|
Showing 1 - 25 of
145 matches in All Departments
This book explores the acquisitive thinking which, from the autumn
of 1914, nourished the Mesopotamian Expedition and examines the
political issues, international and imperial, delegated to a War
Cabinet committee under Curzon. The motives of Curzon and others in
attempting to obtain a privileged political position in the Hejaz
are studied in the context of inter-Allied suspicions and Turkish
intrigues in the Arabian Peninsula. Debate on the future of
Mesopotamia provided an outlet for differences between those who
justified British gains on the basis of military conquests and
those who realised that expansion must be reconciled with broader
international trends. By 1918, Britain was developing strategic
priorities in the Caucasus. Fisher analyses Turco-German aims in
1918 and challenges the notion of their leading, straightforwardly,
to the zenith of British imperialism in the region. This is a
penetrating study of war imperialism, when statesmen contemplated
strong measures of control in several areas of the Middle East.
Outskirts of Empire: Studies in British Power Projection
investigates the substructure of Britain's interests in the Near
East and beyond during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Essays address themes in British power projection in a
geographically wide area encompassing parts of the Ottoman Empire,
Morocco and Abyssinia, illuminating interlinking elements of
Britain's power and presence through commerce, religion, consular
activity, expatriates, travel and exploration and technology.
Through careful investigation of the interface of these themes the
book develops a deeper sense of Britain's presence in the Near East
and contiguous areas and highlights the network of Britons who were
required to sustain that presence.
In recent decades the study of British foreign policy and diplomacy
has broadened in focus. No longer is it enough for historians to
look at the actions of the elite figures - diplomats and foreign
secretaries - in isolation; increasingly the role of their advisers
and subordinates, and those on the fringes of the diplomatic world,
is recognised as having exerted critical influence on key decisions
and policies. This volume gives further impetus to this revelation,
honing in on the fringes of British diplomacy through a selection
of case studies of individuals who were able to influence policy.
By contextualising each study, the volume explores the wider
circles in which these individuals moved, exploring the broader
issues affecting the processes of foreign policy. Not the least of
these is the issue of official mindsets and of networks of
influence in Britain and overseas, inculcated, for example, in the
leading public schools, at the Universities of Oxford and
Cambridge, and in gentlemen's clubs in London's West End. As such
the volume contributes to the growing literature on human agency as
well as mentalite studies in the history of international
relations. Moreover it also highlights related themes which have
been insufficiently studied by international historians, for
example, the influence that outside groups such as missionaries and
the press had on the shaping of foreign policy and the role that
strategy, intelligence and the experience of war played in the
diplomatic process. Through such an approach the workings of
British diplomacy during the high-tide of empire is revealed in new
and intriguing ways.
Outskirts of Empire: Studies in British Power Projection
investigates the substructure of Britain's interests in the Near
East and beyond during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Essays address themes in British power projection in a
geographically wide area encompassing parts of the Ottoman Empire,
Morocco and Abyssinia, illuminating interlinking elements of
Britain's power and presence through commerce, religion, consular
activity, expatriates, travel and exploration and technology.
Through careful investigation of the interface of these themes the
book develops a deeper sense of Britain's presence in the Near East
and contiguous areas and highlights the network of Britons who were
required to sustain that presence.
This book explores the acquisitive thinking which, from the autumn
of 1914, nourished the Mesopotamian Expedition and examines the
political issues, international and imperial, delegated to a War
Cabinet committee under Curzon. The motives of Curzon and others in
attempting to obtain a privileged political position in the Hejaz
are studied in the context of inter-Allied suspicions and Turkish
intrigues in the Arabian Peninsula. Debate on the future of
Mesopotamia provided an outlet for differences between those who
justified British gains on the basis of military conquests and
those who realised that expansion must be reconciled with broader
international trends. By 1918, Britain was developing strategic
priorities in the Caucasus. Fisher analyses Turco-German aims in
1918 and challenges the notion of their leading, straightforwardly,
to the zenith of British imperialism in the region. This is a
penetrating study of war imperialism, when statesmen contemplated
strong measures of control in several areas of the Middle East.
This book addresses the interface of the British Foreign Office,
foreign policy and commerce in the twentieth century. Two related
questions are considered: what did the Foreign Office do to support
British commerce, and how did commerce influence British foreign
policy? The editors of this work collect a range of case studies
that explore the attitude of the Foreign Office towards commerce
and trade promotion, against the backdrop of a century of relative
economic decline, while also considering the role of British
diplomats in creating markets and supporting UK firms. This highly
researched and detailed examination is designed for readers aiming
to comprehend the role that commerce played in Britain's foreign
relations, in a century when trade and commerce have become an
inseparable element in foreign and security policies.
