This is a detailed, single volume analysis of Britain's changing position in the world during the twentieth century. It places British policy making in the appropriate domestic and international contexts, offers an alternative to the more negative, 'decline'-obsessed assessments of Britain's role and influence in global affairs. This book suggests that Britain's leaders did a better job than some historians think. Michael Turner, in order to understand why they took the options they did, investigates their motives and aims within the international environment within which they operated. >

Sinn Fein is one of the most controversial and uncompromising parties in Irish politics. Brian Feeney presents a comprehensive account of the role of Sinn Fein in Irish history since the inception of the movement in 1905 when Arthur Griffith first published The Sinn Fein Policy. Sinn Fein has survived an extraordinary history in politics and has seen some of the most famous names in Irish history pass through its ranks. This book examines the party in terms of the men who have led it and their progress through the electoral mechanism, the party's relationship with the IRA and the British and Irish governments, and, of course, its role in the current peace process. This is an important and timely book from an esteemed journalist, and an impartial analysis of Sinn Fein's involvement in Irish politics, north and south, over the last hundred years.

This book examines the postwar memoir fight over the broad front versus the single thrust strategy, the Allied advance on the Rhine, and the British call for a ground-forces commander other than General Eisenhower. It traces the argument in the postwar memoirs from 1946 through 1968 as well as the official histories of the United States, Britain, and Canada to see what the documents really said. What were men willing to say, what did they feel that they had to cover up? Field Marshal Montgomery was deeply chagrined that he had only one army group to command when he thought himself the most professional commander in Northwest Europe. Montgomery had little grasp of the intricacies of politics and could not understand that American public opinion made it impossible for Eisenhower to name him ground-forces commander. During the Battle of the Bulge the U.S. President and Chief of Staff settled the issue in Eisenhower's favor.

This is a study of the post war break-up of the British Empire, organized chronologically and written in narrative form. As the great imperial power before 1939, Britain played a leading role in the great post-war shift in the relationship between the West and the Third World, which we call "decolonization". From the abandonment of the raj in India to the eventual entry into the European Community, there were revolutionary changes in Britain's long tradition of aloofness from Europe and pursuit of world power. The author examines the reasons for the British giving up their Asian and African colonies after 1945 asking whether nationalism in colonial societies or indifference in Britain was the key factor in the dissolution of the British Empire. Was the decay of British power and influence an inevitable consequence of imperial decline? Did British policies in the last phase of empire reflect an acceptance of decline or the hope that it would be postponed indefinitely by timely concessions? He also questions the significance of the Suez crisis and the Falklands war. Geoffrey Warner also wrote " Britain, Egypt and the Middle East".

The Spanish Civil War has had a profound and lasting impact on Britain. At least 2400 Britons volunteered to fight for the Spanish Republic (of whom more than 500 died), while others provided medical assistance, visited Spain in delegations, or covered the Civil War as journalists. In this collection of three of his published articles and seven new essays, all based on primary research, Tom Buchanan sheds light on many facets of this complex relationship. The book's central themes are the impact of loss on families and communities, and the importance of Spain itself -- its history and culture -- in the way that the Civil War was understood in Britain. Some of the chapters deal with individuals involved in the Civil War, such as the writer John Langdon-Davies, the artist Felicia Browne and the journalist GL Steer. Others pursue somewhat neglected themes, such as the response of British artists to the war or the role played by British medical personnel. The final two chapters focus on the long-term impact of the conflict on British politics and on Britain's relations with Spain since 1939.

Flamboyant, cultured and refined, aristocracy is often seen as a national treasure. Lords of Misrule takes a different view and considers the role of an aristocracy behaving badly. This is a book about the political, social and moral failings of aristocracy and the ways in which they have featured in political rhetoric. Drawing on the views of critics of aristocracy, it explores the dark side of power without responsibility. Less 'patrician paragons' than dissolute and debauched debtors, the aristocrats featured here undermined, rather than augmented, the fabric of national life. For the first time, Lords of Misrule recaptures the views of those radicals and reformers who were prepared to contemplate a Britain without aristocrats.

