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Books > Humanities > History > History of specific subjects > Military history
Systemic and political hostility against the 'left', real and
contrived, has been a key, yet under-recognized aspect of the
history of the modern world for the past two hundred years. By the
1820s, the new, exploitative and destabilizing character of
capitalist industrial production and its accompanying market
liberalizations began creating necessities among the working
classes and their allies for the new, self-protective politics of
'socialism'. But it is evident that, for the new economic system to
sustain itself, such oppositional politics that it necessitated had
to be undermined, if not destroyed, by whatever means necessary.
Through the imperialism of the later 19th century, and with
significant variations, this complex and often highly destructive
dialectical syndrome expanded worldwide. Liberals, conservatives,
extreme nationalists, fascists, racists, and others have all
repeatedly come aggressively and violently into play against
'socialist' oppositions. In this book, Philip Minehan traces the
patterns of such hostility and presents numerous crucial examples
of it: from Britain, France, Germany and the United States; the
British in India; European fascism, the United States and Britain
as they operated in China and Indochina; from Kenya, Algeria and
Iran; and from Central and South America during the Cold War. In
the final chapters, Minehan addresses the post-Cold War, US-led
triumphalist wars in the Middle East, the ensuing refugee crises,
neo-fascism, and anti-environmentalist politics, to show the ways
that the syndrome within which anti-leftist antagonism emerges, in
its neoliberal phase since the 1970s, remains as self-destructive
and dangerous as ever
This book analyses the relationship between the Irish home rule
crisis, the Easter Rising of 1916 and the conscription crisis of
1918, providing a broad and comparative study of war and revolution
in Ireland at the beginning of the Twentieth Century. Destenay
skilfully looks at international and diplomatic perspectives, as
well as social and cultural history, to demonstrate how American
and British, foreign and domestic policies either thwarted or fed,
directly or indirectly, the Irish Revolution. He readdresses-and at
times redresses-the well established, but somewhat inaccurate,
conclusion that Easter Week 1916 was the major factor in
radicalizing nationalist Ireland. This book provides a more nuanced
and gradualist account of a transfer of allegiance: how fears of
conscription aroused the bitterness and mistrust of civilian
populations from August 1914 onwards. By re-situating the Irish
Revolution in a global history of empire and anti-colonialism, this
book contributes new evidence and new concepts. Destenay
convincingly argues that the fears of conscription have been
neglected by Irish historiography and this book offers a fresh
appraisal of this important period of history.
ANGLICO: "Super Grunts" of 1st ANGLICO were deployed to all four
tactical zones of Vietnam in small mobile fire control teams,
providing support to U.S. Army and allied elements. This
organization was the last tactical unit to stand down from the war
and gained distinction as the only Marines in-country reporting
directly to MACV. Working closely with Korean Marines, recounting
several actions involving these legendary warriors from the Land of
the Morning Calm, this little known but highly effective unit had
an impact on the war far greater than their small numbers. Field
radio operators and naval gunfire spotters composed the tactical
membership of this unit. Both professions were cross trained in
each competence, and each in turn was further qualified as tactical
air controllers. An airborne capable platoon was established,
mandating many ANGLICOs attend jump school and undertake other
specialty training in the event they are called on to enter combat
by unconventional means. Not being able to predict who they may be
called on to support, training was pushed to the level of the most
elite forces in the free world. BLUE DRAGONS: Most men of the Blue
Dragon Brigade came of age during a war that raged fierce on their
own homeland little more than a decade earlier. During a short
lived occupation by North Korea, the people of the south endured
extremely harsh treatment by would be conquerors. Events of recent
history still burned in their hearts and haunted their dreams. They
were mostly all children at the time leaving scarcely a man
untouched by personal tragedy that could only be forged in a
crucible of terror. Many were orphaned and all shared a thirst to
settle a score that only those who drink deep from the same cup of
dread can truly understand.
Back from 44 - The Sacrifice and Courage of a Few. Nick Bentas,
Staff Sergeant US Army Air Force, finds himself in a severely
crippled B-26 Marauder, trying to return to base, he remembers the
different times in his life that led him up to this point. From
enlistment to basic training to saying goodbye to his new wife, he
remembers his deadly missions around France, Germany and the wider
Mediterranean. Experience how it was first hand to encounter enemy
flak and fighter attacks, while dealing with the emotional impact
of losing close friends. Back From 44 is an in-depth look into the
bravery and sacrifice of ordinary men who did extraordinary things
during WWII.
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