Najnovšie - Encyklopédie populárno-náučné - História strana 8 z 161

A groundbreaking history of modern Britain that puts the experiences of disabled people to the fore for the first time. 'A timely and enjoyable untold history' PHILIPPA GREGORY, author of Normal Women'A rare feat of a book: so many extraordinary stories, so many lost names, brought to light' RAYMOND ANTROBUS, author of The PerseveranceDespite there being more than 16 million disabled people in the UK today, disability rarely features in mainstream accounts of our past. That absence is not down to lack of evidence: it is a forgotten, suppressed history – the result of deliberate choices about whose histories matter. This remarkable book rectifies this. Disability is a story of resistance and ingenuity, full of people who refused to be silenced or pitied. We meet the labourer who fights accusations in court that he’s faking his disability, and wins; the painter who signs her royalty miniatures ‘without hands’; and the one-armed textile worker who turned his injury into reform. We see how disabled people have rallied together to demand equality – fighting for their right to lead ordinary lives like everybody else. This is a story not of progress led by doctors or philanthropists, but an extraordinary ground-up history of ordinary people demanding dignity and justice. By putting disabled people back into our national story, David Turner reveals a fuller and richer history of modern Britain than ever before. 'Gripping, profound and important' GABRIEL WESTON, author of Alive'A lively, sensitive history' GAVIN FRANCIS, author of Recovery'Truly fantastic' GRACE SPENCE GREEN, author of To Exist As I Am

'A thrilling story, wonderfully told by one of the great historians' KEN FOLLETT'Dazzling... This is biography of great brilliance and rare resonance' WILLIAM DALRYMPLE'A pulsating, vivid life of a true historical titan' DAN JONES'A splendid book, lively, erudite... where myth and heroism meet' RORY STEWARTA stunningly written new biography of Alexander the Great, based on a series of important new discoveries and the author’s own translations of source material from twelve ancient languages. In 336 BCE, at the age of twenty, Alexander, a wide-eyed boy from the hills of Macedon, inherited a tumbledown kingdom, a pile of debts and an army which answered to nobody. Desperate to hold on to power, he led the army east, into the heart of the vast Persian Empire, and inadvertently began the greatest military campaign in history. The young man became a king, the king became a hero, the hero became a living god, and the god died aged thirty-two, broken-hearted in Babylon. For centuries, historians have told his story, yet Alexander has remained a mystery. But now, the ruins of his cities have emerged from the bottom of the sea and the dust of Central Asian hillsides. The diaries of Babylonian astronomers who knew him have been deciphered. The tombs of his ancestors have been unearthed. For the first time, instead of the legend, we can meet Alexander the man. Based on more than a decade of cutting-edge research, Alexander allows readers to feel the desert wind and experience the full horror of battle. Richardson’s research has taken him from the catacombs of Egypt to the passes of Afghanistan. Alexander is a cinematic work of non-fiction: a revelatory retelling of one of the most famous and elusive stories in history.

'This bracing tour d'horizon of the once and future world order, although aimed at the informed layman, is well worth reading . . . Simms has done much to rescue the reputation of geopolitical writing, often the preserve of the charlatan, the witless pundit and the video gamer. His newest work is no exception' THE TIMES'Timely . . . thought-provoking' FINANCIAL TIMES'Cuts through the noise to give the reader geopolitical clarity'TIM MARSHALL'Shines powerful light on the state of contemporary geopolitics . . . Profound'ANDREW ROBERTS'Wide-ranging and provocative'FIONA HILL'Simms is one of the most knowledgeable and formidable analysts of how the Great Powers will shape the new order'RANA MITTERFrom an acclaimed historian, a sweeping study of the past, present, and future of the Great Powers, revealing the new rules of global leadership. From the dawn of the modern era to the end of the Cold War, global history was defined by rivalries between great powers. In the West, this meant the struggle for supremacy in Europe and the Americas, while in the East, it encompassed those vying for control over the successor states to Genghis Khan's empire. Between 1989 and the year 2000, great power rivalry temporarily gave way to globalization, with liberal democracy on the march and national chauvinism seemingly in retreat. But events of the past decade have made one thing abundantly clear: the great powers are back. In The Return of the Great Powers, renowned historian Brendan Simms offers a new history of the rise, fall, and return of the Great Powers in our time. He shows that over the past ten years or so, the major global actors have already resumed making decisions based on geopolitical rather than global economic considerations. Delivering a clear-eyed reckoning with today's most pressing geopolitical issues, from the Ukraine war to the future of American dominance, The Return of the Great Powers insists that we can only understand the future of the great powers by looking to the history that forged them.

