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Books > History > European history > General
Americans call the Second World War "the Good War." But before it
even began, America's ally Stalin had killed millions of his own
citizens-and kept killing them during and after the war. Before
Hitler was defeated, he had murdered six million Jews and nearly as
many other Europeans. At war's end, German and Soviet killing sites
fell behind the Iron Curtain, leaving the history of mass killing
in darkness. ? Assiduously researched, deeply humane, and utterly
definitive, Bloodlands is a new kind of European history,
presenting the mass murders committed by the Nazi and Stalinist
regimes as two aspects of a single story. With a new afterword
addressing the relevance of these events to the contemporary
decline of democracy, Bloodlands is required reading for anyone
seeking to understand the central tragedy of modern history and its
meaning today.
A SPECTATOR and PROSPECT Book of 2022 'Ceaselessly interesting,
knowledgeable and evocative' Spectator 'A fresh way to write
history' Alan Johnson 'A quirky, amused, erudite homage to France .
. . ambitious and original' The Times _____ Original, knowledgeable
and endlessly entertaining, France: An Adventure History is an
unforgettable journey through France from the first century BC to
the present day. Drawn from countless new discoveries and thirty
years of exploring France on foot, in the library and across 30,000
miles on the author's beloved bike, it begins with Gaulish and
Roman times and ends in the age of #MeToo, Black Lives Matter, the
Gilets Jaunes and Covid-19. From the plains of Provence to the
slums and boulevards of Paris, events and themes of French history
may be familiar - Louis XIV, the French Revolution, the French
Resistance, the Tour de France - but all are presented in a shining
new light. Frequently hilarious, always surprising, France: An
Adventure History is a sweeping panorama of France, teeming with
characters, stories and coincidences, and offering a thrilling
sense of discovery and enlightenment. This vivid, living history of
one of the world's most fascinating nations will make even seasoned
Francophiles wonder if they really know that terra incognita which
is currently referred to as 'France'. _____ 'Packed full of
discoveries' The Sunday Times 'A gorgeous tapestry of insights,
stories and surprises' Fintan O'Toole 'A rich and vibrant narrative
. . . clear-eyed but imaginative storytelling' Financial Times
'Full of life' Prospect
Tracing the interwoven traditions of modern welfare states in
Europe over five centuries, Thomas McStay Adams explores social
welfare from Portugal, France, and Italy to Britain, Belgium and
Germany. He shows that the provision of assistance to those in need
has faced recognizably similar challenges from the 16th century
through to the present: how to allocate aid equitably (and with
dignity); how to give support without undermining autonomy (and
motivation); and how to balance private and public spheres of
action and responsibility. Across two authoritative volumes, Adams
reveals how social welfare administrators, critics, and improvers
have engaged in a constant exchange of models and experience
locally and across Europe. The narrative begins with the founding
of the Casa da Misericordia of Lisbon in 1498, a model replicated
throughout Portugal and its empire, and ends with the relaunch of a
social agenda for the European Union at the meeting of the Council
of Europe in Lisbon in 2000. Volume 1, which focuses on the period
from 1500 to 1700, discusses the concepts of 'welfare' and
'tradition'. It looks at how 16th-century humanists joined with
merchants and lawyers to renew traditional charity in distinctly
modern forms, and how the discipline of religious reform affected
the exercise of political authority and the promotion of economic
productivity. Volume 2 examines 18th-century bienfaisance which
secularized a Christian humanist notion of beneficence, producing
new and sharply contested assertions of social citizenship. It goes
on to consider how national struggles to establish comprehensive
welfare states since the second half of the 19th century built on
the power of the vote as politicians, pushed by activists and
advised by experts, appealed to a growing class of industrial
workers. Lastly, it looks at how 20th-century welfare states
addressed aspirations for social citizenship while the
institutional framework for European economic cooperation came to
fruition
First published in 1918 Whizzbangs and Woodbines presents a candid
portrait of life behind the lines on the Western Front by Reverend
Durell, then Rector of Rotherhithe, and Chief Commissioner of the
Church Army in France.The Church Army, along with its counterparts
the YMCA, TOC-H and Salvation Army played an important part in the
support and morale of soldiers in war. In addition to providing
spiritual support,the Church Army welcomed more than 200,000 men
each day to their recreation huts and provided visits and gifts to
the wounded, tents and hostels near the front lines, drove
ambulances, mobile canteens and kitchen cars.In addition to
voluntary Church services, for those who wished to attend, a simple
salvation from trench life was offered; music, singing, concerts,
card games,billiards and refreshments, all small measures of joy in
the midst of dangers and hardships and as vital to the continued
war effort as bullets and shells. For a packet of woodbines and a
cup of tea was restorative ammunition enough for the average
British Tommy.
