16. Pomp and Circumstance
Christopher Harvie and H. C. G. Matthew
in Nineteenth-Century Britain: A Very Short Introduction
‘Pomp and Circumstance’ addresses the enduring importance of the aristocracy. They remained the dominant force in Westminster politics and officered the army. Aristocrats augmented their ...
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24. ‘Your English Summer's Done’
Christopher Harvie and H. C. G. Matthew
in Nineteenth-Century Britain: A Very Short Introduction
‘Your English Summer's Done’ describes the lead-up to the First World War. Britain's entente policy committed it to the French and Russian side of the European equation. Britain could bring ...
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1. The English Settlements
John Blair
in The Anglo-Saxon Age: A Very Short Introduction
There are few sources available on the fifth and sixth centuries. We have some archaeological evidence and a small group of text, annals and fragments. ‘The English Settlements’ tries to ...
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3. War and society
Harry Sidebottom
in Ancient Warfare: A Very Short Introduction
The way a society makes war is a projection of the construction of that society. ‘War and society’ looks at this issue from the opposite perspective by taking three examples to illustrate ...
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13. The Masses and the Classes: The Urban Worker
Christopher Harvie and H. C. G. Matthew
in Nineteenth-Century Britain: A Very Short Introduction
‘The Masses and the Classes: The Urban Worker’ examines the condition of the working classes. The working classes enjoyed relative prosperity in the 1870s and 1880s, due to rising real ...
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4. The Civil Wars
John Morrill
in Stuart Britain: A Very Short Introduction
‘The Civil Wars’ shows the country's gradual drift into the First Civil War. Parliament's victory came not through military factors — both sides professionalized their armies — but because ...
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3. The Madero revolt and regime (1910–1913)
Alan Knight
in The Mexican Revolution: A Very Short Introduction
Francisco Madero, scion of one of northern Mexico’s richest families, had led the unsuccessful opposition of early 1910 in the liberal-democratic tradition. ‘The Madero revolt and regime’ ...
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3. Poverty and wealth
Stephen Lovell
in The Soviet Union: A Very Short Introduction
‘Poverty and wealth’ considers the economic experience and the existence of inequality in the Soviet Union. The Soviet system had three main economic principles: egalitarianism, ...
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2. Organizing revolution
Delia Davin
in Mao: A Very Short Introduction
‘Organizing revolution’ explores Mao's life in the early years of the Republic of China. Mao was a member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), who were urged by Soviet Communists to ...
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5. Soldiers and civilians
Mike Rapport
in The Napoleonic Wars: A Very Short Introduction
The French Wars shattered the 18th-century rules of warfare. ‘Soldiers and civilians’ looks at the effects of the French Wars on the ordinary people of the war, the men and women who found ...
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4. Counter-revolution and Constitutionalism (1913–1914)
Alan Knight
in The Mexican Revolution: A Very Short Introduction
The coup of February 1913, involving the overthrow and killing of Madero, had decisive effects. ‘Counter-revolution and Constitutionalism’ outlines how Huerta, the interim president, relied ...
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3. Warrior: Alexander’s army
Hugh Bowden
in Alexander the Great: A Very Short Introduction
‘Warrior: Alexander's Army’ describes Alexander's military campaigning, which he continued throughout his reign and for which he is perhaps most famous. The title of ‘Undefeated’ is ...
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1. The Corsican, 1769–1796
David A. Bell
in Napoleon: A Very Short Introduction
Napoleon Bonaparte was born in 1769 in Corsica, just after it came under the control of the Kingdom of France. ‘The Corsican, 1769–1796’ outlines Napoleon’s early life, including his ...
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4. Elite and masses
Stephen Lovell
in The Soviet Union: A Very Short Introduction
‘Elite and masses’ focuses on the contradictions of Soviet society. The problem for the Bolshevik party was how a centralized, minority party could claim leadership of the masses. In the ...
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2. Coercion and participation
Stephen Lovell
in The Soviet Union: A Very Short Introduction
‘Coercion and participation’ shows how the terrorist proclivities of the Soviet state were modulated by an ideology of grass-roots social mobilization and collectivism. The ‘necessity’ of ...
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5. Patriotism and multinationalism
Stephen Lovell
in The Soviet Union: A Very Short Introduction
‘Patriotism and multinationalism’ analyses Soviet efforts to combine one strong state with a multiplicity of ethnic and linguistic groups. Ethnicity was a matter of personal identity, as ...
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The Mexican Revolution: A Very Short Introduction
Alan Knight
The Mexican Revolution defined the socio-political experience of 20th-century life in Mexico. Its subsequent legacy has provoked debate between those who interpret the ongoing myth of the ...
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2. Government and Law
John Morrill
in Stuart Britain: A Very Short Introduction
‘Government and Law’ shows how, despite the government's limited financial resources, fiscal innovations — particularly in indirect taxation — allowed them to balance the budget by the end ...
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7. Settlers in England
Julian D. Richards
in The Vikings: A Very Short Introduction
The scale of Scandinavian settlement is much debated, but its positive impact is widely acknowledged. Archaeologists have emphasized Scandinavian contributions to urbanism, the development ...
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The Soviet Union: A Very Short Introduction
Stephen Lovell
The Soviet Union: A Very Short Introduction blends political history with an investigation into the society and culture of the time. This VSI takes a thematic approach to the ...
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