From hierarchy to anarchy

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Hugh Goddard

The relationship between the Christian and Muslim worlds has been a long and tortuous one. Over the course of the centuries the balance of power has swung in pendulum fashion--at times the initiative seems to have lain with the Muslim community, with the Christian world simply being compelled to react to developments outside itself, while at other points the opposite has been true and Muslims have found themselves having to respond to Christian challenges in different forms. Today Christians and Muslims comprise the world's two largest religious communities. Although they can coexist fairly peacefully, at times they still engage in violent confrontation, such as in the recent conflicts in Bosnia and the Sudan. This book investigates the history of the relationships between Christians and Muslims over the centuries, from their initial encounters in the medieval period, when the Muslims were the dominant group, through to the modern period, when the balance of power seems to have been reversed. This much-needed overview of the Christian-Muslim encounter places the emphasis on the context within which perceptions and attitudes were worked out and provides a depth of historical insight to the complexities of current Christian-Muslim interactions on different continents.

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Lauren Johnson

England, 1509. Henry VII, the first Tudor monarch, is dead; his successor, the seventeen-year-old Henry VIII, offers hope of renewal and reconciliation after the corruption and repression of the last years of his father's reign. Johnson offers a fascinating portrait of a country at a crossroads between two powerful monarchs and between the worlds of the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance. She explores early Tudor lives through the rhythms of annual rituals, juxtaposing political events in Westminster and the palaces of southeast England with the religious, agrarian, and social events that punctuated the lives of the people of this one year.

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David Christian

Medieval and early modern times - The early nineteenth century, the peasantry, taxation and the redistribution of wealth - Great reforms and the rise of a revolutionary movement - 1905 Revolution - Economic and social change in early twentieth century - The February Revolution - Civil war and the origins of a new social order - New Economic Policy - Collectivisation and industrialisation - Joseph Stalin - The Great Patriotic War - Impact of war - The Cold War - Reforming the Stalinist system - CHange from 1964 to 1982 - Perestroika and the end of the Soviet experiment - Reasons for failure.

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Andrew Wilson

"This book provides a guide to modern Ukraine and to the versions of its past propagated by both Russians and Ukrainians. It concentrates on the complex relationship between Ukraine and Russia, beginning with the myth of common origin in the early medieval era, then looking closely at the Ukrainian experience under the Tsars and Soviets and the path to independence in 1991. Wilson also considers the history of Ukraine since 1991 and continuing disputes over identity, culture and religion. He examines the economic collapse under first president Leonid Kravchuk and the attempts at recovery under his successor Leonid Kuchma, and explores the conflicts in Ukrainian society between the country's 'Eastern' roots and its Western aspirations."--BOOK JACKET.