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The Operative (A Ryan Kealey Thriller #5)
by Andrew BrittonAn ex-CIA agent hunts down a terrorist conspiracy in a thriller by the New York Times bestselling author who &“may well give Tom Clancy a run for the money&” (St. Louis Post-Dispatch). After more than a decade on the front lines of the war on terror, Ryan Kealey is finally putting danger behind him. But his calm is shattered by a merciless attack during a charity gala in downtown Baltimore. Among the dozens of casualties is the wife of CIA Deputy Director John Harper. With normal channels of investigation obstructed, Harper turns to Kealey, the one man with the resources, expertise—and freedom from government interference—to pursue the awful truth. Following a string of secrets and violence, Kealey blazes a trail from the innermost chambers of government to the dimmest reaches of the human psyche, forced to match wits with a new nemesis aided by new allies, each with a unique agenda. Slowly, Kealey unspools an unimaginable conspiracy that suggests America may truly be its own worst enemy.
The Operator: Firing the Shots that Killed Osama bin Laden and My Years as a SEAL Team Warrior
by Robert O'Neill<P>A stirringly evocative, thought-provoking, and often jaw-dropping account, The Operator ranges across SEAL Team Operator Robert O’Neill’s awe-inspiring four-hundred-mission career, which included his involvement in attempts to rescue “Lone Survivor” Marcus Luttrell and abducted-by-Somali-pirates Captain Richard Phillips and which culminated in those famous three shots that dispatched the world’s most wanted terrorist, Osama bin Laden. <P>In these pages, O’Neill describes his idyllic childhood in Butte, Montana; his impulsive decision to join the SEALs; the arduous evaluation and training process; and the even tougher gauntlet he had to run to join the SEALs’ most elite unit. After officially becoming a SEAL, O’Neill would spend more than a decade in the most intense counterterror effort in US history. For extended periods, not a night passed without him and his small team recording multiple enemy kills—and though he was lucky enough to survive, several of the SEALs he’d trained with and fought beside never made it home. <P>The Operator describes the nonstop action of O’Neill’s deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, evokes the black humor of years-long combat, brings to vivid life the lethal efficiency of the military’s most selective units, and reveals firsthand details of the most celebrated terrorist takedown in history. <P><b>A New York Times Bestseller</b>
The Operator: The Seal Team Operative And The Mission That Changed The World
by Robert O'Neill<P>A stirringly evocative, thought-provoking, and often jaw-dropping account of SEAL Team Operator Robert O’Neill’s awe-inspiring 400-mission career. <P> O’Neill describes his idyllic childhood in Butte, Montana; his impulsive decision to join the SEALs; the arduous evaluation and training process; and the even tougher gauntlet he had to run to join the SEALs’ most elite unit. After officially becoming a SEAL, O’Neill would spend more than a decade in the most intense counterterror effort in US history. <P>For extended periods, not a night passed without him and his small team recording multiple enemy kills—and though he was lucky enough to survive, several of the SEALs he’d trained with and fought beside never made it home. <P><b>A New York Times Bestseller</b>
The Operators: On The Street with Britain's Most Secret Service (Pen And Sword Military Classics Ser.)
by James RennieFew outside the security services have heard of 14 Company. As deadly as the SAS yet more secret, the Operators of 14 Company are Britains most effective weapon against international terrorism. For every bomb that goes off 14 Company prevent twelve. The selection process is the most physically, intellectually and emotionally demanding anywhere in the world. Trained to operate under cover, Operators have at their disposal an arsenal of techniques and weapons unmatched by any other UK government or military agency. This is the true story of one Operator and of some of the most hair-raising military operations ever conducted on the streets of Britain.