Former tank commander Hamish de Bretton-Gordon OBE offers a gripping and unique account of the evolution of tank warfare, in collaboration with The Tank Museum. 'This deep dive into the evolution of tank warfare could not be timelier, and Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, who has more experience than most on these machines, is the perfect person to tell their tale' James Holland'Tank Command is an exciting and original look at tanks and tank warfare by a tank commander with over twenty years experience of commanding and fighting these behemoths of the battlefield' Al MurrayWho would have thought that steel boxes with guns would endure as the stalwart of the battlefield for over a hundred years? For all the new trickery and wizardry of the modern fight, the tank's ability to pack a huge punch at up to 3000 metres, protected by steel, ceramics and now, electronics, is still the most reliable and durable weapon in the military toolbox. In this thrilling new book, former tank commander Hamish de Bretton-Gordon OBE offers a unique and timely exploration of the evolution of the tank, on and off the battlefield. Written in close collaboration with the world-renowned Tank Museum, it brings the thrill of hardware together with the sweep of history, telling the tank's origin story on the battlefields of World War I, charting its primacy during World War II, and analysing its critical role in modern warfare, whether in the Gulf (where Hamish served) or on the new Ukrainian and Russian front lines. From the MARK IV at the battle of Cambrai to the Challenger 2 in Ukraine, discover the characters who sat at the helm of these iron chariots and what they saw, those who innovated the machine to continue the tank's prominence despite numerous attempts to write it off, and why it remain critical to success in battle even in today's era of drones and cyber warfare. With thousands of hours commanding Chieftains, Challenger 1s, and Challenger 2s, Hamish is the leading authority on the subject, and Tank Command is an essential addition to any military history reader's bookshelf. 'This review of tank warfare by an accomplished exponent is timely given the increased risks of high intensity conflict and the need to equip our Army effectively' General Sir Nick Carter, former Chief of the Defence Staff'I fought with Hamish in a tank squadron in the First Gulf War, and gauge there are few better people to explain the evolution of the tank from Cambrai to the Donbass' General Sir Richard Shirreff, Deputy Commander of NATO'With the world seemingly on the precipice of war again, Tank Command is a timely reminder of the heritage and future of the tank which has been the backbone of warfare for over a hundred years' Rt Hon Sir Andrew Mitchell MP, former DFID Minister and ex Royal Tank Regiment'A great read and confirmation that the evolution of the tank is not over' General Sir James Everard Colonel, Commandant of the Royal Lancers

Hidden Figures meets The Imitation Game in this never-before-told true story of the segregated Black code breakers who helped America win the Cold War, set amid the civil rights movement. This is the shocking true story of the Black American codebreaking unit whose top-secret work led directly to the end of the Cold War. Facing the global threat of a rising Communist world power in the aftermath of World War II, the US employed hundreds of Black Americans to speed read Russian communications and gather essential information on the US's most dangerous nuclear rival. The result was the creation of a segregated civilian codebreaking unit known as the Traffic Processing Division - The Plantation. Despite wage discrimination, gruelling hours and harsh conditions, the Plantation's 100 college-educated Black women made invaluable breakthroughs in United States' Soviet intelligence, even as the backlash against civil rights eroded their democratic freedoms at home. Sarah Valentine tells their remarkable story in full for the first time. Paying long overdue tribute to these little-known Black cryptologists' critical contributions to national security during the civil rights era and the Cold War. 'With relentless research and electric storytelling, Sarah Valentine restores the erased Black cryptologists who powered U.S. codebreaking from WWII through the Korean War. Urgent, revelatory, and impossible to ignore, Decoding the Devil unveils both the uncomfortable truths and the inspiring histories that form the foundation of our intelligence community' - Nathalia Holt, New York Times bestselling author of Rise of the Rocket Girls and Wise Gals'A thought-provoking exploration of the lives and work of the largely forgotten, undervalued, and little-acknowledged Black (and mostly female) cryptologists who contributed to this nation's intelligence success during World War II and the early Cold War. These contributions were made despite physically uncomfortable and segregated workspaces and assignments far below their education and capabilities. Sarah Valentine tells a fascinating tale, deftly weaving the cryptologic work into the social and political constraints of the times' - Betsy Rohaly Smoot, author of Parker Hitt: The Father of American Military Cryptology'This book shows us the seams and man-making of a patriotic narrative usually sold to us as divine. Like Zora Neal Hurston loves us, Sarah Valentine loves us enough to tell the truth about our humanity inside of purposefully inhumane American institutions' - Steven Dunn, author of Water & Power

