administration's swift and violent reaction achieved its stated goals of enhancing U.S. prestige and rescuing the ship and crew, Robert J. Mahoney's analysis of the events demonstrates that the end result was largely a matter of extreme good fortune. Mahoney examines the reason for the failure of correct intelligence to reach the invading U.S. force, explores the circumstances that worked in America's favor, and details the decision-making process from the National Security Council through the operational levels down to the tactical forces. With access to recently declassified primary sources, Mahoney ...

Steven F. Hayward

The Age of Reagan: The Conservative Counterrevolution: 1980-1989

Editura: Three Rivers Press (CA)

Anul aparitiei: 2010

"Those who say that we're in a time when there are no heroes, they just don't know where to look." -President Ronald Reagan, January 20, 1981 Hero. It was a word most Americans weren't using much in 1980. As they waited on gas and unemployment lines, as their enemies abroad grew ever more aggressive, and as one after another their leaders failed them, Americans began to believe the country's greatness was fading. Yet within two years the recession and gas shortage were over. Before the decade was out, the Cold War was won, the Berlin Wall came crashing down, and America was once more at the height of prosperity. And the nation had a new hero: Ronald Wilson Reagan. Reagan's greatness is today widely acknowledged, but his legacy is still misunderstood. Democrats accept the effectiveness of his foreign policy but ignore the success of his domestic programs; Republicans cheer his victories over liberalism while ignoring his bitter battles with his own party's establishment; historians speak of his eloquence and charisma but gloss over his brilliance in policy and clarity of vision. From Steven F. Hayward, the critically acclaimed author of The Age of Reagan: The Fall of the Old Liberal ...

Gene Dattel

Cotton and Race in the Making of America: The Human Costs of Economic Power

Editura: Ivan R. Dee Publisher

Anul aparitiei: 2009

Since the earliest days of colonial America, the relationship between cotton and the African-American experience has been central to the history of the republic. America's most serious social tragedy, slavery and its legacy, spread only where cotton could be grown. Both before and after the Civil War, blacks were assigned to the cotton fields while a pervasive racial animosity and fear of a black migratory invasion caused white Northerners to contain blacks in the South. Gene Dattel's pioneering study explores the historical roots of these most central social issues. In telling detail Mr. Dattel shows why the vastly underappreciated story of cotton is a key to understanding America's rise to economic power. When cotton production exploded to satiate the nineteenth-century textile industry's enormous appetite, it became the first truly complex global business and thereby a major driving force in U.S. territorial expansion and sectional economic integration. It propelled New York City to commercial preeminence and fostered independent trade between Europe and the United States, providing export capital for the new nation to gain its financial sea legs in the world economy. Without ...

Neil Davidson

How Revolutionary Were the Bourgeois Revolutions?

Editura: Haymarket Books

Anul aparitiei: 2011

A historical defense of the concept of bourgeois revolution, from the sixteenth century to the twentieth.

Nick Ragone

Presidential Leadership: 15 Decisions That Changed the Nation

Editura: Prometheus Books

Anul aparitiei: 2011

Why did George Washington personally lead the militia that put down the Whiskey Rebellion? What drove Harry Truman to fire Douglas MacArthur at the height of the Korean War? Did Gerald Ford know that his pardon of Richard Nixon could very well end his political career? Why did John F. Kennedy challenge America to reach for the moon? This book examines more than a dozen major decisions of the presidency-Truman dropping the Bomb; Nixon going to China; Jefferson purchasing the Louisiana Territory-and the stories behind them. Told in a crisp, narrative writing style, the author brings the presidency and its big decisions to life with his unique storytelling and pacing, and highlights the lessons to be learned. Some of the decisions are well known; others are not. But they're all told in a way that will keep you turning the pages to learn more. Each chapter stands as a study in leadership and decision-making. By the end of the book, you'll be an expert in the men and the decisions that shaped the country, and the lessons that can be learned from their leadership and often their courage. With a concluding chapter that assesses President Obama's first year in office and reviews his major ...

Pierre-Joseph Proudhon

Property Is Theft!: A Pierre-Joseph Proudhon Reader

Editura: AK Press

Anul aparitiei: 2011

"An indispensable source book for anyone interested in Proudhon's ideas and the origins of the socialist and anarchist movements in nineteenth-century Europe."--Robert Graham, editor of Anarchism: A Documentary History of Libertarian Ideas "Iain McKay's introduction offers a sure-footed guide through the misconceptions surrounding Proudhon's thought."--Mark Leier, author of Bakunin: The Creative Passion More influential than Karl Marx during his lifetime, Pierre-Joseph Proudon's work has long been out of print or unavailable in English. Iain McKay's comprehensive collection is a much-needed and timely historical corrective. Iain McKay is the editor of An Anarchist FAQ .

