Kings, Nobles and Commoners takes head-on the leading questions in the history of early modern Europe--questions vital for an understanding of the period, and now at the top of the history agenda for academics, students and general readers. Was religion the badge of identity and inspiration for the state? What was the nature of the state? Did Protestantism lead to political and economic progress and Catholicism to absolutism, decadence and extinction? Jeremy Black's revisionist history shows that while ""bourgeois"" Protestant states like the Netherlands and Britain prospered and, in...

In Britain since the Seventies, well-known historian Jeremy Black examines the most recent developments in British political, social, cultural and economic history. Taking the triumph of consumerism as an organizing theme, he charts the rise and fall of the Conservative Party, developments in British society, culture and politics, environmental issues, questions of identity, and changes in economic circumstance and direction. Iconic issues such as BSE, transport, asylum seekers and the NHS are viewed from both national and international perspectives.
Black s account of contemporary...

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.

In order to reach a balanced assessment of the evidence, historians must engage with all of the debate. The British Economy since 1945 introduces the reader to economic and quantitative analysis, tools vital for a deeper understanding of the subject.

In this new, introductory and up-to-date text on British economic policy and performance from 1945 to the present day, Roger Middleton makes a balanced assessment of the questions that dominate both the historical and the contemporary political debate. He dispels many of the myths and misunderstandings about Britain's 'decline' and...

This book offers an account of the life of one of the greatest statesmen of empire, William Pitt the Elder.

In this concise history of war, Jeremy Black ranges widely, giving due attention to non-western as well as western traditions. The history of war is inextricably bound to the history of the world. Through a detailed exploration of 'world-scale' issues of warfare, presented within a chronological framework that spans human history, Jeremy Black skilfully illustrates this fact whilst providing the reader with other astute insights and compelling interpretations of war.

War: A Short History is a dramatic move away from the formulaic, western approach to military history. Too narrow in...