The Operators: The Wild and Terrifying Inside Story of America's War in Afghanistan
by Michael HastingsThe inspiration for the upcoming movie WAR MACHINE, starring Brad Pitt, Tilda Swinton and Ben Kingsley (streaming on Netflix from 26 May).General Stanley McChrystal, the innovative commander of international and US forces in Afghanistan, was living large. Loyal staff liked to call him a 'rock star'. During a spring 2010 trip across Europe to garner additional Allied help for the war effort, McChrystal was accompanied by journalist Michael Hastings of ROLLING STONE. For days, Hastings looked on as McChrystal and his staff let off steam, partying and openly bashing the Obama administration for what they saw as a lack of leadership. When Hastings' piece appeared a few months later, it set off a political firestorm: McChrystal was ordered to Washington, where he was unceremoniously fired.In THE OPERATORS, Hastings gives us a shocking behind-the-scenes portrait of Allied military commanders, their high-stakes manoeuvres and often bitter bureaucratic in-fighting. He takes us on patrol missions in the Afghan hinterlands and to hotel bars where spies and expensive hookers participate in nation-building gone awry, drawing back the curtain on a hellish complexity and, he fears, an unwinnable war.
The Opium War: Drugs, Dreams, and the Making of Modern China
by Julia LovellThis &“crisp and readable account&” of the nineteenth century British campaign sheds light on modern Chinese identity through &“a heartbreaking story of war&” (The Wall Street Journal). In October 1839, a Windsor cabinet meeting voted to begin the first Opium War against China. Bureaucratic fumbling, military missteps, and a healthy dose of political opportunism and collaboration followed. Rich in tragicomedy, The Opium War explores the disastrous British foreign-relations move that became a founding myth of modern Chinese nationalism, and depicts China&’s heroic struggle against Western conspiracy. Julia Lovell examines the causes and consequences of the Opium War, interweaving tales of the opium pushers and dissidents. More importantly, she analyses how the Opium Wars shaped China&’s self-image and created an enduring model for its interactions with the West, plagued by delusion and prejudice.
The Opium Wars
by W. Hanes III Frank SanelloIn this tragic and powerful story, the two Opium Wars of 1839-1842 and 1856-1860 between Britain and China are recounted for the first time through the eyes of the Chinese as well as the Imperial West. Opium entered China during the Middle Ages when Arab traders brought it into China for medicinal purposes. As it took hold as a recreational drug, opium wrought havoc on Chinese society. By the early nineteenth century, 90 percent of the Emperor's court and the majority of the army were opium addicts.Britain was also a nation addicted-to tea, grown in China, and paid for with profits made from the opium trade. When China tried to ban the use of the drug and bar its Western smugglers from it gates, England decided to fight to keep open China's ports for its importation. England, the superpower of its time, managed to do so in two wars, resulting in a drug-induced devastation of the Chinese people that would last 150 years.In this page-turning, dramatic and colorful history, The Opium Wars responds to past, biased Western accounts by representing the neglected Chinese version of the story and showing how the wars stand as one of the monumental clashes between the cultures of East and West."A fine popular account."-Publishers Weekly"Their account of the causes, military campaigns and tragic effects of these wars is absorbing, frequently macabre and deeply unsettling."-Booklist
The Oppermanns
by Lion FeuchtwangerWritten in real time, as the Nazis consolidated their power over the winter of 1933, The Oppermanns captures the fall of Weimar Germany through the eyes of one bourgeois Jewish family, shocked and paralyzed by an ideology they cannot comprehend.In the foment of Weimar-era Berlin, the Oppermann brothers represent tradition and stability. One brother oversees the furniture chain founded by their grandfather, one is an eminent surgeon, one a respected critic. They are rich, cultured, liberal, and public spirited, proud inheritors of the German enlightenment. They don&’t see Hitler as a threat. Then, to their horror, the Nazis come to power, and the Oppermanns and their children are faced with the terrible decision of whether to adapt—if they can—flee, or try to fight. Written in 1933, nearly in real time, The Oppermanns captures the day-to-day vertigo of watching a liberal democracy fall apart. As Joshua Cohen writes in his introduction to this new edition, it is &“one of the last masterpieces of German-Jewish culture.&” Prescient and chilling, it has lost none of its power today.
