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Books > History > World history > From 1900
Most observers who follow nuclear history agree on one major aspect
regarding Israel's famous policy of nuclear ambiguity; mainly that
it is an exception. More specifically, it is largely accepted that
the 1969 Nixon-Meir understanding, which formally established
Israel's policy of nuclear ambiguity and transformed it from an
undeclared Israeli strategy into a long-lasting undisclosed
bilateral agreement, was in fact a singularity, aimed at allowing
Washington to turn a blind eye to the existence of an Israeli
arsenal. According to conventional wisdom, this nuclear bargain was
a foreign policy exception on behalf of Washington, an exception
which reflected a relationship growing closer and warmer between
the superpower leading the free world and its small Cold War
associate. Contrary to the orthodox narrative, this research
demonstrates that this was not the case. The 1969 bargain was not,
in fact, an exception, but rather the first of three Cold War era
deals on nuclear tests brokered by Washington with its Cold War
associates, the other two being Pakistan and South Africa. These
two deals are not well known and until now were discussed and
explored in the literature in a very limited fashion. Bargaining on
Nuclear Tests places the role of nuclear tests by American
associates, as well as Washington's attempts to prevent and delay
them, at the heart of a new nuclear history narrative.
Evolution and Power: China's Struggle, Survival, and Success,
edited by Xiaobing Li and Xiansheng Tian, brings together scholars
from multiple disciplines to provide a comprehensive look at China
s rapid socio-economic transformation and the dramatic changes in
its political institution and culture. Investigating subjects such
as party history, leadership style, personality, political
movements, civil-military relations, intersection of politics and
law, and democratization, this volume situates current legitimacy
and constitutional debates in the context of both the country s
ideology, traditions, and the wider global community. The
contributors to this volume clarify key Chinese conceptual
frameworks to explain previous subjects that have been confusing or
neglected, offering case studies and policy analyses connected with
power struggles and political crises in China. A general pattern is
introduced and developed to illuminate contemporary problems with
government accountability, public opposition, and political
transparency. Evolution and Power provides essential scholarship on
China s political development and growth.
This book presents absorbing and critical expert perspectives on
the post-truth phenomenon that has infiltrated the U.S. political
system, media, and populace. Deception in politics is nothing new,
but the quantity of unsubstantiated statements in America today is
unprecedented. False notions, fake news, "alternative facts," and
opinions are being pitched from sources including the White House,
Congress, and the American population via Twitter, Facebook, and
online news sites as well as print, television, and radio. Such a
widespread spectacle instantly captures the attention of people
nationwide, but disagreement has the nation almost bordering on
civil war over the definition of "the truth" and what this book
calls "post-truth." In this text, C.G. Prado and expert
contributors present varied perspectives on post-truth, its
authoritarian implications for the nation, and how we can approach
information to differentiate between truth and post-truth. Speaking
to general readers, students, and scholars alike, chapters include
text on the historical and social events that initiated and
developed post-truth and why some people are more prone than others
to accept and perpetuate post-truth. They also discuss post-truth
as a threat to democracy. Analyzes Trump-administration-generated
mistruths in a discussion of post-truth America Presents varied
concerns, perspectives, and thought-provoking topics in clear,
accessible, and engaging words Explains the historical and social
circumstances that led to post-truth Details why some people are
more apt to embrace and spread post-truth Outlines actions to
defeat post-truth
America was made by the railroads. The opening of the Baltimore
& Ohio line--the first American railroad--in the 1830s sparked
a national revolution in the way that people lived thanks to the
speed and convenience of train travel. Promoted by visionaries and
built through heroic effort, the American railroad network was
bigger in every sense than Europe's, and facilitated everything
from long-distance travel to commuting and transporting goods to
waging war. It united far-flung parts of the country, boosted
economic development, and was the catalyst for America's rise to
world-power status.
Every American town, great or small, aspired to be connected to
a railroad and by the turn of the century, almost every American
lived within easy access of a station. By the early 1900s, the
United States was covered in a latticework of more than 200,000
miles of railroad track and a series of magisterial termini, all
built and controlled by the biggest corporations in the land. The
railroads dominated the American landscape for more than a hundred
years but by the middle of the twentieth century, the automobile,
the truck, and the airplane had eclipsed the railroads and the
nation started to forget them.