The Battle of the Story of the Battle of Seattle

Editura: AK Press

Anul aparitiei: 2009

"...A fascinating account of what really happened in Seattle."--Naomi Klein"This book is a great read for any activist."--The Progressive"If you think it's time we shut down the empire at the heart of the WTO with tactics so effectively used to weaken the WTO, pick up a copy of The Battle of the Story of the Battle of Seattle."--David SwansonFrom dawn to dusk on November 30, 1999, tens of thousands of people shut down the World Trade Organization meeting, facing cops firing tear gas and rubber bullets, the National Guard, and the suspension of civil liberties. An unexpected history was launched from the streets of Seattle, one in which popular power would matter as much as corporate power, in which economics assumed center stage, and people began envisioning who else they could be and what else their economies and societies might look like. The Battle of the Story of the Battle of Seattle explores how that history itself has become a battleground and how our perception of it shapes today's movements against corporate capitalism and for a better world. David Solnit recounts activist efforts to intervene in the Hollywood star-studded movie, Battle in Seattle, and pulls lessons from a ...

Handbook of Medieval Studies: Terms a " Methods a " Trends

Editura: Walter de Gruyter

Anul aparitiei: 2010

Dieses interdisziplinäre Handbuch informiert umfassend über die mediävistische Forschung der letzten Jahrzehnte und ihre wichtigsten Ergebnisse. Es stellt ein Referenzwerk dar, das es ermöglicht, sich rasch und gezielt in wichtige Forschungsdiskurse einzuarbeiten und den Stand der Forschung zu rezipieren. Das englischsprachige, von einem internationalen Kollegium aus Fachgelehrten verfasste Handbuch ist vierteilig: Eine erste gro e Rubrik bietet Artikel zu allen wichtigen Wissensfeldern und -diskursen. Hier finden sich präzise Forschungsberichte etwa zu den Themen 'Arabische Literatur', 'Epigraphik', 'Kreuzzug' oder 'Deutsche Literatur'. Nicht die Sachen selbst werden erklärt, sondern es wird jeweils eine Perspektive auf die Forschung und ihre zentralen Fragestellungen und Kontroversen geboten. Eine zweite Rubrik bietet Artikel zu Leittermini der modernen Mediävistik und ihrer Debatten, z. B. 'Text', 'Performanz', 'Mündlichkeit/Schriftlichkeit' usw. Die dritte Rubrik ist ein Lexikon der wichtigsten Textgattungen des Mittelalters, z. B. 'Bibeldichtung', 'Chroniken', 'Visionsliteratur' usw. Die vierte Rubrik schlie lich bietet ein internationales bio-bibliographisches Lexikon ...

Ewen Southby-Tailyour

Jane's Special Forces Recognition Guide

Editura: HarperCollins Publishers

Anul aparitiei: 2005

This is the authority on special forces, ideal for any level of military enthusiast. So if you want to know about special forces weapons or transport or even their elite use of surveillance equipment including human presence sensors then this is the kit you need.

Adam Zamoyski

Warsaw 1920: Lenin's Failed Conquest of Europe

Editura: HarperCollins (UK)

Anul aparitiei: 2008

Melba J. Duncan

Complete Idiot's Guide to African American History

Editura: Alpha Books

Anul aparitiei: 2003

A full portrait of black life throughout history, this guide offers profiles on such familiar figures as Harriet Tubman, W.E.B. Du Bois, and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Geoffrey Blainey

The Causes of War

Editura: Free Press

Anul aparitiei: 1988

The third edition of Geoffery Blainey's highly acclaimed study on the causes of war has been expanded and updated to include a complete discussion of World War II and the road towards nuclear war. Analyzing all international wars since 1700, Causes of War solves the riddle of why some wars are long and some are short and demonstrates how the "outbreak of peace" offers insight into the outbreak of war. Proving that war and peace are alternating phases of a relationship between rival nations, this widely quoted work offers a crucial, new understanding of international armed conflict.

Kenneth J. Hagan

This People's Navy: The Making of American Sea Power

Editura: Touchstone Books

Anul aparitiei: 1992

Kenneth J. Hagan pulls the curtain back for American civilians as he shares a sweeping account of the country's naval experience. Including the wooden Continental Navy to contemporary projections of the service's high-tech mission in the next century, The People's Navy shares the complete making and growth of America's sea power. "...provides a clear, interesting, and through-provoking introduction to the history of the American sea power and should be read by all historians of the United States... This book will provide standard interpretation for a long time to come." - Reviews in American History

Allan Reed Millett, Peter Maslowski

For the Common Defense

Editura: Free Press

Anul aparitiei: 1994