The Ops Room Girls: An uplifting and romantic WW2 saga (Women's Auxiliary Air Force)
by Vicki BeebyShortlisted for the RNA Romantic Saga of the Year AwardWhen Evie’s dreams come crashing down, she’s determined to still make something of herself in these trying times… It is 1939 and working class Evie Bishop has received a scholarship to study mathematics at Oxford when tragedy turns her life upside down. Evie must seek a new future for herself and, inspired to contribute to the war effort, joins the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force as an Ops Room plotter.Posted to a fighter station on the Sussex Coast, Evie befriends two other WAAFs – shy, awkward May and flirty, glamorous Jess. Faced with earning the approval of strict officers and finding their way in a male dominated world, the three girls band together to overcome challenges, navigate new romances and keep their pilots safe in the skies.But the German bombers seem to know more than they should about the base’s operations, and soon Evie, May and Jess are caught up in a world more dangerous than they ever imagined…This heartwarming, dramatic World War II saga is perfect for fans of Daisy Styles, Kate Thompson and Rosie Clarke.Praise for The Ops Room Girls‘A fabulous tale of courage, comradeship and romance.’ Glynis Peters, author of The Secret Orphan‘A lovely book. Vicki Beeby is a saga author to watch.’ Margaret Dickinson, Sunday Times Top Ten bestselling author'Full of excitement, energy and romance, this story kept me turning the pages eagerly.' Lesley Eames, author of The Brighton Guest House Girls'An exceptional historical saga about young women forging new paths in an uncertain world at war... rich with historical detail, and a must read for historical fiction fans.' Andie Newton, author of The Girl I Left Behind'An utter joy to read, from the first page to the last. I would not hesitate to recommend this book to anyone with a liking for strong characters, a taste for danger, and a deeply romantic soul.' Terri Nixon, author of Penhaligon's Gift‘Entertaining from beginning to end. I can’t recommend it highly enough.’ Gemma Jackson, bestselling author of the Ivy Rose series
The Orchard
by Beverly LewisFor generations, Ellie Hosteler's family has tended their Lancaster County orchard, a tradition her twin brother, Evan, will someday continue. Yet when Evan's draft number is called up in the lottery for the Vietnam War, the family is shocked to learn he has not sought conscientious objector status, despite their Old Order Amish belief in non-resistance. The faraway war that has caused so much turmoil and grief among their Englisher neighbors threatens too close to home. As Evan departs for boot camp, Ellie confides her disappointment to Sol Bontrager, her best friend's brother and cousin to her new beau, Menno. In contrast to Evan, Sol is a conscientious objector. Despite Ellie's attraction to Menno, she is drawn to Sol's steady presence as they work together in the orchard. Suddenly, it feels as if everything in Ellie's world is shifting, and the plans she holds so dear seem increasingly uncertain. Can she and her family find the courage to face a future unlike any they could have imagined?
The Orchard Girls: The heartbreaking and unputdownable World War 2 romance
by Nikola ScottLondon, 2004. Frankie didn't always have it easy. Growing up motherless, she was raised by her grandmother, who loved her - and betrayed her. For years, the rift between them seemed irreparable. But when their paths suddenly cross again, Frankie is shocked to realise that her grandmother is slowly losing control of her memory. There is a darkness in her past that won't stay buried - secrets going back to wartime that may have a devastating effect on Frankie's own life.Somerset, 1940. When seventeen-year-old Violet's life is ripped apart by the London Blitz, she runs away to join the Women's Land Army. She wants nothing more than to leave her grief behind. But as well as the terror of enemy air raids, the land girls at Winterbourne Orchards face a powerful enemy closer to home. One terrible night, their courage will be put to the test - and the truth of what happened must be kept hidden, for ever . . .PRAISE FOR NIKOLA SCOTT: 'Intriguing, twisting... I loved it' Dinah Jefferies, author of The Tuscan Contessa'An atmospheric and gripping read.' My Weekly'A well-written, intriguing read full of family secrets... Brilliant' Fabulous'Characters you won't forget' Sunday Express(P) 2021 Headline Publishing Group Ltd
The Orchard Girls: The heartbreaking and unputdownable World War 2 romance