At the heart of Africulture is an aspect of history that will surprise, challenge, and enrich: the fact that without African expertise and innovation, American agriculture and America itself would not exist. This book is an eclectic brew of history, culture, African-centered perspectives, and African American farm realities; inspiring stories of innovators such as Henry Blair and Dr. George Washington Carver; and sobering facts such as the severe decline in Black farmers over the last century. Descriptions of tropical crops, from cotton to Nigerian spinach, that author Michael Carter, Jr. grows on his fifth-generation family farm in Virginia enliven the text, as will anecdotes from his compelling family history and sidebars on contemporary Black chefs and farmers. The life cycle of a plant is used as a metaphor for both individual growth and the larger story of African American farming. The author also evokes the relationship between soil health (metaphorically, society and community) and plant health (i.e., the ability of Black farmers and families to thrive). Africulture practices include no-till methods, organic growing, solarization, limited outside inputs, climate-smart practices, and regenerative agriculture. Woven into the narrative as well are Africulture principles including: As Above, So Below; ecological balance; stewardship; holistic value; preparation for seven generations; and cooperative economics.

Uncovers the untold story of LGBT activists in the American South as they navigated faith and politicsFor more than forty years, historians have researched the formation of gay communities and activism in the United States. Yet, the vast majority of scholarship on gay activism in the United States focuses on liberal urban areas like San Francisco, New York City, and Chicago, as opposed to conservative regions. In The Dallas Way, M. Rhys Dotson examines the development and impact of Dallas's queer community throughout the twentieth century. The book explores the unique challenges and values that impacted queer residents' experiences in conservative regions, from the interplay of traditional family structures, to religious values, and skepticism of rapid social change. Responding to these circumstances, Dotson highlights how early gay activists adopted a nuanced form of activism that both challenged and aligned with their city's conservative values, forging a distinctive path to equality through their own "Dallas Way." Moreover, the book illustrates how activists utilized strategies that complemented existing social and political structures in Dallas to further their advocacy for collective equality. From the formation of the state's first homophile organization, the Circle of Friends, in 1966, to the establishments of a gay-affirming church and the Dallas Gay Political Caucus in the 1970s, the book showcases the way Dallas' queer activism used religious communities and political activism to foster community and circumvent law enforcement raids. Offering a fresh perspective on the history of LGBT activism in the United States, The Dallas Way displays the unique strategies Southern gay activists leveraged to effect meaningful change and equality in Dallas.

Beginning in the colonial era and growing through the American Revolution and the Southern plantation system, slaveholders’ violent police regime continued after Emancipation, through Reconstruction, to today. Moving across time, space, and place, White Power uncovers how slaveholders created their own white supremacist police and government to deny Black people rights, power, and humanity. Legal historian Gautham Rao introduces us to laws that empowered white people to forcibly exercise their desired racial superiority over Black people, shows how they spread from the South throughout the nation, and traces the rebellions, fugitivity, activism, and legal systems that challenged them. Rao’s narrative includes slaveholders, lawmakers, and the Ku Klux Klan, dramatic escapes by runaway enslaved people, abolitionist activism in courtroom showdowns, and pitched battles between white paramilitaries and enslaved rebels. He offers a new interpretation of the history of policing in the US, centering the institution and legacy of slavery and speaking to the origins of today’s persistence of white vigilance, white supremacist militia groups, and white racist cops determined to maintain power over Black people by force. Equally determined, however, was Black Americans’ refusal to accept it.

