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This essential survey traces the history of three Baltic peoples - Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians - from their origins as tribal societies to their transformation into dominant national populations in separate states. Focusing especially on recent centuries, the book integrates the histories of the recently formed nations to highlight their common features.

History - other areas, History general, world history, Atlantic history

A Concise History of the Caribbean presents a general history of the Caribbean islands from the beginning of human settlement about seven thousand years ago to the present. It narrates processes of early human migration, the disastrous consequences of European colonization, the development of slavery and the slave trade, the extraordinary profits earned by the plantation economy, the great revolution in Haiti, movements toward political independence, the Cuban Revolution, and the diaspora of Caribbean people. Written in a lively and accessible style yet current with the most recent research, the book provides a compelling narrative of Caribbean history essential for students and visitors.

Now re-issued in a third edition, this book provides an illustrated introduction to the modern history of Greece, from the first stirrings of the national movement in the late eighteenth century to the present day. This edition includes a new final chapter, which analyses contemporary political, economic and social developments.

This book provides a clear and informative guide to German history from the early middle ages to the present day.

This concise history provides a broad thematic history of Mexico from political, economic, and cultural perspectives. In this third edition, Hamnett adds new material on changes in the twenty-first century, including the Mexican drug war between government officials and gangs, and the immigration and border crises within the United States.

A global history of humankind as producers and reproducers from the Paleolithic to the present. Renowned social and cultural historian Merry Wiesner-Hanks brings a new perspective to world history by examining the social and cultural developments that are at the heart of the big questions in world history today.

A Concise History of Japan integrates the pageantry of Japanese history with today's environmental concerns, including climate change, rising sea levels, violent Pacific storms, and devastating tsunami. It explores the changing environmental conditions that have shaped Japanese history, and how Japan has in turn shaped our changing environment.

A Concise History of Bosnia integrates the political, economic and cultural history of this fascinating, beautiful, but much misunderstood country. Engaging and authoritative, the book succinctly explores how Bosnia has changed over many centuries, and looks beyond the events of the 1990s.

The second edition of A Concise History of Brazil features a new chapter that covers the critical time period from 1990 to the present, focusing on Brazil's increasing global economic importance as well as its continued democratic development.

This is the most up-to-date and comprehensive study of French history available, ranging from the early middle ages to the present. This third edition has been substantially revised and includes a new chapter on contemporary France.

In a second edition of their successful Concise History of Modern India, Barbara Metcalf and Thomas Metcalf explore India's modern history afresh and update the events of the last decade. These include the takeover of Congress from the seemingly entrenched Hindu nationalist party in 2004, India's huge advances in technology and the country's new role as a major player in world affairs. From the days of the Mughals, through the British Empire, and into Independence, the country has been transformed by its institutional structures. It is these institutions which have helped bring about the social, cultural and economic changes that have taken place over the last half century and paved the way for the modern success story. Despite these advances, poverty, social inequality and religious division still fester. In response to these dilemmas, the book grapples with questions of caste and religious identity, and the nature of the Indian nation.

New Zealand was the last major landmass, other than Antarctica, to be settled by humans. The story of this rugged and dynamic land is beautifully narrated, from its origins in Gondwana some 80 million years ago to the twenty-first century.

Accessible to students and general readers alike, this book provides a broad overview of Russian history since the ninth century. Paul Bushkovitch emphasizes recent enormous changes in the understanding of Russian history, giving equal weight to each time period discussed.

Spanning a period of 2000 years from the Roman conquest of Dacia to the present day, A Concise History of Romania traces the development of a unique nation situated on the border between East and West. In this illuminating new history, Keith Hitchins explores Romania's struggle to find its place amidst two diverse societies: one governed by Eastern orthodox tradition, spirituality and agriculture and the other by Western rationalism, experimentation and capitalism. The book charts Romania's advancement through five significant phases of its history: medieval, early modern, modern and finally the nation's 'return to Europe'; evaluating all the while Romania's part in European politics, economic and social change, intellectual and cultural renewals and international entanglements. This is a fascinating history of an East European nation; one which sheds new light on the complex evolution of the Romanians and the identity they have successfully crafted from a unique synthesis of traditions.

This edition investigates the social, economic and political factors that continue to shape Australia. It explores the effects of an export and investment boom in the early years of the twenty-first century, the continuing search for solutions to climate change, the unauthorised arrival of refugees, Indigenous disadvantage and generational change.

Based on historical research and debates about Wales and Welshness, this volume offers an authoritative and accessible account of the period from Neanderthal times to the opening of the Senedd, the home of the National Assembly for Wales, in 2006. Within a remarkably brief and stimulating compass, Geraint H. Jenkins explores the emergence of Wales as a nation, its changing identities and values, and the transformations its people experienced and survived throughout the centuries. In the face of seemingly overwhelming odds, the Welsh never reconciled themselves to political, social and cultural subordination, and developed ingenious ways of maintaining a distinctive sense of their otherness. The book ends with the coming of political devolution and the emergence of a greater measure of cultural pluralism. Professor Jenkins's lavishly illustrated volume provides enthralling material for scholars, students, general readers, and travellers to Wales.

