Najnovšie - Encyklopédie populárno-náučné - História strana 9 z 22

A sweeping, riveting history of the Venetian Ghetto, the world’s first Jewish ghetto. 'Brilliantly researched and deeply moving' - Roger Crowley, author of City of Fortune'Alexander Lee combines expertise in Venetian history, with sensibility to the Jewish past, and a gift for story-telling. Highly recommended' - Professor Miri Rubin, author of Cities of StrangersIn the early sixteenth century, amidst the ruins of war, and in an atmosphere of religious hatred, the world’s first Jewish ‘ghetto’ was established in Venice. Constrained in cramped, often insanitary conditions, the Jews who were forced to live there were extorted, abused and subjected to countless humiliating restrictions. Before long, Venice’s Ghetto became the prototype for ghettos throughout Europe, paving the way for a more vicious and enduring form of antisemitism. Yet the Ghetto’s story is also a testament of hope. Despite all they faced through the centuries, its residents thrived, creating a flourishing literary, musical and religious community. They sustained Venice’s economy – and, as more migrants arrived, the Ghetto became a microcosm of the Jewish world. Historian Alexander Lee traces this vivid story from the first Jewish arrivals in the early fourteenth century to the present day, reconstructing the Ghetto through the eyes of its inhabitants – from the domestic squabbles of a sixteenth-century rabbi to the agonising wait of a family bound for Auschwitz. Authoritative, detailed and incomparably intimate, The First Ghetto offers a fitting monument to the Ghetto’s past – and powerful lessons for the future.

A vivid and visceral portrayal of the most famous naval battle in history, focusing on the human cost of war, by a brilliant military historianAt or about 1.15 in the afternoon of 21 October 1805, Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson was struck by a 22-gramme, 15-millimetre French musket round fired down from the mizzen top of the Redoutable, a distance of some 70 feet to HMS Victory’s quarter deck. It nicked the edge of his epaulette, and passed diagonally down, through the material of his coat and into the left shoulder, fracturing the upper part of the scapula or shoulder blade, then the second and third rib. It pierced the left lung, dividing a branch of the pulmonary artery, and emerged to sever the spine, splintering the sixth and seventh vertebrae above and below as it crashed between. The soft lead ball – distorted by collisions with bone – ended its flight embedded in muscle two inches below the right scapula.In this fresh and visceral retelling of the battle of Trafalgar, Paul O’Keeffe traces the course of events both prior and subsequent to that fatal shot: from about 6.30 in the morning, as the British ships began their slow approach towards the combined French and Spanish fleet, until the cessation of firing that followed the apocalyptic destruction of the French 74-gun Achille at 5.45 in the afternoon.But we also learn about the battle’s dramatic aftermath: how a violent storm that raged for eight days destroyed the surviving French and Spanish ships and drowned more sailors than had been killed during battle; how news of victory travelled and was celebrated in London; how Nelson’s body was brought home and given a spectacular funeral.Paying meticulous attention to the peripheral – and little explored – details, O’Keeffe gives us a front-row view of events; and in his unflinching portrayal of the brutal reality of naval warfare, he tells the story of the human cost of war. Gripping and immersive, this is a unique account of Trafalgar for a new generation of readers.

Mosaics in Britannia provides an authoritative overview of Romano-British mosaics, including how they were made and maintained, how the craft was organised, the geometric designs and the subject matter, source and significance of the figured pavements. Also considered is the mosaics’ place within the buildings they adorned, and what they tell us about the social dynamics of the residence and baths. The book ends with the fate of mosaics in the late Roman period and thereafter, including their recording upon rediscovery and their display. Although Romano-British pictorial mosaics seldom attain the artistic brilliance of those around the Mediterranean, they often have sophisticated content. Several demonstrate a good knowledge of classical literature, arguably more so than most other provinces, which is perhaps surprising to those who have assumed that Roman Britain was a backwater at the extreme edge of the Roman Empire.

'Superb and timely' KATE MOSSE'Impressive, important, deeply moving' SARAH WATERS'Brilliant' ANTHONY HOROWITZWhat role could music play in a death camp? What was the effect on those women who owed their survival to their participation in a Nazi propaganda project? And how did it feel to be forced to provide solace to the perpetrators of a genocide that claimed the lives of their family and friends? In 1943, German SS officers in charge of Auschwitz-Birkenau ordered that an orchestra should be formed among the female prisoners. Almost fifty women and girls from eleven nations were assembled to play marching music to other inmates - forced labourers who left each morning and returned, exhausted and often broken, at the end of the day - and give weekly concerts for Nazi officers. Individual members were sometimes summoned to give solo performances of an officer's favourite piece of music. It was the only entirely female orchestra in any of the Nazi prison camps and, for almost all of the musicians chosen to take part, being in the orchestra was to save their lives. In The Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz, award-winning historian Anne Sebba tells their astonishing story with sensitivity and care.

