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 ...
More
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 ...
More
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 ...
More
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 ...
More
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 ...
More
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 ...
More
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, ...
More
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 ...
More
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’ ...
More
3. Life cheapens: the descent into war
Marc Mulholland
in Northern Ireland: A Very Short Introduction
‘Life cheapens: the descent into war’ explains how Loyalist political violence regained renewed effect with the civil rights movement. Most Protestants did not accept the claims of the ...
More
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 ...
More
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 ...
More
Terror and terrorism
Antulio J. Echevarria II
in Military Strategy: A Very Short Introduction
‘Terror and terrorism’ discusses strategies in which terror is used to break an opponent’s willingness to fight or to induce a change in a rival power’s policy or behavior. Terror often ...
More
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 ...
More
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 ...
More
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 ...
More
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 ...
More
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 ...
More
1. The trouble with terrorism
Charles Townshend
in Terrorism: A Very Short Introduction (3rd edn)
The point of terrorism is to upset and make people feel vulnerable. ‘The trouble with terrorism’ attempts to define terrorism by examining the relationship between terror and war. Should ...
More
5. Nationalism and terror
Charles Townshend
in Terrorism: A Very Short Introduction (3rd edn)
The framework for much of modern terrorist action is ethnic or nationalist, with each nationalism being culturally unique. The emblematic terrorist act—the assassination of Archduke Franz ...
More