by Nikola Scott'Full of intrigue, fascinating historical detail and brilliant characterisation . . . A truly fabulous novel!' LOUISE FEIN, author of PEOPLE LIKE US'Nikola Scott is the queen of dual narrative fiction. The Orchard Girls takes us on a beautifully twisty journey . . . It's like unwrapping a pass-the-parcel with a wonderful gift at its heart' LIZZIE PAGE, author of WHEN I WAS YOURS'The Orchard Girls is such a clever, wonderful, expertly woven story. I enjoyed every second of it!' LORNA COOK, author of THE GIRL FROM THE ISLANDReaders are loving THE ORCHARD GIRLS!***** 'The story really was a heartbreaking read, and totally believable' READER REVIEW***** 'The way in which the storylines connected was really good, and made me curious, wanting to find out more' READER REVIEW***** 'The Land Girls were quite amazing . . . Can highly recommend this lovely book' READER REVIEW***** 'Great characters and lots of surprises along the way. It's a must read book' READER REVIEW***** 'I felt a strong connection with Frankie and Violet . . . Would recommend!' READER REVIEWLondon, 2004. Frankie didn't always have it easy. Growing up motherless, she was raised by her grandmother, who loved her - and betrayed her. For years, the rift between them seemed irreparable. But when their paths suddenly cross again, Frankie is shocked to realise that her grandmother is slowly losing control of her memory. There is a darkness in her past that won't stay buried - secrets going back to wartime that may have a devastating effect on Frankie's own life.Somerset, 1940. When seventeen-year-old Violet's life is ripped apart by the London Blitz, she runs away to join the Women's Land Army. She wants nothing more than to leave her grief behind. But as well as the terror of enemy air raids, the land girls at Winterbourne Orchards face a powerful enemy closer to home. One terrible night, their courage will be put to the test - and the truth of what happened must be kept hidden, for ever . . .PRAISE FOR NIKOLA SCOTT: 'Intriguing, twisting... I loved it' Dinah Jefferies, author of The Tuscan Contessa'An atmospheric and gripping read.' My Weekly'A well-written, intriguing read full of family secrets... Brilliant' Fabulous'Characters you won't forget' Sunday Express
The Orchard Girls: The heartbreaking and unputdownable World War 2 romance
by Nikola Scott'Full of intrigue, fascinating historical detail and brilliant characterisation . . . A truly fabulous novel!' LOUISE FEIN, author of PEOPLE LIKE US'Nikola Scott is the queen of dual narrative fiction. The Orchard Girls takes us on a beautifully twisty journey . . . It's like unwrapping a pass-the-parcel with a wonderful gift at its heart' LIZZIE PAGE, author of WHEN I WAS YOURS'The Orchard Girls is such a clever, wonderful, expertly woven story. I enjoyed every second of it!' LORNA COOK, author of THE GIRL FROM THE ISLANDReaders are loving THE ORCHARD GIRLS!***** 'The story really was a heartbreaking read, and totally believable' READER REVIEW***** 'The way in which the storylines connected was really good, and made me curious, wanting to find out more' READER REVIEW***** 'The Land Girls were quite amazing . . . Can highly recommend this lovely book' READER REVIEW***** 'Great characters and lots of surprises along the way. It's a must read book' READER REVIEW***** 'I felt a strong connection with Frankie and Violet . . . Would recommend!' READER REVIEWLondon, 2004. Frankie didn't always have it easy. Growing up motherless, she was raised by her grandmother, who loved her - and betrayed her. For years, the rift between them seemed irreparable. But when their paths suddenly cross again, Frankie is shocked to realise that her grandmother is slowly losing control of her memory. There is a darkness in her past that won't stay buried - secrets going back to wartime that may have a devastating effect on Frankie's own life.Somerset, 1940. When seventeen-year-old Violet's life is ripped apart by the London Blitz, she runs away to join the Women's Land Army. She wants nothing more than to leave her grief behind. But as well as the terror of enemy air raids, the land girls at Winterbourne Orchards face a powerful enemy closer to home. One terrible night, their courage will be put to the test - and the truth of what happened must be kept hidden, for ever . . .PRAISE FOR NIKOLA SCOTT: 'Intriguing, twisting... I loved it' Dinah Jefferies, author of The Tuscan Contessa'An atmospheric and gripping read.' My Weekly'A well-written, intriguing read full of family secrets... Brilliant' Fabulous'Characters you won't forget' Sunday Express
The Orchard of Lost Souls: A Novel
