Libros de Historia de los países de Europa, página 19 de 113

Entre la toma de la Bastilla y el Congreso de Viena nació la época que hemos dado en lllamar contemporánea. Francia fue el escenario principal de esa crisis de crecimiento histórico, y Napoleón su actor protagonista, el hombre fuerte que dirigio los destinos de Europa y puso las bases de la sociedad de clases entre la revolucion y la contrarrevolucion. Dos protagonistas destacan junto a Napoleon: Charles-Maurice, principe de Talleyrand, su mano derecha en el Exterior, personificacion de la Diplomacia, y Joseph Fouche, duque de Otranto, su mano izquierda en el Interior, el inventor del espionaje moderno. Ambos fueron supervivientes que supieron alcanzar el poder y conservarlo contra viento y marea, el uno con las armas de la seduccion, el ingenio y el encanto, y el otro con la del temor, el secreto y la inquisicion policial. Del contraste de puntos de vista entre estas tres grandes inteligencias surge una vision reveladora de un tiempo crucial de la historia.

La primera guerra mundial trae a la conciencia de los pueblos europeos el hecho de que la sociedad está cambiando. Este descubrimiento provoca una oleada de idealismo y grandes expectativas sobre la posibilidad de crear una sociedad mas racional. Por ello mismo el malestar social crece rapidamente, ya que tales esperanzas no se cumplen. Cuando todos confian en entrar en una etapa de estabilidad y prosperidad, Europa se ve golpeada por una crisis economica sin precedentes, que no solo afecta a los paises industriales sino tambien a la Europa oriental, al privarla de su principal comprador de productos agricolas. El resurgir de la cuestion nacional, con los deseos de autonomia y reconocimiento de la personalidad cultural de todos los pueblos, concluye dramaticamente con una oleada de expansionismo dentro de la misma Europa, que, si en parte es fruto de los tratados de paz, va a crear una situacion de conflictos nacionales desconocida hasta entonces. Las ilusiones despertadas por el nacimiento de la Sociedad de Naciones se saldan con su naufragio y el estallido de la segunda guerra mundial. La Europa de Briand y de Weimar se transforma asi en la Europa Hitler y Stalin, de Franco y Mussolini.

Esta Historia universal SIGLO XXI, preparada y editada inicialmente por Fischer Verlag (Alemania), sigue un nuevo concepto: exponer la totalidad de los acontecimientos del mundo, dar todo su valor a la historia de los países y pueblos de Asia, África y América. Resalta la cultura y la economía como fuerzas que condicionan la historia. Saca a la luz el despertar de la humanidad a su propia conciencia. En la Historia universal SIGLO XXI han contribuido ochenta destacados especialistas de todo el mundo. Consta de 36 volúmenes, cada uno de ellos independiente, y abarca desde la prehistoria hasta la actualidad.

Ever since the Ratcliffe Highway Murders caused a nation-wide panic in Regency England, the British have taken an almost ghoulish pleasure in 'a good murder'. This fascination helped create a whole new world of entertainment, inspiring novels, plays and films, puppet shows, paintings and true-crime journalism - as well as an army of fictional detectives who still enthrall us today. A Very British Murder is Lucy Worsley's captivating account of this curious national obsession. It is a tale of dark deeds and guilty pleasures, a riveting investigation into the British soul by one of our finest historians.

La DGSE – Direction générale de la Sécurité extérieure – est l’un des seuls services de renseignement au monde à recourir de manière intensive à la clandestinité. Son but : la défense des intérêts de

L'Inquisition, un tribunal parmi d'autres, le Saint-Office, enfin replacé dans l'ensemble des institutions judiciaires ; une remise en contexte qui révèle sa véritable originalité et détruit bien des

In "Empires of the Sea "and" City of Fortune, New York Times" bestselling author Roger Crowley established himself as our generation s preeminent historian of the great European seafaring empires, and the go-to author for post-Crusade clashes of East and West. Now, in "Conquerors, " Crowley gives us the epic story of the emergence of Portugal, a small, poor nation that enjoyed a century of maritime supremacy thanks to the daring and navigational skill of its explorers a tactical advantage no other country could match. Portugal s discovery of a sea route to India, campaign of imperial conquest over Muslim rulers, and domination of the spice trade would forever disrupt the Mediterranean and build the first global economy. Crowley relies on letters and eyewitness testimony to tell the story of tiny Portugal s rapid and breathtaking rise to power. "Conquerors" reveals the Imperio Portugues in all of its splendor and ferocity, bringing to life the personalities of the enterprising and fanatical house of Aviz. Figures such as King Manuel the Fortunate, Joao II the Perfect Prince, marauding governor Afonso de Albuquerque, and explorer Vasco da Gama juggled their private ambitions and the public aims of the empire, often suffering astonishing losses in pursuit of a global fortune. Also central to the story of Portugal s ascent was its drive to eradicate Islamic culture and establish a Christian empire in the Indian Ocean. Portuguese explorers pushed deep into the African continent in search of the mythical Christian king Prester John, and they ruthlessly besieged Indian port cities in their attempts to monopolize trade. The discovery of a route to India around the horn of Africa was not only a brilliant breakthrough in navigation but heralded a complete upset of the world order. For the next century, no European empire was more ambitious, no rulers more rapacious than the kings of Portugal. In the process they created the first long-range maritime empire and set in motion the forces of globalization that now shape our world. At Crowley s hand, the complete story of the Portuguese empire and the human cost of its ambition can finally be told. Praise for "Conquerors" Excellent . . . Crowley s interpretations are nuanced and fair

El objetivo de este libro es ofrecer al lector medio español y al americano de habla española, un instrumento para acercarse al pasado histórico de Portugal, aportándole una visión de las líneas generales del proceso que como pueblo han recorrido los portugueses.

El autor resalta el optimismo que impregna la sociedad del siglo XVI, y que se refleja, más allá del esplendor cultural y del arte, en la denominada «recuperación» demográfica. Al análisis de los fac

A world of riches and glamour, but also tragedy, abuse and disease, this book looks at how this influenced building and the arts in London.

In the eighteenth century, the palace's most elegant assembly room was in fact a bloody battlefield. This was a world of skulduggery, politicking, wigs and beauty-spots, where fans whistled open like flick-knives...Ambitious and talented people flocked to court of George II and Queen Caroline in search of power and prestige, but Kensington Palace was also a gilded cage. Successful courtiers needed level heads and cold hearts; their secrets were never safe. Among them, a Vice Chamberlain with many vices, a Maid of Honour with a secret marriage, a pushy painter, an alcoholic equerry, a Wild Boy, a penniless poet, a dwarf comedian, two mysterious turbaned Turks and any number of discarded royal mistresses.

In this brilliant new work, Amanda Vickery unlocks the homes of Georgian England to examine the lives of the people who lived there. Writing with her customary wit and verve, she introduces us to men and women from all walks of life: gentlewoman Anne Dormer in her stately Oxfordshire mansion, bachelor clerk and future novelist Anthony Trollope in his dreary London lodgings, genteel spinsters keeping up appearances in two rooms with yellow wallpaper, servants with only a locking box to call their own.Vickery makes ingenious use of upholsterers ledgers, burglary trials, and other unusual sources to reveal the roles of house and home in economic survival, social success, and political representation during the long eighteenth century. Through the spread of formal visiting, the proliferation of affordable ornamental furnishings, the commercial celebration of feminine artistry at home, and the currency of the language of taste, even modest homes turned into arenas of social campaign and exhibition.