British Empire by
Up to World War II and beyond, the British ruled over a vast empire. Modern western attitudes towards the imperial past tend either towards nostalgia for British power or revulsion at what seem to be the abuses of that power. The Cambridge Illustrated History of the British Empire adopts neither of these approaches. It aims to create historical understanding about the British empire on the assumption that such understanding is important for any informed appreciation of the modern world. Through striking illustration and a text written by leading experts, this book examines the experience of colonialism in North America, India, Africa, Australia, and the Caribbean, as well as the impact of the empire on Britain itself. Emphasis is placed on social and cultural history, including slavery, trade, religion, art, and the movement of ideas. How did the British rule their empire? Who benefited economically from the empire? And who lost?
An introduction to modern European history 1890-1990 by
This book introduces the major social, economic and political themes of European history during the period 1890 to 1990. Issues and events such as the origins of World War I, the Russian Revolution and the fall of communism are introduced and analyzed through narrative and structured activities.
Great commanders of the modern world 1866 - present day
Great Commanders of the Modern World is a sumptuous chronological survey of the 25 greatest commanders of the modern world. Compiled by an distinguished team of historians (including such names as Antonia Fraser, Saul David and Stephen Brumwell) working under the general editorship of Andrew Roberts, Great Commanders of the Modern World is an authoritative and beautifully illustrated account of the lives and careers of the 25 greatest military commanders of the period. Every commander is profiled in a concise and informative 3000-word article which not only brings its subject vividly to life via a lively, fact-driven narrative, but also analyses and assesses his tactical and strategic gifts. As accessible and informative as it is rigorous and scholarly, Great Commanders of the Modern World is the perfect introduction to its subject for the layperson - but also a stimulating and thought-provoking read for those with greater knowledge of military history. With its companion volumes, focusing on the great commanders of the ancient, medieval and early modern eras, it forms an indispensable guide to the greatest generals the world has seen.
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Themes in modern European History 1890 - 1845
Adopting a thematic approach to a period of great change and upheaval in Europe, these essays throw new light on developments in society, the economy, politics and culture, fixing them not only in the political framework of the time, but also in their social and cultural contexts.
Women at War by
We have an e copy of this book as well
Conflict, Communism and Fascism by 
Europe's last summer by
The Great War not only destroyed the lives of over twenty million soldiers and civilians, it also ushered in a century of huge political and social upheaval, led directly to the Second World War and altered for ever the mechanisms of governments. And yet its causes, both long term and immediate, have continued to be shrouded in mystery. In Europe's Last Summer , David Fromkin reveals a new pattern in the happenings of that fateful July and August, which leads in unexpected directions. Rather than one war, starting with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, he sees two conflicts, related but not inseparably linked, whose management drew Europe and the world into what The Economist described as early as 1914 as 'perhaps the greatest tragedy in human history'.
Germany 1848-1914 by
A study of Germany between 1848 and 1890. .
Rise of Nationalism by
This book provides a study of ideology, identity and authority in the German state.
Other books on the library shelves at same catalogue number
Europe Rules the World by 
The Vertigo years - change in culture in the west 1900 - 1914 by
Europe, early in the twentieth century: a world adrift, a pulsating era of creativity and contradictions. The hot topics of the day - terrorism and globalisation, immigration, consumerism, the lack of moral values and rivalling superpowers - could make one forget that it is a century ago that this era vanished in the trenches of the Somme, of Ypres, and of Passchendaele. Or did it? The closer one looks, the more this world seems like ours: feminism and quantum thedory, atonal music and democratisation, mass communication and commercial branding, genetics, state-sponsored genocide, colonialism, consumerism and racism, radioactivity and psychoanalysis are all terms first used during this period. This was a time radically unlike the Victorian era that preceded it, a time in which old certainties broke down and many people lost their bearings. At the heart of this vibrant Europe, was a contradiction that would cause its collapse: the new, modern world of mass production, urban life, technological warfare and a rapidly growing working class was still ruled by men - Kaiser Wilhelm, Tsar Nicolas II, and the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Francis Joseph among them - who thought in the chivalric and paternalistic categories of earlier generations, prefering the image of dashing cavalry officers to the prosaic slaughter of the machine gun, and national mythology to political cohesion and democracy. The eventual scope of the catastrophe often obscures the fact that the great cultural divide in Europe's history lies before 1914. This book will bring to life the immediacy of the lives and issues of this fascinating and flawed period.
The Habsburg Monarchy by
Section on the democratic pretence of the Habsburg Monarchy - pg 210
Great commanders of the modern world 1866 - Present day
Great Commanders of the Modern World is a sumptuous chronological survey of the 25 greatest commanders of the modern world. Compiled by an distinguished team of historians (including such names as Antonia Fraser, Saul David and Stephen Brumwell) working under the general editorship of Andrew Roberts, Great Commanders of the Modern World is an authoritative and beautifully illustrated account of the lives and careers of the 25 greatest military commanders of the period. Every commander is profiled in a concise and informative 3000-word article which not only brings its subject vividly to life via a lively, fact-driven narrative, but also analyses and assesses his tactical and strategic gifts. As accessible and informative as it is rigorous and scholarly, Great Commanders of the Modern World is the perfect introduction to its subject for the layperson - but also a stimulating and thought-provoking read for those with greater knowledge of military history. With its companion volumes, focusing on the great commanders of the ancient, medieval and early modern eras, it forms an indispensable guide to the greatest generals the world has seen.
Social History of France 1789 - 1914 by
This volume provides an authoritative synthesis of recent work on the social history of France and is now thoroughly revised and updated to cover the 'long nineteenth century' from 1789-1914. Peter McPhee offers both a readable narrative and a distinctive, coherent argument about this century. McPhee explores themes such as peasant interaction with the environment, the changing experience of work and leisure, the nature of crime and protest, changing demographic patterns and family structure, the religious practices of workers and peasants, and the ideology and internal repercussions of colonisation.
War since 1900 by 
France 1815-1914 by
In this lively and stimulating study, Roger Magraw examines how the 19th-century French bourgeoisie struggled and eventually succeeded in consolidating the gains it made in 1789. The book describes the attempts of the bourgeoisie to remold France in its own image and its strategy for overcoming the resistance from the old aristocratic and clerical elites and the popular classes. Incorporating the most recent research on religion and anticlericalism, the development of the economy, the role of women in society, and the educational system, this work is the first to draw extensively on the new social history in its interpretation of events in 19th-century France.
An Improbable war by
The first world war has been described as the "primordial catastrophe of the twentieth century". Arguably, Italian Fascism, German National Socialism and Soviet Leninism and Stalinism would not have emerged without the cultural and political shock if World War 1. The question why this catastrophe happened therefore preoccupies historians to this day. The focus of this volume is not the consequences, but rather on the connection between the Great War and the long 19th Century, the short and long term causes of World War 1. This approach results in questioning many received ideas about the war's causes, especially the notion of "inevitability".
