You may have to Search all our reviewed books and magazines, click the sign up button below to create a free account.
In A Brief History of History, acclaimed historian Jeremy Black seeks to reinvigorate and redefine our ideas about history. The stories we tell about the past are a crucial aspect of all cultures. However, while the traditional storytelling process—what we think of as "history" in the proper sense—is useful, it is also misleading, not least because it leads to the repetition of bias and misinformation. Black suggests that the conventional idea of history and historians is constructed too narrowly, as it fails to engage with the broad nature of lived experience. By focusing on a singular idea or story within the history being explored, we fail to understand the interconnectivity of the everyday experience. A Brief History of History challenges accepted norms of the historical perspective and offers a view of human history that will surprise many and (perhaps) infuriate some. But above all, it is a history of historians written for this moment in time, a time when the traditional Eurocentric approach to history now appears wholly inappropriate.
Firing 20 arrows a minute, English archers at the Battle of Crecy launched a million deadly missiles from their longbows. French infantry and knights were decimated as arrows 'fell like snow' and the day was won for the loss of 200 English soldiers, against 16,000 French dead. With such superior firepower, the conquest of France beckoned ... How did the longbow change the course of history? What was the impact of the chariot, musket, machine gun and tank? Which were the weapons that proved decisive in creating the great empires? And when were the military turning points that changed the world forever?
In The Holocaust: History and Memory, New Edition, Jeremy Black revisits his brilliant and wrenching account of the brutal mass slaughter of Jews during World War II and the subsequent remembrance and misremembering of this genocide. Black challenges the prevailing view that separates the Holocaust from Germany's military objectives with compelling evidence that Germany's war on the Allies was deeply intertwined with Hitler's war on Jews. As Hitler expanded his control over more territories, the extermination of Jews became a significant war aim, particularly in the east. Long before the establishment of extermination camps, the German army and collaborators carried out mass shootings, resul...
In A History of Diplomacy, historian Jeremy Black investigates how a form of courtly negotiation and information-gathering in the early modern period developed through increasing globalization into a world-shaping force in twenty-first-century politics. The monarchic systems of the sixteenth century gave way to the colonial development of European nations—which in turn were shaken by the revolutions of the eighteenth century—the rise and progression of multiple global interests led to the establishment of the modern-day international embassy system. In this detailed and engaging study of the ever-changing role of international relations, the aims, achievements, and failures of foreign diplomacy are presented along with their complete historical and cultural background.
From one of the world's most prolific historians comes a comprehensive history of the complex and challenging subject of the history of London from Roman times to the modern day.
Cutting through over half a century of historical build-up, this new and convincing account of World War II uses a global perspective to explain the complicated course in military terms. Black, a distinguished military historian , bucks the current trend to demilitarise and gives due weight to the campaigns and battles that made up the war. In doing so he challenges common interpretations and includes new insights to make this one of the most exciting new histories of the Second World War. Covering all the main areas of conflict, the chronological approach includes analysis of attacks at land, air and sea and a comparison of military resources. The focus is always operational, but social, cultural and political aspects are also included. Providing a crucial counterweight to previous histories, Jeremy Black's World War Two offers fresh insights into operations at the Eastern Front and during the war against Japan.
This is a history of warfare, wars and the armed forces of Europe from the military revolution of the mid-17th century to the Napoleonic wars.; This book is intended for broad-based undergrad courses on 18th century Europe/Britain and the Ancien Regime. 2nd and 3rd year thematic courses on warfare in the modern period, and students of war studies.
Addressing the question of why wars happen, this book bridges the disciplines of history, political science and international relations, and spans the period from 1450 to the present. Examples are used from many parts of the world to demonstrate the universality of conflict. The author looks at the problems of defining war, and considers the major theories advanced for the causes of war to date. Do wars primarily reflect bellicosity in societies and states, or do they arise largely as a result of the breakdown of diplomatic systems? How far are the causes of war related to changes in the nature of warfare, of the international system, or of the internal character of states? Black investigates instances of wars that are deliberate or accidental, and analyzes the three main forms of war: civil wars, wars across cultures, and wars within cultures. He also considers the present situation and asks where we are heading in terms of future wars.
Tracing the development of the University of Exeter over the six decades since it was granted its royal charter in 1955, this book tells the history of the institution and its community. Jeremy Black draws on a wide range of resources, from archival material to the personal recollections of staff and students. He records and analyses the story of the university as it engaged with the need to expand and evolve while responding to constant financial and political pressures. The book includes interviews with leading university figures, contributions from former students, and a postscript looking to the future. It charts the University of Exeter’s changing place in the world of higher educatio...
'Jeremy Black skilfully sketches social, cultural and political trends' - Christina Hardyment, Times audiobook of the week 'A remarkable mixture of cold history, wide culture and personal experience' Ciro Paoletti, Secretary General of the Italian Commission of Military History Despite the Roman Empire's famous 500-year reign over Europe, parts of Africa and the Middle East, Italy does not have the same long national history as states such as France or England. Divided for much of its history, Italy's regions have been, at various times, parts of bigger, often antagonistic empires, notably those of Spain and Austria. In addition, its challenging and varied terrain made consolidation of polit...