EUROPEAN EMPIRES FROM CONQUEST TO COLLAPSE, 1815-1960 (FONTANA HISTORY OF EUROPEAN WAR &amp; SOCIETY)

European Empires from Conquest to Collapse, 1815-1960 (Fontana history of European war & society)

V.G. KIERNAN

Fontana Press

Today, more is known about the life and work of the great Latin poet Horace than any other writer of antiquity. In this new study of Horace, one of the formative influences on modern European literature, renowned historian V. G. Kiernan examines the distinctive personality and poetry of the poet as well as the economic and social conditions of the Italy in which he lived. Kiernan begins with a background survey of Rome and its rise to supremacy in Italy and shows how Horace--the son of a former slave--rose from humble beginnings to become a valued supporter of the first Roman emperor, Augustus, whose power he had once resisted. Kiernan reveals how a time of rapid change and civil war contributed to the work of Horace and how many of the divisions and contradictions in the social structure of that time are reflected in Horace’s own nature and in his poems. Horace’s works, including the Satires, Epodes, Odes, and Epistles, are discussed at length, as are the themes found in them such as the public panoply of government, war, religion, empire, and the private realm of friendship, wine, love, and nature. Kiernan also looks at the similarities between Horace’s age and our own, both in conflicts over class and race and in widespread religious doubts and shifts. A thoughtful work from one of this century’s most gifted scholars, this new and intensely personal approach to Horace should not be missed.

Horace: Poetics and Politics

Literature & Fiction

History & Criticism

PALGRAVE~MACMILLAN

This extraordinarily wide-ranging book is the first to bring within a single view the wars which created Europe's empires - the manner in which they were conducted, and their impact not only on the societies thus brought within Europe's grasp but also on the societies which launched them. Beginning with the post-Napoleonic era, it presents all the major episodes of an often dramatic story in which the military agents of European imperialism met the peoples of the rest of the world in armed conflict. The ideology of empire is also addressed: the concept of the civilizing mission, the triumph of civilization over barbarism, ardently supported by the missionary organizations. In reality, colonialist motives were mainly those of material profit, and colonialist and their propagandists did much to work up the nationalist rivalries and hatred which exploded in 1914-18, with the colonial world drawn on for cannon-fodder. Brilliant sketches of imperial and colonial life are interwoven with analysis of the changing balance of economic and political power, as Victor Kiernan describes how the colonial liberation movements turned the tables in the aftermath of the Second World War.

Colonial Empires and Armies 1815-1960

Sutton Publishing

The invasion and occupation of Iraq have sparked considerable discussion about the nature of American imperialism, but most of it is focused on the short term. The classical historical approach of this book provides a convincing and compelling analysis of the different phases of American imperialism, which have now led to America becoming a global hegemon without any serious rivals. Victor Kiernan, one of the world’s most respected historians, has used his nuanced knowledge of history, literature and politics to trace the evolution of the American Empire: he includes accounts of relations between Indians and white settlers, readings of the work of Melville and Whitman, and an analysis of the way that money and politics became so closely intertwined. Eric Hobsbawm’s preface provides an insight into his own thoughts on American imperialism, and a valuable introduction to Victor Kiernan’s work. Together, they shed useful light on today’s urgent debates about the uses and misuses of seemingly unlimited military power, a lack of respect for international agreements, and the right to ‘pre-emptive defense’.

America: The New Imperialism: From White Settlement to World Hegemony, New Edition

Politics & Social Sciences

ERIC HOBSBAWM

Politics & Government

Verso Books

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Books by V.G. KIERNAN