|
Showing 1 - 6 of
6 matches in All Departments
Highlighting the key events, ideas, and individuals that have
shaped modern Europe, this fresh and lively book provides a concise
history of the continent from the Enlightenment to the present.
Drawing on the enduring theme of revolution, David S. Mason
explores the political, economic, and scientific causes and
consequences of revolution; the development of human rights and
democracy; and issues of European identity and integration. He
deliberately avoids a detailed chronology of every country and time
period, instead emphasizing the most crucial events in shaping
contemporary Europe. Fourteen focused chapters address such topical
issues as the Enlightenment; the French Revolution and Napoleon;
the Industrial Revolution; the theories and impact of Marx and
Darwin; the revolutions of 1848, 1917, and 1989; the unifications
of Germany and Italy; European imperialism; the two world wars; the
Cold War; the evolution and expansion of the European Union; and
current issues confronting Europe. Any reader who wants to view the
broad sweep of European history will find this book an engaging
narrative, supplemented with maps, timelines, sidebars, photos, and
a glossary.
Highlighting the key events, ideas, and individuals that have
shaped modern Europe, this fresh and lively book provides a concise
history of the continent from the Enlightenment to the present.
Drawing on the enduring theme of revolution, David S. Mason
explores the political, economic, and scientific causes and
consequences of revolution; the development of human rights and
democracy; and issues of European identity and integration. He
deliberately avoids a detailed chronology of every country and time
period, instead emphasizing the most crucial events in shaping
contemporary Europe. Fourteen focused chapters address such topical
issues as the Enlightenment; the French Revolution and Napoleon;
the Industrial Revolution; the theories and impact of Marx and
Darwin; the revolutions of 1848, 1917, and 1989; the unifications
of Germany and Italy; European imperialism; the two world wars; the
Cold War; the evolution and expansion of the European Union; and
current issues confronting Europe. Any reader who wants to view the
broad sweep of European history will find this book an engaging
narrative, supplemented with maps, timelines, sidebars, photos, and
a glossary.
This compelling and persuasive book is the first to explore all of
the interrelated aspects of America's decline. Hard-hitting and
provocative, yet measured and clearly written, The End of the
American Century demonstrates the phases of social, economic, and
international decline that mark the end of a period of world
dominance that began with World War II. The costs of the war on
terror and the Iraq War have exacerbated the already daunting
problems of debt, poverty, inequality, and political and social
decay. David S. Mason convincingly argues that the United States,
like other great powers in the past, is experiencing the dilemma of
"imperial overstretch" bankrupting the home front in pursuit of
costly and fruitless foreign ventures. The author shows that
elsewhere in the world, the United States is no longer admired as a
model for democracy and economic development; indeed, it is often
feared or resented. He compares the United States and its
accomplishments with other industrialized democracies and potential
rivals. The European Union is more stable in economic and social
terms, and countries like India and China are more economically
dynamic. These and other nations will soon eclipse the United
States, signaling a fundamental transformation of the global scene.
This transition will require huge adjustments for American citizens
and political leaders alike. But in the end, Americans and the
world will be better off with a less profligate, more
interdependent United States. More information is available on the
author's website."
The year 1989 marked a turning point in world history, a watershed
year of unprecedented drama and political significance. No matter
how one looks at those events-as the fall of communism, the
democratization of Eastern Europe, or the end of the cold war-it is
important to understand how the world travelled the distance of
time, space, and ideology to arrive at the Berlin Wall and tear it
down. David Mason provides that understanding in a concise
synthesis of history, politics, economics, sociology, literature,
philosophy, and popular, as well as traditional, culture. He shows
how all these elements combined to yield the year that effectively
closed the twentieth century-and promised to launch the new century
on a hopeful note. Starting with Poland's elections in June 1989,
the countries of then-communist Eastern Europe one by one
revolutionized their governments and their polities; Hungary opened
its borders to the West, East Germany rushed through,
Czechoslovakia elected Vaclav Havel president, Bulgaria changed
both party and leadership, and Romania executed Ceausescu. Although
Gorbachev enabled many of these changes, he did not cause them. The
illumination of the complex symbiosis between dynamics in Eastern
Europe and the Soviet Union is one of the greatest contributions
this book makes. With undercurrents emphasizing the power of ideas,
the spirit of youth, and the multifaceted force of culture and
ethnicity, Mason takes the reader far beyond the events of change
and into their impetus and outcomes. He applies theories of social
movements, democratization, and economic transition with an even
hand, showing the interaction of their effects not only regionally
but worldwide. The concluding chapter puts the revolutions in
Eastern Europe into international perspective and highlights their
impact on East-West relations, security alliances, and economic
integration. Mason discusses the European Community, the United
States and the Soviet Union, and the Third World in relation to the
new East-Central European configuration. Using delightful and
provocative cartoons from Eastern European and Soviet presses,
interesting photos, valuable tables of data, and illuminating
figures, Mason emphasizes important points about the role of
nationalism, ethnicity, public opinion, and harsh economic reality
in the revolutionary process.
The year 1989 marked a turning point in world history, a watershed
year of unprecedented drama and political significance. No matter
how one looks at those events-as the fall of communism, the
democratization of Eastern Europe, or the end of the cold war-it is
important to understand how the world travelled the distance of
time, space, and ideology to arrive at the Berlin Wall and tear it
down. David Mason provides that understanding in a concise
synthesis of history, politics, economics, sociology, literature,
philosophy, and popular, as well as traditional, culture. He shows
how all these elements combined to yield the year that effectively
closed the twentieth century-and promised to launch the new century
on a hopeful note. Starting with Poland's elections in June 1989,
the countries of then-communist Eastern Europe one by one
revolutionized their governments and their polities; Hungary opened
its borders to the West, East Germany rushed through,
Czechoslovakia elected Vaclav Havel president, Bulgaria changed
both party and leadership, and Romania executed Ceausescu. Although
Gorbachev enabled many of these changes, he did not cause them. The
illumination of the complex symbiosis between dynamics in Eastern
Europe and the Soviet Union is one of the greatest contributions
this book makes. With undercurrents emphasizing the power of ideas,
the spirit of youth, and the multifaceted force of culture and
ethnicity, Mason takes the reader far beyond the events of change
and into their impetus and outcomes. He applies theories of social
movements, democratization, and economic transition with an even
hand, showing the interaction of their effects not only regionally
but worldwide. The concluding chapter puts the revolutions in
Eastern Europe into international perspective and highlights their
impact on East-West relations, security alliances, and economic
integration. Mason discusses the European Community, the United
States and the Soviet Union, and the Third World in relation to the
new East-Central European configuration. Using delightful and
provocative cartoons from Eastern European and Soviet presses,
interesting photos, valuable tables of data, and illuminating
figures, Mason emphasizes important points about the role of
nationalism, ethnicity, public opinion, and harsh economic reality
in the revolutionary process.
|
You may like...
Loot
Nadine Gordimer
Paperback
(2)
R398
R330
Discovery Miles 3 300
Morbius
Jared Leto, Matt Smith, …
DVD
R179
Discovery Miles 1 790
|