![]() |
![]() |
Your cart is empty |
||
Showing 1 - 5 of 5 matches in All Departments
The peace treaties represented an almost impossible attempt to
solve the problems caused by a murderous world war. In The Lights
that Failed: European International History 1919-1933, part of the
Oxford History of Modern Europe series, Steiner challenges the
common assumption that the Treaty of Versailles led to the opening
of a second European war. In a radically original way, this book
characterizes the 1920s not as a frustrated prelude to a second
global conflict but as a fascinating decade in its own right, when
politicians and diplomats strove to re-assemble a viable European
order. Steiner examines the efforts that failed but also those
which gave hope for future promise, many of which are usually
underestimated, if not ignored. She shows that an equilibrium was
achieved, attained between a partial American withdrawal from
Europe and the self-imposed constraints which the Soviet system
imposed on exporting revolution. The stabilization painfully
achieved in Europe reached it fragile limits after 1925, even prior
to the financial crises that engulfed the continent. The hinge
years between the great crash of 1929 and Hitler's achievement of
power in 1933 devastatingly altered the balance between nationalism
and internationalism. This wide-ranging study helps us grasp the
decisive stages in this process.
Neorealists argue that all states aim to acquire power and that state cooperation can therefore only be temporary, based on a common opposition to a third country. This view condemns the world to endless conflict for the indefinite future. Based upon careful attention to actual historical outcomes, this book contends that, while some countries and leaders have demonstrated excessive power drives, others have essentially underplayed their power and sought less position and influence than their comparative strength might have justified. Featuring case studies from across the globe, History and Neorealism examines how states have actually acted. The authors conclude that leadership, domestic politics, and the domain (of gain or loss) in which they reside play an important role along with international factors in raising the possibility of a world in which conflict does not remain constant and, though not eliminated, can be progressively reduced.
In this magisterial narrative, Zara Steiner traces the twisted road to war that began with Hitler's assumption of power in Germany. Covering a wide geographical canvas, from America to the Far East, Steiner provides an indispensable reassessment of the most disputed events of these tumultuous years. Steiner underlines the far-reaching consequences of the Great Depression, which shifted the initiative in international affairs from those who upheld the status quo to those who were intent on destroying it. In Europe, the l930s were Hitler's years. He moved the major chess pieces on the board, forcing the others to respond. From the start, Steiner argues, he intended war, and he repeatedly gambled on Germany's future to acquire the necessary resources to fulfil his continental ambitions. Only war could have stopped him-an unwelcome message for most of Europe. Misperception, miscomprehension, and misjudgment on the part of the other Great Powers leaders opened the way for Hitler's repeated diplomatic successes. It is ideology that distinguished the Hitler era from previous struggles for the mastery of Europe. Ideological presumptions created false images and raised barriers to understanding that even good intelligence could not penetrate. Only when the leaders of Britain and France realized the scale of Hitler's ambition, and the challenge Germany posed to their Great Power status, did they finally declare war.
Neorealists argue that all states aim to acquire power and that state cooperation can therefore only be temporary, based on a common opposition to a third country. This view condemns the world to endless conflict for the indefinite future. Based upon careful attention to actual historical outcomes, this book contends that, while some countries and leaders have demonstrated excessive power drives, others have essentially underplayed their power and sought less position and influence than their comparative strength might have justified. Featuring case studies from across the globe, History and Neorealism examines how states have actually acted. The authors conclude that leadership, domestic politics, and the domain (of gain or loss) in which they reside play an important role along with international factors in raising the possibility of a world in which conflict does not remain constant and, though not eliminated, can be progressively reduced.
Taking into account the scholarship of the last 20 years, this new edition rejects recent arguments that Britain went to war out of either weakness, fear of an "invented" German menace, or fears for the Empire. Instead, while placing greater emphasis than before on the role of Russia, Zara S. Steiner and Keith Neilson maintain the view that Britain was forced into the war in order to preserve the European balance of power and Britain's favorable position within it.
|
![]() ![]() You may like...
Beauty And The Beast - Blu-Ray + DVD
Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, …
Blu-ray disc
R326
Discovery Miles 3 260
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, …
Blu-ray disc
![]() R45 Discovery Miles 450
|