Tilton and Grace Entokah: An Osage Story offers an episodic history of the Osage Nation of Oklahoma as told through the life narratives of Anthony Lookout's great-grandparents Tilton and Grace Entokah. Anthony Lookout grew up hearing the stories of his relatives, including those of his great-grandfather Fred Lookout, who served as the principal chief of the Osage Nation in the early twentieth century. Anthony Lookout's father, Morris Lookout, methodically recorded the oral traditions and tribal stories of Osage elders and relatives on reel-to-reel tapes from 1965 to 1971. The recordings preserved generations of Osage history, religious practices, and cultural traditions reaching back to the mid-nineteenth century. To write this story of his family and Osage history, Anthony Lookout did additional research in archival collections, newspapers, and magazines and interviewed elders. From the perspective of a participant rather than an observer, Lookout tells the tribal history of the Osage Nation's removal from their Kansas homelands in 1865 and relocation to Oklahoma's Indian Territory from 1872 to the early 1940s. The heart of the story revolves around Lookout's great-grandmother Grace Entokah, who grew up as a traditional Osage woman, and adapted through traumatic and uncertain times, staying true to her Osage culture. She went from riding horses to riding in automobiles, eventually meeting the president of the United States. Lookout covers the family history of the Entokahs, the Allotment Act of 1906, Oklahoma statehood, the depredations of mining and oil companies on Osage lands, the establishment of tribal government and courts, Principal Chief Fred Lookout's journeys to Washington, DC, to meet top government leaders, as well as tribal stories of the infamous 1920s Osage murders and other key episodes in Osage history. Tilton and Grace Entokah is not only the story of the Entokahs but also an Osage history written from the collective memory of those on the Osage reservation.

The first and only book-length biography of William Moultrie Crescent Moon over Carolina examines the life of Major General William Moultrie (1730-1805) who is best remembered for his valiant defense of an unfinished log fort on Sullivan's Island at the entrance to Charleston harbor against a determined British naval attack on June 28, 1776. While the Continental Congress in Philadelphia considered a draft of the Declaration of Independence, Moultrie and his garrison of South Carolinians proved that untested, but courageous, American soldiers could stand firm and prevail against British might. C. L. Bragg combines a scholarly survey of lowcountry South Carolina culture, the American Revolution, and the early political history of the state and the United States. Bragg also brings to light primary sources that are published here for the first time—revealing documents that provide fresh insight into the political and cultural values of Moultrie and his fellow South Carolinians.

Speaking to a fractured country for the first time as president, Abraham Lincoln endorsed a constitutional amendment designed to permanently safeguard slavery in every state in which the institution already existed. If that proslavery provision had been ratified, it would have become the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Three years later, Lincoln again threw his support behind a constitutional amendment to address slavery: this time to abolish it. Formally ratified in 1865, this is the Thirteenth Amendment we know today. What happened in those intervening years that led Lincoln to switch from supporting a proslavery amendment to embracing the antislavery provision that ultimately became enshrined in the Constitution? Why did the Thirteenth Amendment of 1864–65 win out over that of 1861? Lincoln himself provided a key to understanding: "I claim not to have controlled events," he said, "but confess plainly that events have controlled me."In Emancipation War award-winning journalist Damon Root chronicles the great legal, political, and military struggle to amend the U.S. Constitution to outlaw slavery once and for all. It is the story of canny political tacticians and unyielding radicals; of famous orators and unsung pamphleteers; of liberty-minded Union officers and enslaved persons who liberated themselves by following the North Star to freedom, and who then, in some cases, donned uniforms and took up arms against their former enslavers. It was this wide-ranging movement against slavery—operating both inside and outside the halls of government power, fighting both on and off the battlefield—that made an antislavery constitutional amendment possible. Telling the story from both the top down and the bottom up, Emancipation War provides a gripping and revealing new history of the Thirteenth Amendment.

Serving not in uniforms or factories but in orchards, fields, and farms, the women and girls of Canada’s Women’s Land Army – the youngest of whom were known as “farmerettes” – planted, picked, and packed food that sustained the nation while men fought overseas. A Vacation for Victory brings this fascinating Second World War history to life. Blending creative nonfiction with archival letters, newspaper clippings, interviews, and her own grandmother’s recollections, Kelsey Lonie portrays the working lives of women who formed Canada’s farm front. Their stories and photographs reveal how they understood both their labour and their changing place in society. Unlike other Allied countries, Canada did not create a national land army; instead, provinces took the lead. Ontario recruited thousands of women, while British Columbia’s program faltered until prairie women, eager for new experiences elsewhere, signed up. Patriotic duty, however, is only part of Lonie’s narrative: wealthy landowners expanded orchards, leaving the hardest, dirtiest jobs to marginalized workers, thus exposing how racism and capitalism shaped wartime farming industries. Richly illustrated with photographs, postcards, and cultural ephemera, A Vacation for Victory offers powerful accounts of grit, inequity, and resilience, restoring women to the centre of Canada’s wartime effort.

