Encyclopedia of European Social History

Encyclopedia of European Social History
Peter N. Stearns | 2000-12-20 00:00:00 | Charles Scribners & Sons | 3000 | Europe

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Trithemius and Magical Theology: A Chapter in the Controversy over Occult Studies in Early Modern Europe (SUNY Series in Western Esoteric Traditions)

Trithemius and Magical Theology: A Chapter in the Controversy over Occult Studies in Early Modern Europe (SUNY Series in Western Esoteric Traditions)
Noel L. Brann | 1998-11-05 00:00:00 | State University of New York Press | 382 | Europe
Reviews
This is a very useful, exciting and informative text for those interested in the philosophy and theology behind Renaissance Magic. Mentor to Agrippa, pioneer of cryptography, Trithemius is one of the most important (and well-placed in Church history) yet difficult to understand of the great Renaissance writers on magic, and this book provides a detailed but readable introduction to his views on the subject. Especially important for providing insight into how to understand Trithemius' serious and sincere piety in the context of his occult leanings, this book provides much fascinating food for thought to those of us in religious studies who want to understand the theology of a magician. It is also an excellent source of information for curious mystics or occultists who wish to understand the Christian background to contemporary ceremonial magic.



No library or bookshelf on Renaissance Magic or Western Esotericism should be without this book, as it provides key theoretical ground (as well as content) for future studies.

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The Liberation Movement in Russia 19001905 (Cambridge Russian, Soviet and Post-Soviet Studies)

The Liberation Movement in Russia 19001905 (Cambridge Russian, Soviet and Post-Soviet Studies)
Shmuel Galai | 1973-01-25 00:00:00 | Cambridge University Press | 335 | Europe
Historians of the Russian Revolution naturally tend to concentrate their attention upon the Bolshevik 'victors' and on the Mensheyiks - ideologically the closest of their rivals, - and to neglect other political movements. For the Russian Liberals at least, Dr Galai redresses this imbalance. This book traces the nineteenth-century origins of the Liberation Movement (also known as the Liberal Movement), the social and historical conditions which led to its formation in the first years of the twentieth century, its policies, influence, initial success and ultimate failure. Against the background of the political and social crisis culminating in the 1905 Revolution, Dr Galai traces the stages by which the Liberation Movement became supreme among the forces of opposition but ultimately was defeated and disintegrated. It failed to fulfil its aim of replacing Tsarist autocracy by a constitutional-democratic regime and to demonstrate effectively that there was an alternative to the extremes of Tsarism and Bolshevism.

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Warfare and Society in Europe, 1792-1914 (Warfare and History)

Warfare and Society in Europe, 1792-1914 (Warfare and History)
GEOFFREY WAWRO | 2000-02-08 00:00:00 | Routledge | 256 | Europe
Traces war in Europe from the aftermath of the French Revolution to the eve of the First World War. Treating warfare as much wider than simply the product of military planning and technology, but a reflection of society itself, Wawro includes discussion of:

-The Napoleonic Wars and the Battle of Waterloo
-Napoleon III and the militarization of Europe
-The Franco-Prussian War, 1870-71
-New technologies and weapons
-Seapower and naval warfare
-The outbreak of the First World War

Combining original work on Bismarck's Wars, Austria-Hungary and Italy, with the latest writing on European armies and navies in the modern period, this book details the evolution of land and naval warfare and highlights the swirling interplay of society, politics and military decision-making.
Reviews
This excellent book published in 2000 is an up-to-date, chronological discussion on the evolution of warfare on land and sea in the momentous century that witnessed the peak of Europe's domination of the World. It takes us from 1792 with the start of the French Revolutionary Wars to the outbreak of WWI in 1914. It does not present that subject dryly, only as a specialized topic, but inserts it masterfully within its broader cultural context and shows the mutual influence of changes in the way war was fought and the developments on the political, social and technological levels.



Important subjects covered are :

-The Napoleonic Wars and the Battle of Waterloo

-The Restoration period and the new wave of revolutions (1815-49)

-Napoleon III and the militarization of Europe (1848-66)

-The rise of Prussia and Italy (1861-66)

-The Franco-Prussian War (1870-71)

-New weapons and the new imperialism (1877-1905)

-The developments in seapower and naval warfare (1890-1914)

-The European arms race from 1911 to 1914

-The outbreak of the First World War in 1914



This was a fascinating period in military history and more generally in European history and this book really stands out in quality because of its broad scope and penetrating insights. It is extremely informative in that it is fairly concise (225 pages) yet always gets the important points right. Drawing from an extensive bibliography of the most recent and advanced historical research, it really puts together the pieces of a(rather complex)puzzle. The style is fluid and "to the point". It would be hard to write a better synthesis to find one's way in such a huge subject where literature is (too) plentiful and of (very) variable quality. It can serve as an introduction to the novice in the field but will also satisfy and enrich the more experienced reader.

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