First published in 1918, this book is a record of observations and
evidence compiled by the then US Consul in Queenstown, Eire. A rare
study from first-hand accounts. Contains detailed testimonies of
survivors from over fifty vessels attacked and often sunk by German
submarines during the Great War.A vivid and accurate picture of the
tactics and motives of German submarine warfare is provided in the
first part of the book. The second part concentrate son the attack
and sinking of RMS Lusitania. The sinking of the Lusitania remains
a controversial topic with the loss of 1,198 lives on 7May 1915
This is a rare chance to re-discover a contemporary account of a
military conflict which took place a Century ago. The Agony of
Belgium, written in 1914 by Frank Fox, a war correspondent,
recounts events that the modern European mind would probably wish
to forget. The bravery and resilience of the relatively new and
untested Belgian Army, following the rejection of the German
Ultimatum by the King, deserves a wider audience. Throughout this
account the courageous and noble qualities of King Albert in the
dark days come to the fore. Whether at the Front as an active
Commander-in-Chief; with his people during Zeppelin raids and
artillery bombardments at Antwerp; declining refuge in France after
the retreat from Ostend; or rallying his troops for rearguard
actions his conduct was of the finest. His account of the
"frightfulness" of the events in Louvain against the civilian
population- including women and children- and the sacking of
cultural treasures was not at first believed by Officials in
Antwerp. However his reporting of Zeppelin raid shelped to arouse
public opinion in the United States.Fox provides vivid descriptions
of a terrible, and little known, conflict.
On September 30, 1938, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain
flew back to London from his meeting in Munich with German
Chancellor Adolf Hitler. As he disembarked from the aircraft, he
held aloft a piece of paper, which contained the promise that
Britain and Germany would never go to war with one another again.
He had returned bringing "Peace with honour--Peace for our time."
Drawing on a wealth of archival material, acclaimed historian David
Faber delivers a sweeping reassessment of the extraordinary events
of 1938, tracing the key incidents leading up to the Munich
Conference and its immediate aftermath: Lord Halifax's ill-fated
meeting with Hitler; Chamberlain's secret discussions with
Mussolini; and the Berlin scandal that rocked Hitler's regime. He
takes us to Vienna, to the Sudentenland, and to Prague. In Berlin,
we witness Hitler inexorably preparing for war, even in the face of
opposition from his own generals; in London, we watch as
Chamberlain makes one supreme effort after another to appease
Hitler.
Resonating with an insider's feel for the political infighting
Faber uncovers, "Munich, 1938 "transports us to the war rooms and
bunkers, revealing the covert negotiations and" "scandals upon
which the world's fate would rest. It is modern history writing at
its best.""
Her canvases were the court of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette;
the Great Terror; America at the time of Washington and Jefferson;
Paris under the Directoire and then under Napoleon; Regency London;
the battle of Waterloo; and, for the last years of her life, the
Italian ducal courts. She witnessed firsthand the demise of the
French monarchy, the wave of the Revolution and the Reign of
Terror, and the precipitous rise and fall of Napoleon. Lucie
Dillon--a daughter of French and British nobility known in France
by her married name, Lucie de la Tour du Pin--was the chronicler of
her age.
In this compelling biography, Caroline Moorehead illuminates
the extraordinary life and remarkable achievements of this strong,
witty, elegant, opinionated, and dynamic woman who survived
personal tragedy and the devastation wrought by momentous historic
events.
Since her death at the age of nineteen in 1431, Joan of Arc has
maintained a remarkable hold on our collective imagination. She was
a teenager of astonishing common sense and a national heroine who
led men in to battle as a courageous warrior. Yet she was also
abandoned by the king whose coronation she secured, betrayed by her
countrymen, and sold to the enemy. In this meticulously researched
landmark biography, Donald Spoto captures her astonishing life and
the times in which she lived. Neither wife nor nun, queen nor
noblewoman, philosopher nor stateswoman, Joan of Arc demonstrates
that everyone who follows their heart has the power to change
history.