'A captivating mosaic of wartime Berlin' Katja Hoyer, Financial Times'Brilliant and beautifully written' Anne Applebaum 'Brings to life Berlin during World War II so vividly that you can imagine yourself blithely strolling the streets of the city or hunkering down in the bomb shelters' Barbara Demick'A rich and fascinating portrait of Berlin at war' Literary Review'Wonderfully nuanced' GuardianWhen war broke out in September 1939, what was most striking in the German capital at first was how little changed. Unless you were Jewish. Then life, already hard, soon got unfathomably worse. Drawing on diaries, letters and memoirs, Stay Alive chronicles daily life in wartime Berlin with extraordinary power and immediacy. Here are the movie stars and swing dancers, the resistance circles and SS patrols hunting deserters, the desperate calculations of survival and collaboration. As Allied bombs reduced the city to rubble and Soviet troops closed in, the common greeting of Berliners became not auf Wiedersehen or Heil Hitler but bleiben Sie übrig - 'Stay alive'. Revelatory, devastating and deeply humane, this book illuminates how ordinary people navigated the moral catastrophe of the Third Reich - what it meant to resist, to conform or simply to endure. Buruma shows how a society's accommodation to evil unfolds one compromise at a time, and why understanding this descent remains urgently relevant today.

‘Brilliant’ – The Times‘Hugely informative and entertaining’ – New Scientist‘Put this at the head of your reading lists immediately’ – Eric IdleFrom the winner of the 2022 Royal Society Science Book Prize, a thrilling and thought-provoking account of the rise and fall of humankind. For the first time in over ten millennia, the rate of human population growth is slowing down. The global population is forecast to begin declining in the second half of this century, and in 10,000 years’ time our species will likely be extinct. In The Decline and Fall of the Human Empire, Henry Gee shows how we arrived at this crucial moment in history, beginning his story deep in the palaeolithic past and charting our dramatic rise from one species of human among many to the most dominant animal ever to live on Earth. But rapid climate change, a stagnating global economy, falling birth rates and an unexplainable decline in average human sperm count are combining to make our chances for longevity increasingly slim. There could be a way forward, but the launch window is narrow . . . Drawing on a dazzling array of the latest scientific research, Gee tells the extraordinary story of humanity with characteristic warmth and wit, and suggests how our exceptional species might avoid its tragic fate. ‘Like Jared Diamond meets Arthur C. Clarke with a dash of Douglas Adams’ – Philip Ball, author of How Life Works

The Oxford History of the United States is by far the most respected multi-volume history of the USA. The series includes three Pulitzer Prize winners, two New York Times bestsellers, and winners of the Bancroft and Parkman Prizes. Now, in the newest volume in the series, one of America''s most esteemed historians, Gordon S. Wood, offers a brilliant account of the early American Republic, ranging from 1789 and the beginning of the national government to the end of the War of 1812. As Wood reveals, the period was marked by tumultuous change in all aspects of American life--in politics, society, economy, and culture. The men who founded the new government had high hopes for the future, but few of their hopes and dreams worked out quite as they expected. They hated political parties but parties nonetheless emerged. Some wanted the United States to become a great fiscal-military state like those of Britain and France; others wanted the country to remain a rural agricultural state very different from the European states. Instead, by 1815 the United States became something neither group anticipated. Many leaders expected American culture to flourish and surpass that of Europe; instead it became popularized and vulgarized. The leaders also hope to see the end of slavery; instead, despite the release of many slaves and the end of slavery in the North, slavery was stronger in 1815 than it had been in 1789. Many wanted to avoid entanglements with Europe, but instead the country became involved in Europe''s wars and ended up waging another war with the former mother country. Still, with a new generation emerging by 1815, most Americans were confident and optimistic about the future of their country. Integrating all aspects of life, from politics and law to the economy and culture, Empire of Liberty offers a marvelous account of this pivotal era when America took its first unsteady steps as a new and rapidly expanding nation. A Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for HistoryWinner of the New-York Historical Society American History Book PrizeA New York Times BestsellerSelected as one of the Top 25 Books of 2009 by The Atlantic"On every page of this book, Wood''s subtlety and erudition show. Grand in scope and a landmark achievement of scholarship, Empire of Liberty is a tour de force, the culmination of a lifetime of brilliant thinking and writing." --The New York Times Book Review"Empire of Liberty will rightly take its place among the authoritative volumes in this important and influential series."--The Washington Post

