Best of
European-History

1974

Hitler


Joachim Fest - 1974
    Fest tells and interprets the extraordinary story of a man's and a nation's rise from impotence to absolute power, as Germany and Hitler, from shared premises, entered into their covenant. He shows Hitler exploiting the resentments of the shaken, post-World War I social order and seeing through all that was hollow behind the appearance of power, at home and abroad. Fest reveals the singularly penetrating politician, hypnotizing Germans and outsiders alike with the scope of his projects and the theatricality of their presentation. Fest also, perhaps most importantly, brilliantly uncovers the destructive personality who aimed at and achieved devastation on an unprecedented scale. As history and as biography, this is a towering achievement, a compelling story told in a way only a German could tell it, "dispassionately, but from the inside." (Time)

Notes from the Warsaw Ghetto


Emmanuel Ringelblum - 1974
    Through anecdotes, stories, and notations - some as brief as "I was slapped today in Zlota Street" - there emerges the agonizing, eyewitness accounts of human beings caught in the furor of senseless, unrelenting brutality. In the Journal, there is the whole of life in the Ghetto, from the erection of the Wall, in November 1940, for hygienic reasons, through the brief period of deceptive calm to the eventual mass murders. It is a portrait of man tested by crisis, stained at times by the meanness of avarice and self-preservation, illumined more often by moments of nobility. Emmanual Ringelblum was 39 when he began his notes. When the Germans first invaded Poland, Ringelblum, who could have stayed abroad and escaped, returned to Warsaw from Switzerland knowing that his was an historical event of importance for his people and a moment in time that must be forever a part of written history. As the recognized archivist of the Ghetto he gathered around him a staff, and assigned each to cover a specific part of Ghetto life. From these reports and this notes, he assembled his Journal. On March 7, 1944, Emmanual Ringelblum was executed among the ruins of Warsaw, together with his wife, his son, and thirt-eight others who shared his hiding place.

Passages from Antiquity to Feudalism


Perry Anderson - 1974
    Passages from Antiquity to Feudalism, the companion volume to Perry Anderson’s highly acclaimed and influential Lineages of the Absolutist State, is a sustained exercise in historical sociology to root the development of absolutism in the diverse routes taken from the slave-based societies of Ancient Greece and Rome to fully-fledged feudalism. In the course of this study Anderson vindicates and refines the explanatory power of a Marxist conception of history, whilst casting a fascinating light on Greece, Rome, the Germanic invasion, nomadic society, and the different patterns of the evolution of feudalism in Northern, Mediterranean, Eastern and Western Europe.

Before the Industrial Revolution: European Society and Economy, 1000-1700


Carlo M. Cipolla - 1974
    An economic historian of international reputation, Carlo M. Cipolla explores the process that made this transformation possible. In so doing, he sheds light not only on the economic factors but on the culture surrounding them.

War and an Irish Town


Eamonn McCann - 1974
    The author was at the centre of events in Derry which first brought Northern Ireland to world attention. He witnessed the gradual transformation of the civil rights movement from a mild campaign for 'British Democracy' to an all-out military assault on the British state.

The Unknown Soldiers: African-American Troops in World War I


Arthur E. Barbeau - 1974
    The irony was made more bitter as black troops struggled with the racist policies of the American military itself. The overwhelming majority were assigned to labor companies; those selected for combat were under-trained, poorly equipped, ad commanded by white officers who insisted on black inferiority. Still, African Americans performed admirably under fire: the 369th Infantry regiment was in continuous combat loner than any other American unit, and was the first Allied regiment to cross the Rhine in the offensive against Germany.The Unknown Soldiers, the only full-scale examination of the subject, chronicles the rigid segregation; the limited opportunities for advancement; the inadequate training, food, medical attention, housing, and clothing; the verbal harassment and physical abuse, including lynchings; the ingratitude, unemployment, and unprecedented racial violence that greeted their return. The Unknown Soldiers is an unforgettable, searing study of those wartime experiences that forced African Americans to realize that equality and justice could never be earned in Jim Crow America, but only wrested from its strangling grip.