by Nadifa MohamedFrom one of Granta's Best of Young British Novelists comes The Orchard of Lost Souls, a stunning novel illuminating Somalia's tragic civil war.It is 1987 and Hargeisa waits. Whispers of revolution travel on the dry winds, but still the dictatorship remains secure. Soon, through the eyes of three women, we will see Somalia fall.Nine-year-old Deqo has left the vast refugee camp where she was born, lured to the city by the promise of her first pair of shoes.Kawsar, a solitary widow, is trapped in her little house with its garden clawed from the desert, confined to her bed after a savage beating in the local police station.Filsan, a young female soldier, has moved from Mogadishu to suppress the rebellion growing in the north. As the country is unraveled by a civil war that will shock the world, the fates of these three women are twisted irrevocably together.Nadifa Mohamed was born in Hargeisa and was exiled before the outbreak of war. In The Orchard of Lost Souls, she returns to Hargeisa in her imagination. Intimate, frank, brimming with beauty and fierce love, this novel is an unforgettable account of ordinary lives lived in extraordinary times.
The Ordeal of Captain Roeder: From the Diary of an Officer in the First Battalion of Hessian Lifeguards During the Moscow Campaign of 1812-13 (Routledge Library Editions: Military and Naval History #20)
by Helen RoederOriginally published in 1960, Captain Franz Roeder’s ability to bring to life the rigours in the Hessian Lifeguards during Napoleon’s ill-fated invasion of Russia in 1812-13, together with Helen Roeder’s skilful narrative, make this book one of the most compelling accounts of the sufferings of the Napoleonic Army. This is both an impelling personal story and a document of outstanding historical interest.
The Order War: A Novel in the Saga of Recluse (Saga of Recluce #4)
by L. E. Modesitt Jr.L.E. Modesitt, Jr.'s The Order War continues his bestselling fantasy series the Saga of Recluce, which is one of the most popular in contemporary epic fantasy.The deadly White Wizards of Fairhaven, wielding the forces of chaos, threaten the ancient matriarchy of Sarronnyn, the last bastion of order in Candar. When Sarronnyn falls despite the assistance of the Black Order mages, Justen, a young Black Engineer, must escape the city and master forbidden technology that harness chaos itself. Even so, it may not be enough to halt conquest of the White Wizards."An intriguing fantasy in a fascinating world." —Robert Jordan, New York Times bestselling author of The Wheel of Time® seriesSaga of Recluce#1 The Magic of Recluce / #2 The Towers of Sunset / #3 The Magic Engineer / #4 The Order War / #5 The Death of Chaos / #6 Fall of Angels / #7 The Chaos Balance / #8 The White Order / #9 Colors of Chaos / #10 Magi’i of Cyador / #11 Scion of Cyador / #12 Wellspring of Chaos / #13 Ordermaster / #14 Natural Order Mage / #15 Mage-Guard of Hamor / #16 Arms-Commander / #17 Cyador’s Heirs / #18 Heritage of Cyador /#19 The Mongrel MageStory Collection: Recluce TalesOther Series by L.E. Modesitt, Jr.The Imager PortfolioThe Corean ChroniclesThe Spellsong CycleThe Ghost BooksThe Ecolitan MatterAt the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
The Order of the Day
by Mark Polizzotti Eric VuillardWinner of the 2017 Prix Goncourt, this behind-the-scenes account of the manipulation, hubris, and greed that together led to Nazi Germany’s annexation of Austria brilliantly dismantles the myth of an effortless victory and offers a dire warning for our current political crisis. February 20, 1933, an unremarkable day during a harsh Berlin winter: A meeting of twenty-four German captains of industry and senior Nazi officials is being held in secret in the plush lounge of the Reichstag. They are there to extract funds for the accession to power of the National Socialist Party and its Chancellor. This opening scene sets a tone of consent that will lead to the worst possible repercussions. March 12, 1938, the annexation of Austria is on the agenda: A grotesque day intended to make history—the newsreels capture a motorized army on the move, a terrible, inexorable power. But behind Goebbels’s splendid propaganda, an ersatz Blitzkrieg unfolds, the Panzers breaking down en masse on the roads into Austria. The true behind-the-scenes account of the Anschluss—a patchwork of minor flourishes of strength and fine words, fevered telephone calls, and vulgar threats—all reveal a starkly different picture. It is not strength of character or the determination of a people that wins the day, but rather a combination of intimidation and bluff. With this vivid, compelling history, Éric Vuillard warns against the peril of willfully blind acquiescence, and offers a reminder that, ultimately, the worst is not inescapable.
