This collection of essays does not perceive the impressive economic and political stability of the postwar era as a quasi-natural return to previous patterns of societal development. It approaches this stability as an attempt to establish "normality" upon the lingering memories of experiencing violence on an unprecedented scale. While the history of post-war Germany looms large in this collection, the essays cover countries across Western and Central Europe. They offer comparative perspectives and draw upon a wide range of primary and secondary source material.

Can Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany be compared? This collaborative volume explores the parallels and contrasts between the two regimes. Its ten essays examine the rise of the Fascist and Nazi movements; the relation of the regimes to workers, women, and war; and how the regimes may be viewed in a long-term perspective. The essays take stock of recent research, advance fresh theories about the histories of Nazism and Fascism, and provide a basis for informed comparison of two regimes central to twentieth-century history.

The Second World War was the defining event of the twentieth century, leaving millions dead and redrawing the political map in ways that continue to affect nearly the entire human race. What was unprecedented, however, was not simply the war s scale, but its causes. Unlike previous territorial or political clashes, the war launched by Nazi Germany was an ideological one, waged to wipe entire peoples and cultures from the face of the earth.
In Nazism and War, Richard Bessel, one of the preeminent authorities on the social and political history of modern Germany, demonstrates how...

"Fascinating....Bessel does an excellent job of evoking the blasted landscape of a conquered Germany."

--The New Yorker

"A sober yet powerful account."
--New York Times Book Review

Authoritative and dramatic, Germany 1945 by distinguished British historian Richard Bessel is groundbreaking history that brilliantly explores the devastation and remarkable rebirth of Germany at the end of World War II. Called "a masterly account by a first rate historian," by Ian Kershaw (Hitler), Germany 1945 is sure to become the...

Can Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany be compared? This collaborative volume explores the parallels and contrasts between the two regimes. Its ten essays examine the rise of the Fascist and Nazi movements; the relation of the regimes to workers, women, and war; and how the regimes may be viewed in a long-term perspective. The essays take stock of recent research, advance fresh theories about the histories of Nazism and Fascism, and provide a basis for informed comparison of two regimes central to twentieth-century history.

The imperial warfare of the period 1770-1830, including the American wars of independence and the Napoleonic wars, affected every continent. Covering southern India, the Caribbean, North and South America, and southern Africa, this volume explores the impact of revolutionary wars and how people's identities were shaped by their experiences.

The imperial warfare of the period 1770-1830, including the American wars of independence and the Napoleonic wars, affected every continent. Covering southern India, the Caribbean, North and South America, and southern Africa, this volume explores the impact of revolutionary wars and how people's identities were shaped by their experiences.