In "The Great Railroad Revolution," renowned railroad expert
Christian Wolmar tells the extraordinary story of the rise and the
fall of the greatest of all American endeavors, and argues that the
time has come for America to reclaim and celebrate its
often-overlooked rail heritage.
From the late eighteenth century, Germans increasingly
identified the fate of their nation with that of their woodlands. A
variety of groups soon mobilized the 'German forest' as a national
symbol, though often in ways that suited their own social,
economic, and political interests. The German Forest is the first
book-length history of the development and contestation of the
concept of 'German' woodlands.
Jeffrey K. Wilson challenges the dominant interpretation that
German connections to nature were based in agrarian romanticism
rather than efforts at modernization. He explores a variety of
conflicts over the symbol -- from demands on landowners for public
access to woodlands, to state attempts to integrate ethnic Slavs
into German culture through forestry, and radical nationalist
visions of woodlands as a model for the German 'race'. Through
impressive primary and archival research, Wilson demonstrates that
in addition to uniting Germans, the forest as a national symbol
could also serve as a vehicle for protest and strife.
In the first five months of the Great War, one million men
volunteered to fight. Yet by the end of 1915, the British
government realized that conscription would be required. Why did so
many enlist, and conversely, why so few? Focusing on analyses of
widely felt emotions related to moral and domestic duty, "Juvenile
Nation" broaches these questions in new ways."Juvenile Nation"
examines how religious and secular youth groups, the juvenile
periodical press, and a burgeoning new group of child
psychologists, social workers and other 'experts' affected
society's perception of a new problem character, the 'adolescent'.
By what means should this character be turned into a 'fit' citizen?
Considering qualities such as loyalty, character, temperance,
manliness, fatherhood, and piety, Stephanie Olsen discusses the
idea of an 'informal education', focused on building character
through emotional control, and how this education was seen as key
to shaping the future citizenry of Britain and the Empire."Juvenile
Nation" recasts the militarism of the 1880s onwards as part of an
emotional outpouring based on association to family, to community
and to Christian cultural continuity. Significantly, the same
emotional responses explain why so many men turned away from active
militarism, with duty to family and community perhaps thought to
have been best carried out at home. By linking the historical study
of the emotions with an examination of the individual's place in
society, Olsen provides an important new insight on how a
generation of young men was formed.
This book details the evolution of General George Marshall's
relationship with the atomic bomb-including the Manhattan Project
and the use of atomic weapons on Japan-as it emerged as the
ultimate weapon of mass destruction. The atomic bomb is not only
the most powerful weapon ever used in the history of warfare: it is
also the most significant in terms of its long-term impact on U.S.
military power and policy, and as the reason behind the conflict
that raged for four decades without actually happening-the Cold
War. General George C. Marshall played an instrumental role in the
development and use of the atomic bomb in World War II as well as
in issues involving nuclear weapons in the post-World War II
period. This book tells the story of Marshall's experience with the
atomic bomb from his early skepticism of its effectiveness as a
weapon, to his oversight of its development and deployment against
Japan in World War II, to his recognition of the bomb as a weapon
of such dire consequence that it should never be used again.