The Order: Inside America's Racist Underground
by Kevin FlynnSoon to be a major motion picture! Originally published as The Silent Brotherhood, uncover the chilling depths of America&’s racist underground with this investigative true crime masterpiece exposing the inner workings of white supremacist militias and domestic terror groups.Two courageous investigative journalists deliver an insider&’s account of the &“silent brotherhood&”—the most dangerous radical-right hate group to surface since the Ku Klux Klan. They claim to be patriots, as American as apple pie, but they are this nation&’s deadly brotherhood—hate groups that package their alienation against the federal government under such names as the Aryan Nation, the Order, and other white supremacist militias. The group attracts seemingly average citizens with their call for pride in race, family, and religion and their mission to save white Christian America. They spout anti-Black, antisemitic, neo-Nazi rhetoric, and their grievances have festered into full-blown paranoia and a call for an all-out race war. The Order reveals in terrifying detail how the group became criminals and assassins in their effort to establish an Aryan homeland.
The Origin of Empire: Rome from the Republic to Hadrian (History Of The Ancient World Ser. #4)
by David PotterStarting with the Roman army’s first foray beyond its borders and ending with Hadrian’s death (138 CE), David Potter’s panorama of the early Empire recounts the wars, leaders and social transformations that lay the foundations of imperial success. As today’s parallels reveal, the Romans have much to teach us about power, governance and leadership.
The Origins of Major War
by Dale C. CopelandOne of the most important questions of human existence is what drives nations to war-especially massive, system-threatening war. Much military history focuses on the who, when, and where of war. In this riveting book, Dale C. Copeland brings attention to bear on why governments make decisions that lead to, sustain, and intensify conflicts. Copeland presents detailed historical narratives of several twentieth-century cases, including World War I, World War II, and the Cold War. He highlights instigating factors that transcend individual personalities, styles of government, geography, and historical context to reveal remarkable consistency across several major wars usually considered dissimilar. The result is a series of challenges to established interpretive positions and provocative new readings of the causes of conflict. Classical realists and neorealists claim that dominant powers initiate war. Hegemonic stability realists believe that wars are most often started by rising states. Copeland offers an approach stronger in explanatory power and predictive capacity than these three brands of realism: he examines not only the power resources but the shifting power differentials of states. He specifies more precisely the conditions under which state decline leads to conflict, drawing empirical support from the critical cases of the twentieth century as well as major wars spanning from ancient Greece to the Napoleonic Wars.