A history of three transnational political projects designed to overcome the inequities of imperialismAfter the dissolution of empires, was the nation-state the only way to unite people politically, culturally, and economically? In Post-Imperial Possibilities, historians Jane Burbank and Frederick Cooper examine three large-scale, transcontinental projects aimed at bringing together peoples of different regions to mitigate imperial legacies of inequality. Eurasia, Eurafrica, and Afroasia—in theory if not in practice—offered alternative routes out of empire. The theory of Eurasianism was developed after the collapse of imperial Russia by exiled intellectuals alienated by both Western imperialism and communism. Eurafrica began as a design for collaborative European exploitation of Africa but was transformed in the 1940s and 1950s into a project to include France’s African territories in plans for European integration. The Afroasian movement wanted to replace the vertical relationship of colonizer and colonized with a horizontal relationship among former colonial territories that could challenge both the communist and capitalist worlds. Both Eurafrica and Afroasia floundered, victims of old and new vested interests. But Eurasia revived in the 1990s, when Russian intellectuals turned the theory’s attack on Western hegemony into a recipe for the restoration of Russian imperial power. While both the system of purportedly sovereign states and the concentrated might of large economic and political institutions continue to frustrate projects to overcome inequities in welfare and power, Burbank and Cooper’s study of political imagination explores wide-ranging concepts of social affiliation and obligation that emerged after empire and the reasons for their unlike destinies.

Located on the border of present-day Romania and Ukraine, the historical region of Bukovina was the site of widespread displacement and violence as it passed from Romanian to Soviet hands and back again during World War II. This study focuses on two groups of “Bukovinians”—ethnic Germans and German-speaking Jews—as they navigated dramatically changed political and social circumstances in and after 1945. Through comparisons of the narratives and self-conceptions of these groups, Resettlers and Survivors gives a nuanced account of how they dealt with the difficult legacies of World War II, while exploring Bukovina’s significance for them as both a geographical location and a “place of memory.”

Sons of Heaven is the first accessible, newly researched account in English of the imperial family who ruled Ming China (1368–1644), one of the country’s most dynamic and influential eras. Beginning with a fresh look at what a dynasty really was, the book follows the lives of emperors, empresses, relatives and those who came into the imperial orbit. Uniquely drawing from official and unofficial Chinese primary sources, including gossip-rich 'wild histories', it presents a more intimate, complex picture of court life – its politics, personalities and pleasures. Moving beyond stereotypes, the book highlights the power, intrigue and humanity of Ming rule. Richly illustrated with period art that brings the imperial world to life, this is a compelling portrait of dynasty as lived reality.

RAF in Camera: 1980s – The Later Years by Keith Wilson provides a visually rich account of the Royal Air Force during the transformative latter half of the 1980s. This continuation of Wilson’s earlier work examines the RAF’s operational and technological evolution during a pivotal decade for British military aviation.The period witnessed the retirement of iconic aircraft like the English Electric Lightning in 1988, symbolizing the end of a Cold War era. Simultaneously, the RAF introduced advanced platforms that redefined its capabilities, including the Tornado F.3 Interceptor, Harrier GR.5, British Aerospace BAe 146 CC.1, and Tucano T.1 trainer. Additionally, the innovative conversion of Lockheed Tristar and Vickers VC10 airliners into aerial refuelling tankers replaced the aging Victor K.2, enhancing the RAF’s strategic reach.Year-by-year coverage explores milestones such as the post-Falklands War recovery of military confidence and the integration of cutting-edge technology into RAF operations. Illustrated with numerous photographs, the book captures the RAF’s modernization and the cultural shifts within the service.Meticulously researched, RAF in Camera: 1980s – The Later Years offers aviation enthusiasts and historians alike a detailed exploration of the RAF’s evolution, blending iconic imagery with insightful analysis of this critical period in its history.

The two main Zulu War battles of Hlobane and Khambula were fought on consecutive days, 28 and 29 March 1879, with very different outcomes. The first, a bungled raid to deprive the Zulus of vital cattle, ended in a humiliating debacle due to poor planning and reconnaissance. The latter saw the outnumbered British first repulse the counterattack against their camp and then unleash their cavalry to turn the Zulu withdrawal into a bloody rout, thus sealing the first decisive British victory of the war. As Adrian Greaves contends in his exciting account, this change in fortunes made Khambula the most important battle of the war, since it persuaded both Lord Chelmsford and the Zulu king, Cetshwayo, that the British could defeat the Zulus. Yet, despite their importance, these linked encounters have been neglected by historians due mainly to their inaccessibility and dangerous terrain. Both battles are described in the fullest detail possible, drawing on eyewitness testimony and meticulous research and benefitting from the author’s twenty-five years’ experience of leading guided tours of the battlefields and surrounding terrain. He recounts tales of extraordinary courage but also exposes blunders and cowardice that tarnish some famous reputations. Colonel (later Field Marshal) Wood in particular comes out badly. This is an essential, eye-opening book for anyone with an interest in the Anglo-Zulu War.