An English eccentric and adventurer, Tom Harrisson (1911-1976) sought knowledge and renown in a dizzying number of fields, while breaking most of the rules of "civilized" society. This hugely enjoyable story of his extravagant, controversial life offers a sympathetic and insightful look at a charismatic figure who offended as many people as he impressed at the twilight of colonialism on the fringes of the British empire.

By age twenty-one, Harrisson had carried out pioneering ornithological research and explored the flora and fauna of Northern Borneo. While still in his twenties, he wrote a best-selling book based on his experiences living among cannibals in the South Pacific. The next decade found Harrisson applying the techniques of bird-watching to his fellow Britons in what became Mass-Observation, a precursor to modern market research. Later, he won the DSO for parachuting into Borneo behind enemy lines and organizing an army of blow-piping headhunters who eventually killed more than a thousand Japanese soldiers.

After the war Harrisson settled in Borneo, where, as curator of the Sarawak Museum, he transformed it into a model and inspiration for the region; he led efforts to save the orangutan, the green sea turtle, and other endangered species; he discovered the oldest modern human skull known at the time; he published widely in the scientific and popular press, and appeared frequently on the BBC and British television.

A man with tremendous breadth of interest and vision, Harrisson continually sought ways to connect knowledge across disciplines, alienating in the process more narrowly focused alien academics who resented his encroachments -- and his lack of a universitydegree. Yet a number of his ideas, particularly in anthropology and archaeology, seem modern today.

The Most Offending Soul Alive is the rousing and compelling story of a man who has been called one of the most remarkable men of his generation. It portrays an individual of irresistible energy, magnetism, and imagination, but also shows Harrisson to be an emotionally troubled man, who spent much of his life fighting to gain respect from the academic world, despite the fact that he despised many of its values. A hard-drinking, hard driving egotist, full of ambition, curiosity, and pent-up rage, he never had -- during his long career and afterwards -- the recognition he sought and deserved for his many achievements.

This book provides a detailed, student-friendly overview of Ireland in the twenty first century and the remarkable economic and social transformations that have occurred since the late 1980s. The "Celtic Tiger" phenomenon has made Ireland the focus of much attention in recent years. Other countries have openly declared that they want to follow the Irish economic and social model. Yet there is no book that gives a comprehensive, spatially-informed analysis of the Irish experience. This book fills that gap. Divided into four parts -- planning and development, the economy, the political landscape, and population and social issues -- the chapters provide an explanation of a particular aspect of Ireland and Irish life accompanied by illustrative material. In particular, the authors reveal how the transformations that have occurred are uneven and unequal in their effects across the country and highlight the challenges now facing Irish society and policy-makers. Written by experts in the field, it is a key text for those wishing to understand the contemporary Irish economic and social landscape.

This collection of writings covers the war on the Western Front. Whereas, traditionally, attention has been given to strategic or political matters, these essays highlight tactical issues. They show that the British high command could boast more achievements in tactics than is usually assumed.
The volume covers: the extent of tactical reform in the British Army after the Somme battle; the medical analysis of the treatment of casualties; the progress of British Artillery from 1914 to the 1990s; the role of the British military police; the rise of armour; the importance of the cavalry in the development of breakthrough doctrine; and the new spirit inspiring the rising generation of BEF studies.

Although from different backgrounds, David Lloyd George and Winston Churchill forged a close friendship, delighting in each other's wit, oratory and unconventionality. Both were outsiders. Neither attended university. Above all, both loved political sparring -- often together, in the epic parliamentary battles of the start of the century. Theirs was a personal friendship that involved frequent holidays together and support of each other's families. But their real shared passion was politics. For ten years between 1904 and 1914 they met together every day for an hour's private discussion. Lloyd George profoundly influenced Churchill's political philosophy and played a formative role in his career. Drawing on unseen family archive material, Robert Lloyd George provides an intimate biography of the friendship between his great-grandfather and Churchill, from their public politics to their private passions. He throws fresh light on the two greatest statesmen of twentieth century Britain in peace and in war, and on one of the most enduring friendships in modern politics.

