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Books > Social sciences > Warfare & defence > General
From Revolution to Revolution (1973) examines England, Scotland and
Wales from the revolution of 1688 when William became King, to the
American Revolution of 1776. In this period lies the roots of
modern Britain, as it went from being underdeveloped countries on
the fringe of European civilization to a predominating influence in
the world. This book examines the union of the island, development
of an organized public opinion and national consciousness, as well
as Parliament and its factions, the landed and business classes.
Views on religion, art, architecture and the changing face of the
countryside are also examined, as is the tension between London and
the rest of the island. The important issues of colonial expansions
in Ireland, America, India and Africa are also analysed.
The Court and the Country (1969) offers a fresh view and synthesis
of the English revolution of 1640. It describes the origin and
development of the revolution, and gives an account of the various
factors - political, social and religious - that produced the
revolution and conditioned its course. It explains the revolution
primarily as a result of the breakdown of the unity of the
governing class around the monarchy into the contending sides of
the Court and the Country. A principal theme is the formation
within the governing class of an opposition movement to the Crown.
The role of Puritanism and of the towns is examined, and the
resistance to Charles I is considered in relation to other European
revolutions of the period.
A Nation of Change and Novelty (1990) ranges broadly over the
political and literary terrain of the seventeenth century,
examining the importance of the English Revolution as a decisive
event in English and European history. It emphasises the historical
significance of the English Revolution, exploring not only its
causes but also its long term consequences, basing both in a broad
social context and viewing it as a necessary condition of England's
having nurtured the first Industrial Revolution.
Reflections on the Puritan Revolution (1986) examines the damage
done by the Puritans during the English Civil War, and the enormous
artistic losses England suffered from their activities. The
Puritans smashed stained glass, monuments, sculpture, brasses in
cathedrals and churches; they destroyed organs, dispersed the
choirs and the music. They sold the King's art collections,
pictures, statues, plate, gems and jewels abroad, and broke up the
Coronation regalia. They closed down the theatres and ended
Caroline poetry. The greatest composer and most promising scientist
of the age were among the many lives lost; and this all besides the
ruin of palaces, castles and mansions.
A History of Political Thought in the English Revolution (1954)
examines the large range of political doctrines which played their
part in the English revolution - a period when modern democratic
ideas began. The political literature of the period between 1645,
when the Levellers first seized upon the revolution's wider
implications, and 1660, when Charles II restored the monarchy to
power, is here studied in detail.
Cromwell and Communism (1930) examines the English revolution
against the absolute monarchy of Charles I. It looks at the
economic and social conditions prevailing at the time, the first
beginnings of dissent and the religious and political aims of the
Parliamentarian side in the revolution and subsequent civil war.
The various sects are examined, including the Levellers and their
democratic, atheistic and communistic ideals.
Allegiance in Church and State (1928) examines the evolution of
ideas and ideals, their relation to political and economic events,
and their influence on friends and foes in seventeenth-century
England - which witnessed the beginning of both the constitutional
and the intellectual transition from the old order to the new. It
takes a careful look at the religious and particularly political
ideas of the Nonjurors, a sect that argued for the moral
foundations of a State and the sacredness of moral obligations in
public life.
Leveller Manifestoes (1944) is a collection of primary manifestoes
issued by the Levellers, the group which played an active and
influential role in the English revolution of 1642-49. This book
collects together rare pamphlets and tracts that are seldom
available, and certainly not in one place for ease of research.
The acclaimed autobiography of Theodore 'Teddy' Roosevelt is
brought to the reader anew in this well-produced edition, inclusive
of all notes and appendices. Written over years and published in
1913, this lengthy yet engrossing biography sees one of the United
States finest Presidents recount his life in his own words.
Theodore Roosevelt sets out events in a way which clarify how he
came to possess his beliefs. We hear of his love of the great
outdoors which would in turn result in the establishment of
America's national parks, and his belief in commerce as an engine
for progress which would lead to the state-sponsored construction
of the Panama Canal during his presidency. Seldom straying to
dryness or heady description of the many and varied events of his
life, Theodore Roosevelt instead imbues every chapter with keynote
personality and liveliness. Personal letters with influential
figures are shared, placing the reader deep in the political world
which this popular, charismatic leader was immersed.
Napoleon's lightning conquest of Prussia, accomplished within a
month in the autumn of 1806, was perhaps his most spectacularly
successful campaign. The twin battles of Jena and Auerstadt, won on
the same day, October 14th, by Napoleon himself and his most able
Marshal, Davout, annihilated the Prussian army and on 25th October,
exactly a month after invading Prussia, Napoleon entered Berlin and
enforced a humiliating peace on his beaten enemy. In his classic
account of the campaign, published exactly 100 years ago, F.
Loraine Petre explains how Prussia's once vaunted military might
ossified in the twenty years after Frederick the Great's death,
leading to timidity and political paralysis. What Field-Marshal
Roberts in his foreword calls 'a selfish and suicidal policy' of
ignoring France as she picked off neighbouring Austria led to
defeat and occupation, but ultimately to much needed reform and the
re-birth of the Prussian army with its ultimate revenge on Napoleon
at Leipzig and Waterloo.
In this biography of JoaquÃn de Arredondo, historian Bradley
Folsom brings to life one of the most influential and ruthless
leaders in North American history. Arredondo (1776-1837), a Bourbon
loyalist who governed Texas and the other interior provinces of
northeastern New Spain during the Mexican War of Independence,
contended with attacks by revolutionaries, U.S. citizens, generals
who had served in Napoleon's army, pirates, and various American
Indian groups, all attempting to wrest control of the region. Often
resorting to violence to deal with the provinces' problems,
Arredondo was for ten years the most powerful official in
northeastern New Spain. Folsom's lively account shows the
challenges of governing a vast and inhospitable region and provides
insight into nineteenth-century military tactics and Spanish
viceregal realpolitik. When Arredondo and his army - which included
Arredondo's protégé, future president of Mexico Antonio López de
Santa Anna - arrived in Nuevo Santander in 1811, they quickly
suppressed a revolutionary upheaval. Arredondo went on to expel an
army of revolutionaries and invaders from the United States who had
taken over Texas and declared it an independent republic. In the
Battle of Medina, the bloodiest battle ever fought in Texas, he
crushed the insurgents and followed his victory with a purge that
reduced Texas's population by half. Over the following eight years,
Arredondo faced fresh challenges to Spanish sovereignty ranging
from Comanche and Apache raids to continued American incursion. In
response, Arredondo ignored his superiors and ordered his soldiers
to terrorize those who disagreed with him. Arredondo's actions had
dramatic repercussions in Texas, Mexico, and the United States. His
decision to allow Moses Austin to colonize Texas with Americans
would culminate in the defeat of Santa Anna in 1836, but not before
Santa Anna had made good use of the lessons in brutality he had
learned so well from his mentor.
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