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Showing 1 - 8 of 8 items
By John Merriman. 2014
The Paris Commune lasted for only 64 days in 1871, but during that short time it gave rise to some…
of the grandest political dreams of the nineteenth century—before culminating in horrific violence. Following the disastrous French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, hungry and politically disenchanted Parisians took up arms against their government in the name of a more just society. They expelled loyalists and soldiers and erected barricades in the streets. In Massacre, John Merriman introduces a cast of inimitable Communards—from les pétroleuses (female incendiaries) to the painter Gustave Courbet—whose idealism fueled a revolution. And he vividly recreates the Commune’s chaotic and bloody end when 30,000 troops stormed the city, burning half of Paris and executing captured Communards en masse. A stirring evocation of the spring when Paris was ablaze with cannon fire and its citizens were their own masters, Massacre reveals how the indomitable spirit of the Commune shook the very foundations of Europe.By A. 2012
By Simon R. Doubleday. 2015
"If I had been present at the Creation,” the thirteenth-century Spanish philosopher-king Alfonso X is said to have stated, "Many…
faults in the universe would have been avoided. ” Known as El Sabio, "the Wise,” Alfonso was renowned by friends and enemies alike for his sparkling intellect and extraordinary cultural achievements. In The Wise King, celebrated historian Simon R. Doubleday traces the story of the king’s life and times, leading us deep into his emotional world and showing how his intense admiration for Spain’s rich Islamic culture paved the way for the European Renaissance. In 1252, when Alfonso replaced his more militaristic father on the throne of Castile and León, the battle to reconquer Muslim territory on the Iberian Peninsula was raging fiercely. But even as he led his Christian soldiers onto the battlefield, Alfonso was seduced by the glories of Muslim Spain. His engagement with the Arabic-speaking culture of the South shaped his pursuit of astronomy, for which he was famed for centuries, and his profoundly humane vision of the world, which Dante, Petrarch, and later Italian humanists would inherit. A composer of lyric verses, and patron of works on board games, hunting, and the properties of stones, Alfonso is best known today for his Cantigas de Santa María (Songs of Holy Mary), which offer a remarkable window onto his world. His ongoing struggles as a king and as a man were distilled--in art, music, literature, and architecture--into something sublime that speaks to us powerfully across the centuries. An intimate biography of the Spanish ruler in whom two cultures converged, The Wise King introduces readers to a Renaissance man before his time, whose creative energy in the face of personal turmoil and existential threats to his kingdom would transform the course of Western history.By Mary Elise Sarotte. 2014
The Berlin Wall was erected in 1961 to end all traffic between the city’s two halves: the democratic west and…
the communist east. The iconic symbol of a divided Europe, the Wall became a focus of western political pressure on East Germany; as Ronald Reagan’s famously said in a 1987 speech in Berlin, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” But as award-winning historian Mary Sarotte shows in [Title TK] , the opening of the Wall on November 9, 1989 was not, as is commonly believed, the East German government’s deliberate concession to outside influence. It was an accident. A carelessly worded memo written by mid-level bureaucrats, a bumbling press conference given by an inept member of the East German Politburo, the negligence of government leaders, the bravery of ordinary people in East and West Berlin--these combined to bring about the end of nearly forty years of oppression, fear, and enmity in divided Berlin. When the news broke, Washington and Moscow could only stand by and watch as Tom Brokaw and other journalists narrated the televised broadcast of this critical moment in the thawing of the cold war. Sarotte opens her story in the months leading up to that fateful day. Following East German dissidents, she shows how their efforts coalesced around opposition to the regime’s restrictions on foreign travel. The city of Leipzig, close to the border with Czechoslovakia, became a hothouse of activism, and protests there quickly grew into massive demonstrations. The East German Politburo hoped to limit its citizens’ knowledge of these marches, but two daring dissidents, East Berliners Aram Radomski and Siegbert Schefke, managed to evade the Stasi and film the largest of them from a church tower. They then smuggled their tape to West Germany; broadcast in both nations, the footage galvanized activists across East Germany, and precipitated the stunning developments on November 9. Facing mounting pressure from its own citizens, the East German Politburo planned to put off enacting any meaningful change to its travel policy by issuing a deceptive ruling that would appear to offer more freedom, but which in fact would allow the state to maintain strict control over its citizen’s