The Life of Captain James Cook


John C. Beaglehole - 1974
    Professor J.C. Beaglehole, the leading authority on Pacific exploration, devoted himself for many years to the editing of Cook's copious Journals, a monument of scholarship in four massive volumes, and the Journal of Josepph Banks who accompanied Cook in the Endeavor. The Journals completed, Beaglehole turn to writing as the crown of his life's work this biography of Cook, which was completed but for a final checking when he died.This is not merely a chronological account of events in Cook's life but a deeply revealing study of the growth of a complex character, stubborn and passionate yet patient and judicious, seen in his actions as an unrivalled navigator and explorer and as a commander of men. Those who influenced Cook from childhood up, and those who sailed with him on his voyages, are as clearly and surely drawn as the man himself. The author's first-hand knowledge of the Pacific Islands and the coasts of New Zealand and Australia give a warmth and actuality to the narrative, while his impeccable scholarship and skill in handling the mass of documentary material, his wit, and his elegant literary style, confirm the expectration that this is one of the great historical biographies.

Class Struggles in the U.S.S.R. First Period: 1917-1923


Charles Bettelheim - 1974
    

The Army Of Frederick The Great


Christopher Duffy - 1974
    It was praised for introducing a revolution in the art of war and notorious for the brutality of its discipline, but how did this army really work? This is a study of the greatest army of its time by the finest historian of the wars of the 18th Century. The Prussian military machine is analyzed in detail, from top to bottom, from the mentality of the Junkers who led it to the way the men were clothed. The tactics, the recruitment, the finances of the military are laid bare. This is much more than a technical study, as we see how these regiments stood up to the test of the bloody battles of the Seven Years War and the long years of virtual imprisonment in barracks. The image of a formidable army forged by fear rather than leadership proves to be only partly true, but the tribulations of serving a hard taskmaster like Frederick the Great are well described by soldiers and observers of all ranks. The classic study of one of history's most famous armies has been heavily revised and updated through twenty more years of research and consideration. Now we can see the rise of the cavalry from the ridiculous to the superb, the once invincible infantry bleed white, and the light forces change from being negligible to being the terror of their enemies. A great army is made flesh and blood.

Evidence in Camera: The Story of Photographic Intelligence in the Second World War


Constance Babington Smith - 1974
    an important addition to the history of those times... here is a book to read and enjoy. The Sunday Times Constance Babington Smith, who worked during the war with the Allied Central Interpretation Unit, tells the story of the men and women who pioneered and fostered photographic intelligence, and of the work they did.

Churchill Speaks: Collected Speeches in Peace and War, 1897-1963


Winston S. Churchill - 1974
    

The Tide at Sunrise: A History of the Russo-Japanese War, 1904-05


Denis Ashton Warner - 1974
    It was the first war to be fought with modern weapons.The Japanese had fought the Chinese at sea in 1894 and had gained a foothold in Manchuria by taking control of Port Authur. In 1895, however, Japan was forced to abandon its claims by the Russian fleet's presence in the Straits of Tsushima. Tsar Nicholas had obtained a window to the East for his empire and Japan had been humiliated. Tensions between the two countries would rise inexorably over the next decade.Around the world, no one doubted that little Japan would be no match for the mighty armies of Tsar Nicholas II. Yet Russia was in an advanced state of decay, the government corrupt and its troops inept and demoralized. Japan, meanwhile, was emerging from centuries of feudal isolation and becoming an industrial power, led by zealous nationalist warlords keen to lead the Orient to victory over the oppressive West. From the opening surprise attack on the Russian fleet at Port Authur in 1904, the Japanese out-fought and out-thought the Russians.This is a definitive account of one of the pivotal conflicts of the twentieth century whose impact was felt around the world.

Scribes and Scholars: A Guide to the Transmission of Greek and Latin Literature


L.D. Reynolds - 1974
    A note on how to interpret the information given in an apparatus criticus is also included.

Venice: The Hinge of Europe, 1081-1797


William H. McNeill - 1974
    McNeill chronicles the interactions and disputes between Latin Christians and the Orthodox communities of eastern Europe during the period 1081–1797. Concentrating on Venice as the hinge of European history in the late medieval and early modern period, McNeill explores the technological, economic, and political bases of Venetian power and wealth, and the city’s unique status at the frontier between the papal and Orthodox Christian worlds. He pays particular attention to Venetian influence upon southeastern Europe, and from such an angle of vision, the familiar pattern of European history changes shape.“No other historian would have been capable of writing a book as direct, as well-informed and as little weighed down by purple prose as this one. Or as impartial. McNeill has succeeded admirably.”—Fernand Braudel, Times Literary Supplement“The book is serious, interesting, occasionally compelling, and always suggestive.”—Stanley Chojnacki, American Historical Review