July of 1331 saw the gathering of a most unusual army; its billets scattered across the modest ports of Yorkshire’s eastern coast. Its purpose, the invasion of Scotland and the overthrow of the yet inchoate line of Bruce kings. This was a task monumentally disproportionate in scale to the tiny army that sought to undertake it. It was a goal which they would ultimately fail to realise, though not before experiencing some spectacular successes and forever changing the balance of power within Scottish politics. The most notable of these triumphs were the Battle of Dupplin Moor, and the better-known Battle of Halidon Hill. Such unlikely victories lent credibility to their cause, igniting another decade of war. The army was mostly English, but its masters were the disinherited sons and grandsons of what had once been the flower of Scottish knighthood, an alliance of related Scottish nobles who had been exiled from Scotland for their ongoing refusal to accept Robert Bruce’s claim to the throne. While they eagerly courted the support of the current English king, Edward III, they were no mere ciphers or puppets – their fathers and grandfathers had been amongst the fiercest proponents of Scottish freedom and independence. Edward I of England had seized upon the succession crisis that followed the death of Alexander III to insinuate himself into the centre of Scottish politics and attempt to compel the Scottish nobility into acquiescing to his claims of overlordship. Yet the following war was shaped as much by the struggle between rival Scottish dynasties as it was the imperial ambitions of successive English kings. Running parallel to the war to refute English overlordship of Scotland was an internecine conflict in which disparate factions of the Scottish nobility vied with one another to secure the throne. Both the Bruce and the Comyn family, from whom the majority of the exiles were descended, danced back and forth across the line between loyalists and collaborators in their attempts to dominate Scottish politics. The Bruces and their allies eventually triumphed in this dual struggle, but it was a victory of family and faction rather than kingdom or nation. The return of these disinherited nobles and the war they unleashed eventually re-awakened English ambitions to annex Scotland, spiralling into the Second War of Independence. This book explores the history of the families that produced these exiles, as well as their conduct in both Wars of Independence, to gain a valuable new perspective on Scotland’s historical struggle for independence and uncover the truth of the, all but forgotten, civil war that did so much to define it.

Delve deep into the trees and find wonder in our UK woodlands. Step back from the pressures of everyday life and reconnect with nature and its mindful magic with this absorbing and engaging guide. Learn what you can see at different times of the year and recognise the stunning trees, flowers and plants, multi-hued birds and insects, and mysterious mammals that call these habitats home. Soon you will be marvelling at rutting deer, soaking up the view of beautiful bluebells, and entering the world of bumbling badgers and fantastic foxes, while also enjoying the rapturous sound of glorious birdsong. Press pause on your modern worries and go back to your ancestors’ roots by foraging for nuts and berries. Become aware of the signs that indicate one season transforming into another. Search for fairytale mushrooms and at the same time understand why they are essential to our environment. Discover the science, history and folklore associated with the oak, ash and birch. On your seasonal adventures through our enigmatic woodlands, be humbled by their importance to our interconnected ecosystem, and be inspired to protect these precious places for the betterment of the world. This accessible guide, with its attractive and original photos, will help you to build an everlasting bond with your local wildlife and woodlands, thus enriching your well-being and life.

The Gloucestershire Regiment is the most decorated in British Army history. During its 300-year history, the regiment bore more battle honours on its Colours than any other. From the deserts of North Africa to the jungles of Burma, this book will give an insight into each individual conflict, the people who fought them and the political context that made them happen. Exclusive access to 15,000 unique archival documents, including personal accounts, secret documents and private diaries gives this work an exclusivity that no other can match, providing readers with a deeper knowledge and understanding of the regiment’s history. Never heard before personal stories of exceptional bravery are uncovered, including Lieutenant Irrwin tearing down a 12ft high brick wall with his bare hands to attack the French at Toulouse, CSM Gallagher becoming a POW in both Nazi Germany and North Korea, and Captain Maunsell leading a team of sharpshooters in the Crimea. The book is written chronologically and is sectioned according to campaigns or relevant historical periods, and is a valuable reference for those wanting to learn about the history of the ‘Glorious Glosters’.