Intended for a general audience as well as scholars with specific
knowledge about the subject matter, this book presents a cohesive
account of General Marshall's involvement with nuclear weapons and
atomic power as Army chief of staff during World War II and as
secretary of state and secretary of defense in the early years of
the Cold War. Marshall's involvement with the use of nuclear
weapons is set in the context of the Allies' efforts to force Japan
to surrender and the initiation of the Cold War. Readers will gain
insight into Marshall's quest for obtaining a Japanese surrender;
his views on the use of the atomic bomb on Japan versus the use of
conventional weapons, including fire bombing or poison gas; his
interactions with Roosevelt and Truman on nuclear issues; and
Marshall's diplomatic skillfulness in dealing with the issues
surrounding the control and use of nuclear weapons as secretary of
state and secretary of defense in the post-World War II era. These
included consideration of the use of the atomic bomb during the
Berlin crisis and the Korean war. Presents a clear and concise
narrative of Marshall's interactions with nuclear weapons, from his
appointment to President Roosevelt's advisory committee in 1941 to
his tenure as President Truman's secretary of defense in 1950
Documents Marshall's role in pulling together the financial,
material, and human resources required for the Manhattan Project as
well as his collaboration with Secretary of War Henry Stimson and
Manhattan Project leader General Leslie Groves to produce the
atomic bomb Derives an accurate account of Marshall's involvement
with nuclear weapons through official documents, his
correspondence, the opinions of his peers, and personal interviews
he granted later in his life
The war for colonial Africa
This very substantial book, written by the two South African
official correspondents on the campaign, narrates the expedition in
1914-15 which led to the conquest of German South-West Africa (the
region now known as Namibia). One author accompanied the Northern
Army and the other, the Southern Army. During the 19th century the
great powers of Europe raced to establish themselves in all corners
of the globe for colonisation, trade and political influence. In
the 'great scramble for Africa, ' the British and German empires
had established themselves, by degrees, in the east and west of the
continent. In the years before the outbreak of the First World War
these colonies existed, more or less, in harmony but once
hostilities erupted German and British settlers found themselves
living in very close proximity to hostile forces. The British had
the advantage of numbers since colonisation had long been a policy,
though the Germans compensated for this measure with the abilities
of their military commanders and the expertise and quality of their
European and locally raised troops. (South Africa itself entered
the fray, its forces led by commanders who a little over a decade
earlier had led the Boer burghers in their attempts to form a
nation independent of the British Empire.) This campaign of
mobility was fought in the searing heat of a desert region and was
often a 'tip and run affair' as mounted troops traversed huge
tracts of inhospitable terrain. Those interested in the First World
War often find it's 'side-show' theatres fascinating because they
differed so completely from the war of stalemate and attrition on
the Western Front. This is a very thorough and comprehensive book
written by competent authors who experienced the campaign at first
hand and were well qualified to record both their personal
impressions and an informed overview of the events they witnessed.
This edition of the text is liberally enhanced by the inclusion of
many photographs taken on the campaign.
Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each
title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket; our
hardbacks are cloth bound and feature gold foil lettering on their
spines and fabric head and tail bands.
While the coerced human experiments are notorious among all the
atrocities under National Socialism, they have been marginalised by
mainstream historians. This book seeks to remedy the
marginalisation, and to place the experiments in the context of the
broad history of National Socialism and the Holocaust. Paul
Weindling bases this study on the reconstruction of a victim group
through individual victims' life histories, and by weaving the
victims' experiences collectively together in terms of different
groupings, especially gender, ethnicity and religion, age, and
nationality. The timing of the experiments, where they occurred,
how many victims there were, and who they were, is analysed, as are
hitherto under-researched aspects such as Nazi anatomy and
executions. The experiments are also linked, more broadly, to major
elements in the dynamic and fluid Nazi power structure and the
implementation of racial policies. The approach is informed by
social history from below, exploring both the rationales and
motives of perpetrators, but assessing these critically in the
light of victim narratives.
In 1932 Bolivia and Paraguay went to war over the Chaco region in
South America. The war lasted three years and approximately 52,000
Bolivians and Paraguayans died. Moving beyond the battlefields of
the Chaco War, this volume highlights the forgotten narratives of
the war. Studying the environmental, ethnic, and social realities
of the war in both Bolivia and Paraguay, the contributors examine
the conflict that took place between 1932 and 1936 and explore its
relationship with and impact on nationalism, activism and
modernity. Beginning with an overview of the war, the book goes on
to explore many new approaches to the conflict, and the
contributors address topics such as the environmental challenges
faced by the forces involved, the role of indigenous peoples, the
impact of oil nationalism and the conflict's aftermath. This is a
volume that will be of interest to anyone working on modern Latin
America and the relationship between war and society.
Thomas Ware served in the Army from March 1968 until March 1971. He
served in Dau Tieng, Vietnam. This is an accounting of his time in
Vietnam and his ensuing life as a result of experiences. The
injustices of the American Military system.
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