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Books > History > European history
Given the political, financial, social, and economic conditions
inherited from Communist rule, Romania's new government concluded
that a shock therapy approach to reform would create unmanageable
chaos and enduring instability. Though committed to economic
liberalization, decisionmakers espoused a gradualist approach to
economic reform. The government pursued its objectives by
implementing policies it considered functionally operational.
Although Romania experienced the macro dislocations and downturns
that are common in transitional economies in the region, the
country sustained shallower recessions, lower inflationary spirals,
and shorter production losses than many reforming economies. This
study analyzes how, against calculated probabilities and within a
relatively short time period, Romania has stabilized and assembled
all the basic ingredients for a successful transformation from a
centralized system to a market-driven economy.
The lessons derivable from Romania's relatively successful
experiment with systemic transformation could be beneficial to
reform architects in all newly liberalized economies in Eastern
Europe. The conclusions of this study reinforce the view that it is
imperative to examine and foster the existing preconditions,
including political, institutional, and financial components,
before subjecting an economy to extensive and intensive shocks that
could be judiciously mitigated or circumvented. Unlike other newly
liberalized economies in Eastern Europe, where the once disgraced
Communists have returned to power, sympathy for a centralized
system has been steadily and swiftly declining in Romania. The
primary factor in Romania's success, the author claims, is its
circumspect approach to reform.
This account of the extraordinary growth of the Greek
ship-operating industry following the Second World War is a major
breakthrough. The body of data presented and analysed makes it
possible to form an informed historical view of Greek pre-eminence
in sea transport.
The Independent Companies of Foreigners are widely regarded as the
worst examples of foreign units in the British Army during the
Napoleonic Wars. They were formed, in the last years of these wars,
to receive French deserters who had come over to the British in
Spain. Each company was intended to serve separately in the
garrisons of the West Indies. Instead two of them were used in an
active role on the East Coast of America a " this did not turn out
well. Drawing of British, French and American sources, this book
provides a fuller picture of the men, why the units were formed,
why they were used as they were and what actually happened.
Judgement can then be made whether the bad reputation of the units,
and the soldiers in them, is justified.
An examination of the life of General Manton S. Eddy, this study
details his experiences in World War II as leader of the U.S. 9th
Infantry Division through North Africa, Sicily and France, and
subsequently, as commander of XII Corps, into the heart of Germany.
While much has been written about the top military leaders of this
era, there is little information about corps commanders whose
missions were limited to doing battle and whose organizations were
tailored exclusively for this task. Eddy's career provides a model
for the Army's most ambitious officers, particularly those who,
like Eddy, faced the challenge without family connections or the
traditional West Point education. He devoted his life to the U.S.
Army, enhancing his innate talents through the incorporation of a
daily program of self-education.
Eddy had an excellent grasp of the basic principles of military
tactics and strategy. He attained this art through home study and
assiduous application at the Army's professional education
institutions, in particular at the Command and General Staff
College, where he served as an instructor for four years. He
focused on people, quickly learning and applying basic skills to
draw out their best efforts. He came to know what to expect from
them in the chaos and under the pressure of combat. This
facilitated his development of strong, mission-oriented
subordinates. His personal goal was always to maximize all
available power at the correct point for crushing his nation's
enemies, and to this end, he was extraordinarily successful.
This volume challenges preconceptions of Athenian politics and
history. It sets out to demonstrate that the widely received view
that Hellenistic Athens and her political leaders were radically
different from their Classical counterparts is fundamentally
flawed. Through a re-examination of the internal politics of
Hellenistic Athens, both in terms of its key institutions and its
political leaders, After Demosthenes provides a comprehensive
analysis of Athenian political life from 322-262 BC. Drawing on
literary and epigraphic evidence the book identifies those who
participated in the governing of Athens, and their motives for
doing so, and redefines the nature of Athenian political ideology
in the process. The leading political figures, each of whom can be
identified with a particular ideological viewpoint, are explored in
a series of biographical studies. Examining the intellectual
origins of modern scholarly criticism of democracy in the Athens of
this period, this volume shows how the politics of scholarly
discourse have distorted modern views of Hellenistic Athens.
After years of relative neglect, the reconstruction of post-war
Germany has recently become a major research focus for historians.
The contributors to this volume were among the first to evaluate
the archives relevant to their topic and are hence able to present
many fresh insights into Allied occupation policy in the late
1940s, revealing the painful adjustment which German industry,
institutions and citizens had to make in the post-1945 world.
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