Hunters from the Sky


Charles Whiting - 1974
    Referred to as “Hunters from the Sky”, German paratroopers infiltrated Allied lines, fighting from the moment they hit the ground, seizing bridges, capturing airfields, and suffering losses of up to 50 percent. Here is the first full-scale history of the German Parachute Corps, from the terror and exhilaration of its first combat drop in 1940 to its bloody demise in 1945. Charles Whiting’s brilliantly-researched book describes the important role of the parachute division in the attack on Belgium and Holland in 1940, the capture of Crete in 1941, the rescue of Mussolini in 1943, and its activities in Russia, Italy, and France trying to stop the advancing Allied armies during 1944 and 1945. Whiting recounts many stories of courage, including the tenacious defence of Monte Cassino and Brest in 1944, and the bold rescue of German POWs behind enemy lines in France. “Fair, balanced, and exciting.” — Luftwaffe General Kurt Student, pioneering commander of the world’s first airborne division “As good an account as anyone will find.” — Soldier magazine “Whiting adds a rarely written-about dimension to the body of material available on World War II. He presents a vivid, factual account of Nazi airborne tactics that should fascinate any armchair military strategist, former paratrooper, weekend parachutist, or lover of adventure stories.” — Publishers Weekly Charles Whiting is the author of numerous history books on the Second World War. Under the pen name of Leo Kessler he also wrote a series of bestselling military thrillers, including ‘Guns at Cassino’ and ‘Valley of the Assassins’. Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent digital publisher. For more information on our titles please sign up to our newsletter at www.endeavourpress.com. Each week you will receive updates on free and discounted ebooks. Follow us on Twitter: @EndeavourPress and on Facebook via http://on.fb.me/1HweQV7. We are always interested in hearing from our readers. Endeavour Press believes that the future is now.

The English Civil War: A Concise History


Maurice Percy Ashley - 1974
    The population was split down the middle. While many peers and gentry took the side of the King, others equally supported the leaders of Parliament, so families and friends were painfully divided in their loyalties. The final defeat, trial and execution of King Charles I shock the monarchies throughout Europe but left them deeply impressed by the victories of Oliver Cromwell and by his seizure of power as Lord Protector.

The Last Secret: The Delivery to Stalin of Over Two Million Russians by Britain & the United States


Nicholas Bethell - 1974
    

The Political Thought of William Ockham


Arthur Stephen McGrade - 1974
    1285-1349), was one of the most important thinkers of the later middle ages. Summoned to Avignon in 1324 to answer charges of heresy, Ockham became convinced that Pope John XXII was himself a heretic in denying the complete poverty of Christ and the apostles and a tyrant in claiming supremacy over the Roman empire. Ockham's political writings were a result of these personal convictions, but also include systematic discourses on the basis and functions of spiritual and secular power as well as exhaustive discussions of Franciscan poverty and the general problem of papal heresy. Ockham emerges in this study as a man deeply committed to natural and Christian human rights, who found these fundamental values so seriously menaced in his time that their survival could be assured only by radical, even revolutionary, personal action and by a basic reworking of traditional political thought.

The Vatican in the Age of the Dictators, 1922-1945


Anthony Rhodes - 1974
    

Rome before Avignon: A Social History of Thirteenth-Century Rome


Robert Brentano - 1974
    From a detailed re-creation of the physical "town" with its series of brick campanili and green and purple mosaic floors, to the intrigues of the great families, like the Orsini and Colonna, the reader is guided through complex and fascinating culture. Brentano's skill lies in his ability to combine the story of the vaulting ambition of the great families, only mildly tempered by their very real religious piety, with a vivid reconstruction of everyday life in postclassical Rome.

About Russia


Henri Cartier-Bresson - 1974
    The book shows scenes taken in Leningrad, Moscow, Russian Soviet Socialist Republics, the Baltic countries, the Caucasus, and Central Asia.

The History of the German Resistance, 1933-1945


Peter Hoffmann - 1974
    This edition includes a new preface and an updated bibliography.Index:The background --The Sudenten crisis and the attempted coup of 1938 --Plans for a coup 1939-1940 --Internal political plans --Contacts withe the enemy 1940-1944 --Assassination attempts 1933-1942 --Tresckow and army group centre --Stauffenberg and the replacement army --20 July 1944 --Wreck of the opposition.