On Christmas morning in the year 800, Pope Leo III placed the
crown of imperial Rome on the brow of a Germanic king named Karl--a
gesture that enabled the man later hailed as Charlemagne to claim
his empire and forever shape the destiny of Europe. Becoming
Charlemagne tells the story of the international power struggle
that led to this world-changing event, illuminating an era that has
long been overshadowed by myth.
For 1,200 years, the deeds of Charlemagne inspired kings and
crusaders, the conquests of Napoleon and Hitler, and the optimistic
architects of the European Union. In this engaging narrative, Jeff
Sypeck crafts a vivid portrait of the ruler who became a legend,
while evoking a long-ago world of kings, caliphs, merchants, and
monks. Transporting readers far beyond Europe to the glittering
palaces of Constantinople and the streets of medieval Baghdad,
Becoming Charlemagne brings alive an age of empire building that
continues to resonate to this day.
Journeys Through The Twentieth Century, Stories From One Family is
a fascinating study of memory and identity, spanning almost two
centuries, using the unique archive of one extended Jewish family.
Journeys Through The Twentieth Century, Stories From One Family is
a fascinating study of memory and identity, spanning almost two
centuries, using the unique archive of one extended Jewish family.
Did St. Mary Magdalene, one of Christianity's most enigmatic
figures, really visit Provence, as a local tradition claims? Joseph
Berenger's famous paper, which is here published in English for the
first time, learnedly evaluates the pertinent literary and
archaeological evidence which was available to the author in 1925.
This volume also includes an English translation of the 1893 study
by Louis Duchesne, a fierce critic of the tradition, which partly
inspired Berenger's article. Despite their age, these two papers
still form a useful starting-point for anyone interested in
attempting an objective assessment of this intriguing tradition.
For almost a decade, Col. Ryszard Kuklinski betrayed the Communist
leadership of Poland, cooperating with the CIA in one of the most
extraordinary human intelligence operations of the Cold War. But
even after freedom came to Poland a riddle remained - was Kuklinski
a patriot or a traitor? In August 1972, Ryszard Kuklinski, a highly
respected colonel in the Polish Army, embarked on what would become
one of the most extraordinary human intelligence operations of the
Cold War. Despite the extreme risk to himself and his family, he
contacted the American Embassy in Bonn, and arranged a secret
meeting. From the very start, he made clear that he deplored the
Soviet domination of Poland, and believed his country was on the
wrong side of the Cold War. Over the next nine years, Kuklinski
rose quickly in the Polish defense ministry, acting as a liaison to
Moscow, and helping to prepare for a hot war with the West. But he
also lived a life of subterfuge - of dead drops, messages written
in invisible ink, miniature cameras, and secret transmitters. In
1981, he gave the CIA the secret plans to crush Solidarity. the
West. He still lives in hiding in America. Kuklinski's story is a
harrowing personal drama about one man's decision to betray the
Communist leadership in order to save the country he loves. Through
extensive interviews and access to the CIA's secret archives on the
case, Benjamin Weiser offers an unprecedented and richly detailed
look at this secret history of the Cold War.
Exploding with culture, Kyiv has become a hot travel destination.
Across Kyivs numerous squares, locals debate politics, play chess
and gossip. Its layered history, lush parks and hidden islands
along the wide Dnipro provide for endless exploration. Its
tree-lined promenades entice lovers to stroll, and revelers to
gawk. Its a city of flaneurs. Of poets. Of politics. Our Kyiv
travel guide covers things only true Kyivans know. Written by local
experts, our book is not truly a guide, nor is it a manual. Its an
insight and love-letter to the city we adore, designed to give you
the best chance at adoring it, too. Unlike other Kiev travel books,
weve designed it in full color, mirroring the richness the city has
to offer. Inside Awesome Kyiv you will find: chapters on history,
culture, food, places, nature, sports, technology; gorgeous photos
and images throughout the book; beautiful layout; insightful and
short texts explaining interesting things you need to know about
Kyiv, including historical and cultural context; fun facts. About
The Awesome Series: The Awesome Series travel books are best
selling in Ukraine since 2012. Loved by locals and visitors alike,
they are a genuine take on the Ukrainian art, cities, culture, food
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