The West Country's colourful past encompasses a pageant of
historical figures and peculiar stories - from Lawrence of Arabia's
flamboyant motorbike forays across Dartmoor and the terrifying
account of a lion attack on the Exeter mail coach, to Devonian
wives still being sold at auction until the 1900s and the unsolved
mystery of the Devil's footprints at Dawlish. Here too lies the
truth about the location of Arthur's Lyonesse, the devilish deeds
of the murderous pirate queen of Penryn, and the Cornish knight who
ordered his corpse to overlook St Mullion for eternity. All these
tales and more can be found in this collection of amusing,
surprising and downright odd true stories from Devon and Cornwall.
Regarded as the best radio and TV comic of his era, Tony Hancock
was a man whose star burned brightly in the eyes and ears of
millions before his untimely death in 1968. Now, forty years on,
critically acclaimed biographer John Fisher brings the first fully
authorised account of his life. Tony Hancock was one of post-war
Britain's most popular comedians - his radio show 'Hancock's Half
Hour' would clear the streets as whole families tuned in to listen.
His peerless timing and subtle changes in intonation marked Hancock
out as a comic genius. His character 'Anthony Aloysius St John
Hancock' was an amplification of his own persona, a pompous prat
whose dreams of success are constantly thwarted. The original
British loser that we recognise in Victor Meldrew and Alan
Partridge. Wonderfully supported by a cast including Sid James,
Hattie Jacques and Kenneth Williams, and working with scripts from
Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, Hancock became a huge star. The show
was commisioned for TV, showcasing his talent for hilarious facial
expression, and he became the first British comedian to earn a
thousand pounds a week. Behind Tony Hancock's success however hid
the self-destructive behaviour that plagued him all his life. Prone
to self-doubt, and wanting to be the star of his own show, he got
rid of James, and finally dismissed Galton and Simpson who had
created the platform for his success. His private life was wracked
by his ever increasing alcoholism and bouts of depression, and his
relationships shattered by his capacity for violence. His ratings
fell and, feeling washed up and alone after divorcing his second
wife, he committed suicide in an Australian hotel room in 1968.
Now, forty years after his death John Fisher explores the turbulent
life of a man regarded by his peers as one of the greatest British
comics to have ever lived.
This book addresses the interface of the British Foreign Office,
foreign policy and commerce in the twentieth century. Two related
questions are considered: what did the Foreign Office do to support
British commerce, and how did commerce influence British foreign
policy? The editors of this work collect a range of case studies
that explore the attitude of the Foreign Office towards commerce
and trade promotion, against the backdrop of a century of relative
economic decline, while also considering the role of British
diplomats in creating markets and supporting UK firms. This highly
researched and detailed examination is designed for readers aiming
to comprehend the role that commerce played in Britain's foreign
relations, in a century when trade and commerce have become an
inseparable element in foreign and security policies.
John Fisher describes the immense energy and activity associated
with the union's education programme, and shows how it has
contributed to the union's development over the years, especially
in the sustenance it has given to the TGWU's strong shop steward
tradition and to the union's internal democracy. As one TGWU leader
put it, 'Money spent on education is always bread cast upon the
waters. We can't make a tidy balance sheet, as we can with other
union benefits. What we can do is show confidence in our members,
and have faith in their ability to make good use of the facilities
offered them'. This book makes a convincing case for the lasting
benefits of such trust. Based on detailed archival and documentary
research, Fisher charts the changes that have taken place in the
union's programmes over the years. Perhaps more than anything this
is a story of activism, of the motivation of thousands of students
and hundreds of tutors, often for little or no financial gain, who
believed that education played a central role in developing
themselves, the union and the labour movement as a whole. In
telling their story, Fisher also evokes the exhilaration which all
those involved in trade union education have experienced, when
trade union members begin to understand their own organisation and
develop the confidence to take part in it - and in the longer run,
to extend their control over it.
The Life and Work of James Bradley: The New Foundations of 18th
Century Astronomy is the first major work on the life and
achievements of James Bradley for 190 years. This book offers a new
perspective and new interpretations of previously published
materials, together with various insights about recently researched
sources. This book is a complete account of the life and work of
Bradley as discerned from surviving documents of his working
archive, as well as other documents and records. In addition, it
offers a new interpretation of Bradley's work as an astronomer, not
merely from his observations of Jupiter and Saturn and their
satellites and annual aberration and the nutation of the Earth's
axis, but also his corroborative work with pendulums and other
horological work with George Graham. It also explores the little
amount documented about his private life including a degree of
speculation about his personal relationships. This work on 18th
century astronomy is intended for students of the history of
science, astronomy and 18th century English society, and for
scholars seeking new lines of inquiry. It contains an extensive
bibliography and a detailed chronology, both of which offer support
for further reading and research.
|
|