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The era known as Reconstruction is one of the unhappiest times in American history. It succeeded in reuniting the nation politically after the Civil War but in little else. Among its chief failures was the inability to chart a progressive course for race relations after the abolition of slavery and rise of Jim Crow. Reconstruction also struggled to successfully manage the Southern resistance towards a Northern, free-labor pattern. But the failures...
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From the Plantation of Ulster in the seventeenth century to the entry into peace talks in the late twentieth century the Northern Irish people have been engaged in conflict-Catholic against Protestant, Republican against Unionist. Marc Mulholland explores the pivotal moments in Northern Irish history-the rise of republicanism in the 1800s, Home Rule and the civil rights movement, the growth of Sinn Fein and the provisional IRA, and of the opposition,...
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Very short introductions volume 36
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English
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The European Union (EU) stands out as a fascinatingly unique political organization. On the one hand, it has shown the potential for developing deep and wide-ranging cooperation between member states, going far beyond that found anywhere else in the world. On the other, it is currently in the throes of a phase of profound uncertainty about its viability and future.
Showing how and why the EU has developed from 1950 to the present day, this Very Short...
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Very short introductions volume 87
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English
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"The Cold War dominated international life from the end of the Second World War to the fall of the Berlin Wall. But how did the dispute begin, and why did it move from its origins in post-war Europe to encompass virtually every corner of the globe? Robert J. McMahon considers these questions and more, providing a truly international history of the Cold War and examining its enduring legacy. He draws on the most recent scholarship and documents to...
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Very short introductions volume 78
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English
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"Is terrorism crime or war? Can there be a 'war against terrorism?' In this fully updated edition, Charles Townshend unravels the questions at the heart of the problem of terrorism (its causes, methods, effects, and limitations) suggesting that it must be understood as a political strategy whose threat can be rationally grasped and answered."--Publisher information.
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Very short introductions volume 126
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English
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What is socialism? Does it have a future, or has it become an outdated ideology in the 21st century? This Very Short Introduction considers the major theories in socialism, and explores its historical evolution from the French Revolution to the present day. Michael Newman argues that socialism has always been a diverse doctrine, while nevertheless containing a central core of interconnected values and goals: a critique of capitalism; an optimistic...
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Very short introductions volume 86
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English
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We live today in an interconnected world, where ordinary people can become instant online celebrities to fans thousands of miles away, religious leaders can influence millions globally, and complex social forces intersect across continents. This is globalization. Manfred B. Steger considers the major dimensions of globalization, as well as the hotly contested question of whether it is, ultimately, a good or a bad thing. From climate change to trade...
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Very short introductions volume 218
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English
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"They called it the Reagan revolution," Ronald Reagan noted in his Farewell Address. "Well, I'll accept that, but for me it always seemed more like the great rediscovery, a rediscovery of our values and our common sense."
Nearly two decades after that 1989 speech, debate continues to rage over just how revolutionary those Reagan years were. The Reagan Revolution: A Very Short Introduction identifies and tackles some of the controversies and historical...
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Very short introductions volume 609
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English
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"For better or worse, be it militarily, diplomatically, politically, economically, or culturally, Americans have had a profound role in shaping the wider world beyond them. Unsurprisingly, most non-Americans have passionate views about the nature of U.S. foreign policy. America has been a savior to some, a curse to others-and both have good reason to feel that way. And yet, such views are often also based on a caricature of American actions and intentions....
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Very short introductions volume 171
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English
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From the Publisher: In places such as Iraq or Lebanon, moving a few feet on either side of a territorial boundary can be a matter of life or death, dramatically highlighting the connections between geography and politics. This Very Short Introduction illuminates the concept of geopolitics, revealing how a country's location and size as well as its sovereignty and resources all affect how its people understand and interact with the wider world. Using...
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Very short introductions volume 629
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English
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Early Americans were suspicious of centralized authority and executive power. Casting away the yoke of England and its king, the founding fathers shared in this distrust as they set out to pen the Constitution. Weighing a need for consolidated leadership with a demand for states' rights, they established a large federal republic with limited dominion over the states, leaving most of the governing responsibility with the former colonies. With this...
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Very short introductions volume 510
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English
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"Populism is a central concept in the current media debates about politics and elections. However, like most political buzzwords, the term often floats from one meaning to another, and both social scientists and journalists use it to denote diverse phenomena. What is populism really? Who are the populist leaders? And what is the relationship between populism and democracy? This book answers these questions in a simple and persuasive way, offering...
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Very short introductions volume 655
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English
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"City Planning: A Very Short Introduction gives an international overview of progress in city planning over the last century. City planning explores the tension between the idea of cities as individually held land-parcels and as representations of community and identity. It has inevitable political and ethical dimensions. Over time, cities have grown and merged, leading to larger-scale thinking about planning, but it remains a regional discipline....
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Very short introductions volume 223
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English
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"This Very Short Introduction offers an engaging overview of progressivism in America - its origins, guiding principles, major leaders and major accomplishments. A many-sided reform movement that lasted from the late 1890s until the early 1920s, progressivism emerged as a response to the excesses of the Gilded Age, an era that plunged working Americans into poverty while a new class of ostentatious millionaires built huge mansions and flaunted their...
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Very short introductions volume 420
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English
Description
"American Political History : A Very Short Introduction captures the richness of American political history, focusing primarily on national politics. It explores the nature of the two-party system, key turning points in American political history, representative presidential and congressional elections, struggles to expand the electorate, and critical social protest and third-party movements"--Provided by publisher.
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Very short introductions volume 202
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English
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"Japan is arguably today's most successful industrial economy, combining almost unprecedented affluence with social stability and apparent harmony. Japanese goods and cultural products--from animated movies and computer games to cars, semiconductors, and management techniques--are consumed around the world. In many ways, Japan is an icon of the modern world, and yet it remains something of an enigma to many, who see it as a confusing montage of the...
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Series
Very short introductions volume 36
Language
English
Description
The European Union (EU) stands out as a fascinatingly unique political organisation. On the one hand, it has shown the potential for developing deep and wide-ranging cooperation between member states, going far beyond that found anywhere else in the world. On the other, it is currently in the throes of a phase of profound uncertainty about its viability and future. Showing how and why the EU has developed from 1950 to the present day, this Very Short...
Author
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Very short introductions volume 344
Language
English
Description
The Napoleonic Wars have an important place in the history of Europe, leaving their mark on European and world societies in a variety of ways. In many European countries, they provided the stimulus for radical social and political change--particularly in Spain, Germany, and Italy--and are frequently viewed in these places as the starting point of their modern histories. In this Very Short Introduction, Mike Rapport provides a compact overview of these...
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