The hotly anticipated memoir of one of New Labour's three founding architects. Peter Mandelson is one of the most influential politicians of modern times. The Third Man is his story -- of a life played out in the backroom and then on the frontline of the Labour Party during its unprecedented three terms in government. Much of the book is devoted to the defining political relationships of Peter Mandelson's life -- with Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. Charting what he terms the 'soap-opera' years of the Labour government, his book is certain to ruffle many feathers. Forced to resign from Cabinet twice in three years, Peter Mandelson has cut a divisive figure through British politics but his time as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland gained him many supporters. He was a highly regarded European Commissioner before being brought back into British politics by Gordon Brown in 2008 to serve as Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, and as First Secretary. Containing a mixture of autobiography, personal reflection and political history, The Third Man draws heavily on detailed diary notes that Peter Mandelson took during the events, discussions and meetings that shaped the government and the Labour Party over 25 years. He began writing the book while serving as European Commissioner, and has been completing it since leaving office in May. Much has been written about Peter Mandelson as the person at the heart of the New Labour project but this is the first time we have heard the unvarnished truth from the man himself. The Third Man is set to become the most talked about political memoir of the year.

Critical acclaim for William B. Breuer

"A first-class historian."
–The Wall Street Journal

Top Secret Tales of World War II

"A book for rainy days and long solitary nights by the fire. If there were a genre for cozy nonfiction, this would be the template."
–Publishers Weekly

"Perfect for the curious and adventure readers and those who love exotic tales and especially history buffs who will be surprised at what they didn’t know. Recommended for nearly everyone."
–Kirkus Reviews

Daring Missions of World War II

"The author brings to light many previously unknown stories of behind-the-scenes bravery and covert activities that helped the Allies win critical victories."
–Albuquerque Journal

Secret Weapons of World War II

"Rip-roaring tales . . . a delightful addition to the niche that Breuer has so successfully carved out."
–Publishers Weekly

This book tells the story of changes in the social structure of Britain from 1900 to the mid 1980s. It incorporates and is a sequel to Trends in British Society since 1900, a compilation by a distinguishd group of social scientists at the University of Oxford, and the only comprehensive collection of British social statistics for the twentieth century as a whole.

'In Modern Love, Marcus Collins sets out to survey the changing expectations men and women have brought to their relationships with one another.' Damian Thompson, Daily Telegraph Drawing on social, economic and political history, Modern Love explains for the first time at book length how relations changed between men and women in Britain in the twentieth century. Marcus Collins shows how men and women's expectations from life radically shifted and converged, describing how we moved from inhabiting our separate spheres with wholly different prospects and values towards the ideal, if not quite the actuality, of equality, mutuality, companionship and friendship. 'Enlightening...Collins charts the progress of a radical turn-of-the-century idea that men and women could achieve joyful intimacy if only they got to know one another as equals ...he elegantly demonstrates the power of public perception in determining whether or not we manage to be happy in love.' Decca Aitkenhead, New Statesman 'From the Victorians to Bridget Jones, it's a miracle women actually have relationships...Marcus Collins gets back to basics and allows us to hear the voices of ordinary women and men for ourselves'. Rachel Cooke, Observer 'Rather a well-mannered history of those who have sought to make marriage a better thing. The questions he raises...are just as compelling today as they were a century ago.' Lesley White, Sunday Times

This book chronicles three decades largely overshadowed by war and mass unemployment. It was a period that saw in England the formation of a national government, the only genuine incidence of three-party politics, the fruition of campaigns for trades union recognition, women's suffrage, and Irish independence, and abroad withdrawal from the Gold Standard and involvement in collective security. Written in Taylor's customary provocative style, this is historical writing at its best.

Professor Graham compares the performance of the British Army in the two world wars. He identifies as a source of failure in the World War I, Sir Douglas Haig's inability to adopt appropriate operations for his chosen strategy, or suitable tactics for the operations. Montgomery usually avoided that mistake in the World War II. Graham draws upon his own experience of combat to help the reader make a connection between the orders given to corps and their effect on small units.

