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Few Europeans in the twentieth century have been subject to the repeated buffetings by foreign powers, ideologically driven transformations and internal upheaval of the Czechs and the Slovaks. The period of Communist rule was complex, and those who gleefully overthrew the regime in 1989 were the very grandchildren of those who had voted for Communism with hope in the free elections of 1946. This concise account includes both political and social history, analysing half a century of Communism from at all strata of society. Kevin McDermott is equally intrigued by those in power and ordinary citizens, asking what motivates a young Czech worker-believer to join the Communist Party in the early 1950s, enrol in the People's Militia and remain in the party during the dark years of 'normalisation', yet end up welcoming the tearing down of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Using Czech and Slovak archival sources and the most recent historiography, McDermott challenges the still dominant 'totalitarian' paradigm and argues that the forty year communist experience in Czechoslovakia cannot simply be dismissed as a Soviet-imposed aberration.

This text analyzes the evolving relationship between the French monarchy and the French nobility in the early modern period. The provinces of Provence, Dauphine and Brittany illustrate the ways in which elites organized were co-opted or subverted by the crown.

Adopting a chronological framework, this up-to-date study examines how the regime emerged out of the chaos of the Algerian crisis, how its political evolution has been very different from that envisaged by de Gaulle, and why it has endured.

Until recently, study of the early modern economy in Europe has tended to have heroes and villains: the former being the progressive and 'modern' economies of the Netherlands and England, and the latter being doomed, backward and Catholic Italy and Spain.

Alexander Grab explores the impact of Napoleon's domination throughout his empire and the response of the Europeans to his rule. He discusses Napoleon's exploitation of occupied Europe and particularly his reform policies, and assesses their success in transforming Europe.

This essential introduction synthesises the wealth of new material available on the Russian Revolution into a clear overview which is ideal for beginners. Leading expert Christopher Read treats the period 1914-22 as a whole in order to contextualise and better understand the events of 1917 and their impact.

This is a timely new study of the Great War, a hundred years on. The First World War not only provides an invaluable introduction to the topic but also deals with the changing perspectives of, and attitudes towards, the war and its place in national and international memories.

This is one of the first book length studies available in English of the development of Catholic identity and a specific German Catholic culture in the 300 years after the Reformation. The book emphasizes the particular nature of Church institutions in Germany and the vital role of the population in the creation of Catholic practice and belief.

The Tsarist Empire posed unique problems to its rulers. Peter Waldron examines the challenges that faced them in terms of geography, culture, finance and military power, analysing the sources of the Russian Empire's strength and the reasons why the tsars were able to maintain their unlimited power for so long.

Hitler's 'thousand-year Reich' lasted barely longer than twelve brief and inglorious years, and yet had an impact on millions of ordinary lives scarcely comparable with any other episode in modern European history.

A fresh introduction to the political history of late medieval France duing the turbulent period of the Hundred Years' War, taking into account the social, economic and religious contexts. Graeme Small considers not just the monarchy but also prelates, noble networks and the emerging municipalities in this new analysis.

During the week of 21-28 May 1871, between 20, 000 and 30, 000 Parisians were killed in the repression of the Paris Commune;

Charles V's reign included the conquests of Mexico and Peru and the religious transformation of Europe by the Protestant and Catholic Reformations. This study not only looks at Charles V as a person, but also examines such important critical issues as his policies and their consequences.

This work does not view Catholicism from 1450 to 1700 primarily in relationship to the Protestant Reformation, but as both shaped by the revolutionary changes of the early modern period and actively refashioning itself in response to these changes.

The Dreyfus Affair comprises attempted assassinations, suicides, perjury, forgeries, invective, stunning reversals and abortive coups d'etat, involving the honour and destiny of an individual and of France.

This book explores the long-term reasons for the demise of Imperial Russia, examining the failure of the autocratic state to strengthen its own political position while economic change transformed Russian society.

Peter G. Wallace interweaves the Reformation into the transformations of political institutions, socio-economic structures, gender relations, and cultural values in Europe. The revised second edition now incorporates the latest research, as well as a new chapter on the Reformation and Islam, expanded discussion of gender issues, and a glossary.

During the Middle Ages, the popes of Rome claimed both spiritual authority and worldly powers, vying with emperors for supremacy, ruling over the Papal States, and legislating the norms of Christian society.

Stalin's massive impact on Soviet history is often explained in terms of his inherent evil, personality defects and power lust.

A concise and comparative analysis of the private and public careers of Richelieu and Mazarin which deals with such central themes as the international government of France and the conduct of foreign policy, as well as the political strategies of the two men, among other aspects.

The consequences are traced through the Stalin Revolution, the Great Terror, the Second World War, the Cold War, the Khrushchev and Brezhnev years down to Gorbachev's doomed attempt to transform the Soviet system.

This text considers the Reformed churches of Europe in an international and comparative context from around 1540 to 1620. It discusses how Calvinism operated as an international movement by looking at links between Reformed churches, communities, and states.

This major new study weaves insights from new research into a comprehensive account of German social, political and cultural development across two and a half centuries.

He led Europe in its defence against the seemingly irresistable power of the Ottoman Empire and many of the nations of Western Europe were forged in part by their responses to his ambitions - Portugal was conquered and most of Italy was controlled by him, while the Low Countries, England and France fought long and bitter wars against him.

Communism has had a profound impact on Europe. In theory, it promised equality and freedom for all. In practice, it spawned inegalitarian, authoritarian and, in some instances, monstrous regimes in East Europe. Ronald Kowalski re-examines the history of European Communism and explains why it failed to come to power in West Europe.

John D. Cotts introduces the twelfth century as a period when European society was radically transformed by new cultural possibilities. Covering political, economic and intellectual issues, as well as the Crusades, Cotts focuses on the ways in which Europeans encountered these possibilities, and how they dealt with the moral problems that arose.

The Prussian army invented modern war processes, and Helmuth von Moltke (1800 - 1891) was the first modern war planner.

Today, Spain is a modern society with an important profile in the European Union. After the loss of almost all her overseas empire in 1898, Spain faced the new century handicapped by her international isolation, backward economy and a stagnant and elitist political system.

By turns radical, uncertain, ambitious and autocratic, Mikhail Gorbachev and his bid to reform the Soviet Union have shaped the contemporary world. Drawing on the latest memoirs and scholarship, this book follows Gorbachev's increasingly desperate attempts to control the forces he unleashed and hold together a state whose days were over.

This book provides a concise study of the defining aspects of the reign of Louis XIV. The nature of French monarchy, methods of government, Louis's relationship to his subjects and to the churches, the organisation of cultural life, and France's relations with the rest of Europe are all considered.