Exploring the past helps us understand the present and suggests where we might go in the future. It lets us appreciate daily life in other centuries and how decisions made long ago has built and shaped what we often see around us to-day — ancient patterns affect modern lives. Wellington, Birley and the Pyons is based on wide reading, a detailed study of the parish registers — some of them dating from 1538 — and comparing them with more modern census returns. It is written in non-technical language and organized to make the topics obvious and the themes easy to follow. Numerous photographs and illustrations bring the sections to life, and there are some surprises hidden in the text. The four parishes have always been geographically next to each other but how their communities related to one another is not always what we might expect. Herefordshire has not been at the centre of great national events, but the details of its history have something to contribute to the bigger picture of England and Wales. This book will be of interest to anyone who lives locally and also to people who may want to do some digging in their own area.

The Second World War saw the eclipse of the battleship as the capital vessel in any navy by a new feat of maritime engineering: the aircraft carrier. It was to change naval warfare forever. But when one thinks of the Kriegsmarine during this period, the German effort to construct an aircraft carrier is often overlooked. Designed in the late 1930s, Graf Zeppelin was the largest ship built by Nazi Germany. The lead ship of her class, she represented the Kriegsmarine’s efforts to create a balanced, ocean-going fleet capable of projecting German naval power across the oceans. Though 85 per cent complete by the outbreak of war in September 1939, Graf Zeppelin became a white elephant, a ship filled with promise but ultimately disappointing. Hitler’s war arrived too early for the Kriegsmarine and construction of Germany’s only aircraft carrier was never completed. Graf Zeppelin: The Story of Hitler’s Aircraft Carrier tells the full story of the monumental effort and ultimate failure by the Kriegsmarine to crown the German fleet with that most coveted of naval assets, an aircraft carrier.

In autumn 1943, the Dodecanese in the eastern Aegean was the setting for a series of German air-sea landings, something not normally associated with the Wehrmacht. Under heavy fire, landing craft ferried to shore German infantry and, more than two years after sustaining frightful losses in Crete, Fallschirmjäger were deployed in their intended role, parachuting on to the islands of Kos, Astipalaea and Leros. Both sides relied on aircraft and naval units, as well as conventional and unconventional ground forces. German paratroopers were drawn from the Luftwaffe and the special operations Division ‘Brandenburg’, which also fielded coastal raiders and assault troops. The Allies had on call 234 Infantry Brigade together with supporting units; a battalion of The Parachute Regiment, and Raiding Forces, which included the Long Range Desert Group, Special Boat Squadron, Commandos and Ieros Lohos (Greek Sacred Squadron). Two months of conflict would culminate in a five-day battle for possession of Leros, which ended with the surrender of the British-led garrison on 16 November 1943. The island of Samos was taken without a struggle a few days later. Unlike Operation Market Garden and the disaster of Arnhem one year later, the Aegean was first and foremost a British venture. As such, it may be considered the last irredeemable British defeat. For the Germans, the Aegean was a welcome reversal of recent setbacks and a final, but ultimately pointless, decisive victory: With the exception of Kastellorizo, key islands would remain under German occupation until May 1945.

Dilip Sarkar, renowned for his meticulous research, delves into the Battle of Britain in this first volume of an eight-part series. His evidence-based approach offers a comprehensive view of the 1940 aerial conflict, exploring the development of air power, Britain’s defense, the German strategy, the Home Front, and political events. Sarkar goes beyond the well-known narrative, revealing new human stories and events.The book traces the conflict''s background, including the German invasion of Norway, the Fall of France, and the air battles over Dunkirk. Sarkar questions the official start date of the Battle of Britain, arguing that the fighting began earlier, on 2 July 1940. A detailed, day-by-day account follows, acknowledging aircrews lost before 10 July and recognizing contributions from Bomber and Coastal commands, not just the pilots of Spitfires and Hurricanes.Sarkar’s research, based on official sources and personal accounts, challenges many myths and the accepted narrative. This work is more than a record of combat losses; it’s a deep dive into the broader context of the battle, drawing on unique firsthand accounts, intelligence reports, and political documents. It’s an unprecedented look at the Battle of Britain and its far-reaching implications.