The Origins of Victory: How Disruptive Military Innovation Determines the Fates of Great Powers
by Andrew F. Krepinevich Jr.How the character of war is changing and how militaries can successfully adapt to meet the challenge This book by military strategist Andrew F. Krepinevich, Jr., is the definitive take on the race for military dominance in the twenty-first century. It shows how militaries that successfully pursue disruptive innovation can gain a major advantage over their rivals, while those that fail to do so risk exposing their countries to great danger. The Precision Warfare Revolution introduced by the U.S. military in the First Gulf War found the United States enjoying a near monopoly in this form of warfare for several decades. But now other powers have these capabilities. The U.S. military also confronts an emerging military revolution driven by advances across a wide range of technologies—from artificial intelligence and synthetic biology to quantum computing and additive manufacturing. To stay competitive, the U.S. military must pursue disruptive innovation in a race with other militaries to exploit war&’s changing character. Clues exist as to the winner&’s identity. They are revealed by militaries that went beyond the bounds of mere innovation to overturn the existing forms of warfare, changing the course of history and the fate of nations. Through exploring their experiences, Krepinevich shows how the U.S. military can win the race to identify and exploit the &“next big thing&” in warfare.
The Origins of World War I
by Holger H. Herwig Richard F. HamiltonThis work poses a straightforward - yet at the same time perplexing - question about World War I: Why did it happen? Several of the oft-cited causes are reviewed and discussed. The argument of the alliance systems is inadequate, lacking relevance or compelling force. The arguments of mass demands, those focusing on nationalism, militarism and social Darwinism, it is argued, are insufficient, lacking indications of frequency, intensity, and process (how they influenced the various decisions). The work focuses on decision-making, on the choices made by small coteries, in Austria-Hungary, Germany, Russia, France, Britain and elsewhere. The decisions made later by leaders in Japan, the Ottoman Empire, Italy, the Balkans, and the United States are also explored. The final chapters review the 'basic causes' once again. An alternative position is advanced, one focused on elites and coteries, their backgrounds and training, and on their unique agendas.
The Origins of World War Two
by Joseph A. Maiolo Robert BoyceNo issue in modern history has been more intensively studied, or subject to wider interpretation, than the origins of the Second World War. A conflict involving three - arguably four - major aggressor Powers, operating simultaneously but largely separately on two continents, inevitably raises complex theories and debates. Each participating power has its own history, and each one must take account of various influences upon the behaviour of its soldiers and statesmen. His wide-ranging collection of original essays, each by an international expert in their field, covers all aspects of the subject and highlights the controversy that continues to characterise current thinking on the origins of the war. Going beyond the usual Eurocentric approach, Part I examines the roles of all seven of the Great Powers (including Japan and the USA), as well as the parts played by several of the lesser Powers, such as Czechoslovakia, Poland and China. Part II contains chapters which explore key themes that cannot be fully understood within the context of any single country. These themes include the role of ideology, propaganda, intelligence, armaments, economics, diplomacy, the neutral states, peace movements, and the social science approach to war. Written in clear, jargon-free prose, together these essays provide a comprehensive single-volume text for students and teachers, and are essential reading for all with an interest in the debates surrounding the causes of World War Two.
The Origins of the Boxer War: A Multinational Study
by Lanxin XiangThis is the first book to provide a panoramic view of the origins of the Boxer War. Comprehensively examining this historical conundrum of the 20th century from a detached perspective, the book is based on ten years of exhaustive research of both unpublished and published materials from all nine countries involved. Analysing the misunderstanding between the Chinese and foreign governments of the day, Lanxin Xiang debunks the traditional view that the anti-foreign Empress Dowager of the Chinese Empire was chiefly responsible for this catastrophic episode which altered the course of 20th century China's relationship with the west.
The Origins of the First World War
by William MulliganProviding a new interpretation of the origins of the First World War, this textbook synthesises recent scholarship and introduces the major historiographical and political debates surrounding the outbreak of the war. William Mulligan argues that the war was a far from inevitable outcome of international politics in the early twentieth century and suggests instead that there were powerful forces operating in favour of the maintenance of peace. His fresh perspective on the pre-war international system takes account of new approaches to the study of international politics since the end of the Cold War and the acceleration of globalisation. Thematic chapters examine key issues, including the military, public opinion, economics, diplomacy and geopolitics, and analyse relations between the great powers, the role of smaller states, the disintegrating empires and the July crisis. This compelling account will significantly revise our understanding of diplomacy, political culture, and economic history from 1870 to 1914. Advanced praise for the Origins of the First World War Book jacket.