The world froze in horror as Russian forces crossed the frontline and struck out deeper into the heart of Ukraine. The roaring of the Russian fighter jet engines soared through the skies of Kharkiv, and Kyiv’s air raid sirens screeched across the city. Europe was in shock and the world waited for American President Joe Biden to declare war against Russia. However, Biden held back, and the Third World War was diverted. This was the closest incident the world had experienced in which a nuclear exchange was narrowly diverted since the dangerous days of the previous century. Nevertheless, it quickly became apparent that a new Cold War had begun. At the heart of the narrative is the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, which has become a catalyst for a broader global struggle between Russia and the West, reverberating across Africa, the Middle East, the Caucasus, and even the domestic terrain of America. The West’s evolving relationship with Russia, China, and Iran has sparked a new era of tension, confronting the reader with the increasingly complex and polarized international landscape. The author focuses on Russia’s sophisticated propaganda and disinformation campaign aimed at manipulating Western public opinion on support for Ukraine, as well as its impact on the 2024 American elections. In addition to geopolitical analysis, this book offers a sobering examination of how Russia has exploited the deepening ideological divide within Western societies. It dives into the fractures between the left and the right, revealing how these divisions are being weaponized by Russian media and online networks to undermine unity and sow discord in democracies. The book presents a clear-eyed assessment of the new Cold War – its ideologies, power plays, and global ramifications of the struggle for influence. Cold War II confronts readers with uncomfortable truths about the state of Western democracies, the fragility of international order, and the far-reaching consequences of global political conflicts. By revealing the interconnectedness of a number of ongoing wars, the author also highlights how they act as battlefronts in the broader Russo-West rivalries.

These startling memoirs offer a rare insight into the experiences of a prisoner of war within the brutal Russian camp system. The book begins with the capture of Austrian infantryman Wolfram ‘Wolfie’ Redler amid the chaos following the fall of Stalingrad. It recounts the forced march eastwards and his transportation to Siberia during the merciless Russian winter. Stricken with typhus, he somehow manages to survive this ‘death camp’. The story continues with his transfer to a labour camp, describing in harrowing detail the deprivations endured by Redler and his comrades. That he, or anyone, was able to survive is nothing short of a miracle. Brutality, starvation, disease, and hard labour took their toll on over ninety per cent of the troops who were captured in those first few months of 1943. Translated into English for the first time, this honest and unflinching account is a stark reminder of the cruelty of war. However, the great lesson of this book is not how we die, but how we live. Despite the suffering he witnessed and endured, ‘Wolfie’ remained a man who showed everyone around him what it truly means to live.

The debt of Ancient Greece to our own society has long been recognised. However, there is another side to the culture that bequeathed us such gifts as democracy, medicine, art and sports, one that does not glitter so much. Sex and Sexuality in Ancient Greece plunges headfirst into a society that holds very different values to our own, an alien world whose top God committed adultery whilst in the guise of a swan, where Spartan brides were dressed up as boys to consummate their marriage, doctors believed women were inside out men with wandering wombs that attacked their internal organs and Olympic athletes fought literally to the death for the chance to win a crown made of leaves. It’s time to ask the hard questions: were women really so devalued that they were locked up in their homes, was every man in ancient Athens homosexual and what’s with all the hardcore pornography on everyday crocker? ex and Sexuality in Ancient Greece seeks to answer these questions and many others, whilst trying not to flinch as it explores a topic that is both provoking and fascinating. You will never look at Ancient Greece in the same way again.

After defeating a coalition of Athens, Thebes, Persia, and other Greek city-states at the end of the Corinthian War in 387 BC, Sparta tyrannized all of Greece with nearly unchecked power. But her empire had been hollowed by the cost of generations of war and a most unfavourable trend in demographics: a sharp decline in Spartan soldiers and citizens. With Sparta's infirmity came a desperately tighter grip on Greece. And Sparta’s renowned king, Agesilaus II, held a special hatred for Thebes. After conquering the city in 382 BC, Sparta dismantled Thebes and intended to permanently eliminate their Theban problem. Thebes, though, was stubbornly resilient in the face of Sparta’s cruelty and not only survived Spartan occupation, but soon overthrew Sparta and aimed to shatter her empire. Against the odds, Thebes succeeded. Her victory boiled down to the indomitable spirit of two men: the irreproachable general Epaminondas and the cunning statesman Pelopidas. The two formed a local resistance movement that first liberated their home from Spartan oppression in 378 and then challenged Sparta’s empire outright in the Theban-Spartan War. By 371 at the Battle of Leuctra, their vision of a free Thebes and broken Sparta was realized, and the infamous Spartan war machine was at long last defeated. For the first time since the age of mythology, Thebes reigned supreme over Greece. Leuctra was the lynchpin of the new Theban Hegemony, and began a new era of empire in Greece, and the first power in centuries that was not Athens or Sparta.