Refitted and reorganized after the Normandy campaign, the 12.SS Panzer Division ‘Hitlerjugend’ participated in the Ardennes Offensive in December 1944. Tasked with covering the right flank of the offensive, the division fought hard, facing unexpectedly tough opposition from US forces. Despite repeated efforts and heavy losses, it never came close to a breakthrough. By the end of January 1945, when American reinforcements surged the front, the division had been pushed back to its starting positions. Next, in early March, the division took part in Operation Frühlingserwachen on the Eastern Front, an attempt to recapture the Hungarian oilfields. After initial success the advance was ground to a halt by increasing Soviet resistance. On 16 March the Soviets counterattacked, threatening to encircle the German forces. The 12.SS was involved in desperate rearguard fighting until driven into full-scale retreat towards Vienna. On 8 May 1945 its 10,000 survivors surrendered to the US forces. Proud and defiant to the bitter end, they refused to raise white flags, ignoring orders to the contrary, and marched into captivity in perfect formation as if on parade, with their vehicles bearing their national flags.

Fighting from Dunkirk to Berlin chronicles the extraordinary military service of Wilfred Needler, from his mention in despatches at Dunkirk in 1940 and continuing through pivotal moments such as his battlefield commission in Africa, his participation in the Invasion of Sicily, landing on Gold Beach on D-Day, and his appointment as Brigade Intelligence Officer. Wounded at El Alamein and recommended for the Belgian Order of Leopold for his work with the Resistance, Wilfred’s remarkable journey is documented through firsthand accounts, personal diary records, and war diary archives, alongside powerful photographs that bring his story to life all the way through to his retirement as a Major, in 1957 and his life post-war. This book illuminates the critical role of intelligence officers in the Second World War, providing new insight into their often-unseen contributions to military strategy and espionage. Through Wilfred’s experiences, readers will discover the complex world of codebreaking, tactical intelligence, and the quiet heroism of those working behind the frontlines. His story offers a rare and invaluable perspective on the art of war, showing how intelligence shaped battles and altered the course of history. Beyond military service, this memoir is a rich family legacy, offering a profound and inspiring account of sacrifice, resilience, and bravery. Filled with powerful images and historical documents, it stands as both a tribute to Wilfred’s courage and a testament to the enduring impact of one family’s contributions to the war effort. His story, filled with tragedy, triumph, and a legacy of quiet leadership, will inspire and astound readers for generations to come.

The Zulu War has long captured the public imagination, yet original accounts by participants in the campaign are rare. This revised edition of Hamilton-Browne’s classic memoir is therefore a welcome addition to the literature on this legendary conflict. ‘Colonel’ George Hamilton-Browne was a British soldier of fortune and adventurer who served in the Ninth Cape Frontier War in 1878, before fighting in the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879, the Bechuanaland Expedition of 1884–5 and the uSuthu Rebellion of 1888. The centrepiece of the book is Hamilton-Browne’s vivid recollections of the battle of Isandlhwana – one of the greatest and most humiliating defeats in the history of the British Empire. He was also part of the force that returned to the stricken British camp after the battle and relieved Rorke’s Drift the following day. This new, expanded edition offers readers a greater insight into the events Hamilton-Browne describes thanks to an introduction and commentary throughout by John Laband and a Foreword by Adrian Greaves, both leading Anglo-Zulu War experts. This fascinating and distinctive memoir will be essential reading for anyone interested in the Anglo-Zulu War. ‘Colonel’ – he never held a rank higher than major – George Hamilton-Browne (1851 –1916) was a soldier of fortune of Irish descent who emigrated to New Zealand in 1872 and then to the Cape Colony in 1878. In southern Africa he commanded colonial and local troops in many campaigns: the Ninth Cape Frontier War (1878); the Anglo-Zulu War (1879); the Bechuanaland Expedition (1884 –5); the uSuthu Rebellion (1888); the First Matabele War (1893); the Second Matabele War (1896); and Mashonaland (1896–7). He returned to England in 1902 where he wrote three popularly received books of colonial adventuring, including this one. He died in Jamaica in 1916.Colonel George Hamilton-Browne (1844-1916) was a British soldier and adventurer of Irish descent who took part in Britain's march into Zululand under Lord Chelmsford and fought in the Anglo-Zulu War. As an officer of the Natal Native Contingent (a Major in the 1st Battalion/3rd Regiment), he took part in the action at Sihayo's Kraal on 12 January 1879 and witnessed the final moments of the the battle of Isandlhwana ten days later on 22 January 1879. He died in Jamaica in 1916.