movements. But the bureaucrats tasked with preparing the "new” regulations misunderstood their task, and instead drafted a declaration that said East Germans could freely leave the country. This declaration ended up in the hands of regime spokesman Günter Schabowski, who announced the rules at a press conference without understanding their import. Stunned reporters were soon broadcasting the news around the world. Crowds of East Germans began streaming to the Wall, prompting a showdown with border guards, who received no support or direction from East German leadership as the throngs multiplied. By 11:30, Harald Jäger, a second-tier passport control officer, had had enough and finally opened the wall to the mob gathering outside his gate. Even though East German forces successfully regained control by the morning, it was too late--for the wall, for the regime, and for Communism in Eastern Europe. Drawing on evidence from archives in multiple countries and languages, along with dozens of interviews with key actors, including Harald Jäger, [Title TK] is the definitive account of the event that brought down the East German Politburo and came to represent the final collapse of the Cold War order.Exam Board: WJECLevel: GCSESubject: HistoryFirst teaching: September 2017First exams: Summer 2019Endorsed by WJECHelp every student to develop the in-depth knowledge…
and historical skills they need to achieve their best with the market-leading series for WJEC GCSE History.> Guides you through the key questions and content in the specification, with thorough and reliable course coverage from a team of expert examiners, teachers and authors> Builds understanding of Welsh, British and wider-world history through a clear, detailed narrative that is accessible to all students> Enables students to practise and improve their enquiry, analytical and evaluative skills as they progress through carefully-designed activities in each chapter> Enhances subject knowledge and interest by including a range of stimulating source materials for discussion and reflection> Prepares students for assessment with practice questions, sample responses and step-by-step guidance on approaching questionsPlease note: this is a Welsh-language editionBy Plokhy. 2015
Ukraine is currently embroiled in a tense battle with Russia to preserve its economic and political independence. But today’s conflict…
is only the latest in a long history of battles over Ukraine’s existence as a sovereign nation. As award-winning historian Serhii Plokhy argues in The Gates of Europe, we must examine Ukraine’s past in order to understand its fraught present and likely future. Situated between Europe, Russia, and the Asian East, Ukraine was shaped by the empires that have used it as a strategic gateway between East and West—from the Romans and Ottomans to the Third Reich and the Soviet Union, all have engaged in global fights for supremacy on Ukrainian soil. Each invading army left a lasting mark on the landscape and on the population, making modern Ukraine an amalgam of competing cultures. Authoritative and vividly written, The Gates of Europe will be the definitive history of Ukraine for years to come.Exam Board: WJECLevel: GCSESubject: HistoryFirst Teaching: September 2017First Exam: June 2019Endorsed by WJECConfidently tackle curriculum change with the market-leading series…
for WJEC GCSE History; relaunched to cover the new content and assessment requirements, this book helps every student develop the in-depth knowledge and historical skills they need to achieve their best.- Guides you through the key questions and content in the 2017 specification, with thorough and reliable course coverage from a team of expert examiners, teachers and authors- Builds understanding of Welsh, British and wider-world history through a clear, detailed narrative that is accessible to all learners- Enables students to practise and improve their enquiry, analytical and evaluative skills as they progress through carefully-designed activities in each chapter- Enhances subject knowledge and interest by including a range of stimulating source materials for discussion and reflection- Prepares students for assessment with practice questions, sample responses and step-by-step guidance on approaching questionsExam board: WJECLevel: AS/A-levelSubject: HistoryFirst teaching: September 2015First exams: Summer 2016 (AS); Summer 2017 (A-level)Build, reinforce and revise the historical…
knowledge and exam skills required for WJEC AS/A-level History.Matched to the 2016 specification for Wales, this study guide contains clear content summaries and annotated sample answers to exam questions.- Concisely covers the key issues and content in the specification, breaking the Unit down into manageable chunks- Consolidates understanding with regular knowledge-check questions, plus useful tips- Builds the analytical and evaluative skills that students need to succeed in AS/A-level History- Improves students' exam technique, providing sample student answers to past paper questions, with commentary to explain the number of marks awarded- Helps students to learn the content throughout the course, study independently and revise for their examsPlease note: This is a Welsh-language edition.