Over the past fifty years Ireland has been through a period of intense change, and has experienced both challenges and successes. In War and Peace: Ireland since the 1960s, historian Christine Kinealy explores the political triumphs and travails in Ireland over this period. Kinealy provides a thorough and up-to-date account of the unfolding of The Troubles, the three decades of violence and social unrest between Catholic nationalists and Protestant unionists. She explores the Republic of Ireland's entry into the European Union in 1973, its often contentious relationship with Britain, and the changes in rates of emigration to the USA and the rest of the world. The women's movement in the 1970s and the successive election of two female presidents proved the Republic's ability to accept and internalize social change, and despite Catholic Church scandals and Northern Ireland's turbulence, this partitioned island has remained a significant presence on the world stage. Ireland's economy has also transformed over the last fifty years: the phenomenon of the 'Celtic Tiger', the introduction of the euro, and Ireland's current struggle with the global recession brings the story up to date. This book presents a comprehensive panorama of the events that have shaped Ireland's social and political landscape over the last fifty years. It will be essential reading for anyone interested in Ireland's recent past, and how it will continue to develop in the future.

Were World Wars I and II inevitable? Were they necessary wars? Or were they products of calamitous failures of judgment?
In this monumental and provocative history, Patrick Buchanan makes the case that, if not for the blunders of British statesmen-Winston Churchill first among them-the horrors of two world wars and the Holocaust might have been avoided and the British Empire might never have collapsed into ruins. Half a century of murderous oppression of scores of millions under the iron boot of Communist tyranny might never have happened, and Europe's central role in world affairs might have been sustained for many generations.
Among the British and Churchillian errors were:
- The secret decision of a tiny cabal in the inner Cabinet in 1906 to take Britain straight to war against Germany, should she invade France
- The vengeful Treaty of Versailles that mutilated Germany, leaving her bitter, betrayed, and receptive to the appeal of Adolf Hitler
- Britain's capitulation, at Churchill's urging, to American pressure to sever the Anglo-Japanese alliance, insulting and isolating Japan, pushing her onto the path of militarism and conquest
- The greatest mistake in British history: the unsolicited war guarantee to Poland of March 1939, ensuring the Second World War
Certain to create controversy and spirited argument, "Churchill, Hitler, and "the Unnecessary War"" is a grand and bold insight into the historic failures of judgment that ended centuries of European rule and guaranteed a future no one who lived in that vanished world could ever have envisioned.

After a late and shaky start because of the jealousies of local agricultural societies, the Welsh National Agricultural Society founded in 1904 (to be renamed the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society in 1922) was to surmount many problems and difficulties in its first seventy years or so to become by the 1980s one of the three major agricultural societies in the United Kingdom. This remarkable success story is traced by David Howell in fourteen chapters which cover the holding of the show at Aberystwyth from 1904 to 1909, the migratory years between 1910 and 1962 when some 37 'canvass towns' were erected at different centres in north and south Wales in alternative years, and the society's fortunes on the permanent site at Llanelwedd from 1963.

Takes a trip back to 1971 to see what was happening in Blackpool - and also recalls the wider world events of that year. This book offers a brief historical introduction and illustrations from 1971 that cover the tramway and street scenes of Blackpool, Lytham and Fleetwood.

The Girl from Hockley is a new, revised edition bringing together in one new volume this remarkable story. Born into the industrial slums of Birmingham in 1903, Kathleen Dayus became a legend in her own time. She vividly recalls her Edwardian childhood and her life as a young munitions worker during the war, marriage and life below the poverty line in the 1920s. Early widowhood and the Depression forced her to relinquish her children to Dr Barnado's homes until, eight long years later, she could afford a home for them again. Her autobiography is a testament to the indomitable spirit, humour and verve that characterised her life. Her extraordinary memory for the sights, sounds and smells of her youth, her marvellous sense of the comic and above all her spirited refusal to do anything but live life to the full, deservedly made her one of the most compelling storytellers of our time.