For a small, prosperous country in the middle of Europe, modern Austria has a very large and complex history, extending far beyond its current borders. Today's Austrians have a problematic relationship with that history, whether with the multi-national history of the Habsburg Monarchy, or with the time between 1938 and 1945 when Austrians were Germans in Hitler's Third Reich. Steven Beller's gripping and comprehensive account traces the remarkable career of Austria through its many transformations, from German borderland, to dynastic enterprise, imperial house, Central European great power, failed Alpine republic, German province, and then successful Alpine republic, building up a picture of the layers of Austrian identity and heritage and their diverse sources. It is a story full of anomalies and ironies, a case study of the other side of European history, without the easy answers of more clearly national narratives, and hence far more relevant to today's world.

This book offers a comprehensive thousand-year history of the land, people, society, culture and economy of Hungary, from its nebulous origins in the Ural Mountains to the elections of 1988. It tells above all the thrilling story of a people which became a great power in the region and then fought against - and was invaded by - Ottomans, Germans and Soviets. The Hungarian people preserved nevertheless a continuous individuality through its Ural-born language and a specifically Hungaro-European culture. Dominated from the sixteenth century by the Habsburgs, while ruling its own national minorities, Hungary was deprived of two-thirds of its lands and peoples through successive treaties which followed the two World Wars, after which it fell under Soviet domination for nearly fifty years. Free and independent since 1990, Hungary continues to seek its rightful position in Europe.

A concise, illustrated history of Portugal, offering an introduction to the people and culture of the country, its empire, and its search for economic modernisation right up till the present day. This third edition encapsulates recent changes to Portugal and Europe to bring the story up to date.

Woven through this richly crafted study of America's shifting social and political landscapes are the multiple voices of the nation's history: slaves and slave owners, revolutionaries and reformers, soldiers and statesmen, immigrants and refugees. These voices help define the United States at the dawn of a new century.

This book provides a concise, illustrated history of Great Britain over the past three centuries, from its formation as a sovereign state between the Union of England and Scotland in 1707 to its partial loss of sovereignty in the accession to the European Community, confirmed in the referendum result of 1975. Professor Speck emphasises political and social trends. In particular he argues that conservative politics prevailed largely in a deeply conservative society, and that reactionary causes generally obtained more support than radical campaigns. The book is highly illustrated with pictures and photographs and contains a bibliography and other features of use to students and general readers.

This comprehensive and engaging history of Switzerland traces the uncommon development of its society and state from its medieval origins to the present. The authors provide a fresh view that places Swiss history within a European context, adding a new perspective to the history of Europe as a whole.

The Netherlands is known among foreigners today for its cheese and its windmills, its Golden Age paintings and its experimentation in social policies such as cannabis and euthanasia. This book explores the historical background to these quintessentially Dutch achievements and offers a comprehensive yet compact history of this fascinating country.

This is a succinct synthesis of South African history from the introduction of agriculture about 1 500 years ago up to and including the government of Thabo Mbeki. Stressing economic, social, cultural and environmental matters as well as political history, it shows how South Africa has become a single country.

Few countries in Europe have undergone such rapid social, political and economic changes as Finland has during the last fifty years. David Kirby here sets out the fascinating history of this northern country, for centuries on the east-west divide of Europe, a country not blessed by nature, most of whose inhabitants still earned a living from farming fifty years ago, but which today is one of the most prosperous members of the European Union. He shows how this small country was able not only to survive in peace and war but also to preserve and develop its own highly distinctive identity, neither Scandinavian nor Eastern European. He traces the evolution of the idea of a Finnish national state, from the long centuries as part of the Swedish realm, through self-government within the Russian Empire, and into the stormy and tragic birth of the independent state in the twentieth century.

An updated and expanded second edition covering Polish history from medieval times to the present day.

The rich cultural and political life of Spain has emerged from its complex history, from the diversity of its peoples, and from continual contact with outside influences. This book traces that history from prehistoric times to the present, focusing particularly on culture, society, politics, and personalities. Written in an engaging style, it introduces readers to the key themes that have shaped Spain's history and culture. These include its varied landscapes and climates; the impact of waves of diverse human migrations; the importance of its location as a bridge between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean and Europe and Africa; and religion, particularly militant Catholic Christianity and its centuries of conflict with Islam and Protestantism, as well as debates over the place of the Church in modern Spain. Illustrations, maps, and a guide to further reading, major cultural figures, and places to see, make the history of this fascinating country come alive.

Since its formation in 1861, Italy has struggled to develop an effective political system and a secure sense of national identity. This new edition of Christopher Duggan's acclaimed introduction charts the country's history from the fall of the Roman Empire in the west to the present day and surveys the difficulties Italy has faced during the last two centuries in forging a nation state. Duggan successfully weaves together political, economic, social and cultural history, and stresses the alternation between materialist and idealist programmes for forging a nation state. This second edition has been thoroughly revised and updated to offer increased coverage of nineteenth- and twentieth-century Italy, as well as a new section devoted to Italy in the twenty-first century. With a new, extensive bibliographical essay and a detailed chronology, this is the ideal resource for those seeking an authoritative and comprehensive introduction to Italian history.