Writings on Empire and Slavery

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Mary McAuley

"Despite their very different histories, societies, political and legal systems, Russia and the UK stand out as favouring a punitive approach to young law breakers, imprisoning many more children than any other European countries. The book is based on the author's primary research in Russia in which she visited a dozen closed institutions from St Petersburg to Krasnoyarsk and on similar research in England and Northern Ireland. The result is a unique study of how attitudes to youth crime and criminal justice, the political environment and the relationship between state and society have interacted to influence the treatment of young offenders. McAuley's account of the twists and turns in policy towards youth illuminate the extraordinary history of Russia in the twentieth century and the making of social policy in Russia today. It is also the first study to compare the UK (excluding Scotland because of its separate juvenile justice system) with Russia, a comparison which highlights the factors responsible for the making of 'punitive' policy in the two societies. McAuley places the Russian and UK policies in a European context, aiming to reveal how other European countries manage to put so many fewer children behind bars."--Bloomsbury Publishing.

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James Falkner

"The War of the Spanish Succession, fought between 1701 and 1714 to decide who should inherit the Spanish throne, was a conflict on an unprecedented scale, stretching across most of western Europe, the high seas and the Americas. Yet this major subject is not well known and is little understood. That is why the publication of James Falkner's absorbing new study is so timely and important. In a clear and perceptive narrative he describes and analyses the complex political manoeuvres and a series of military campaigns which also involved the threat posed by the Ottoman Turks in the east and Sweden and Russia in the north. Fighting took place not just in Europe but in the Americas and Canada, and on the high seas. All European powers, large and small, were involved -- France, Spain, Great Britain, Holland, Austria and Portugal were the major players, while many others -- Savoy, Prussia, Hanover and Denmark -- were drawn into the conflict. The end result of almost twelve years of outright war was a French prince firmly established on the throne in Madrid and a division of the old Spanish empire. More notably though, French power, previously so dominant, was curbed for almost ninety years, with a balance of power being established in Europe which was only overset with the emergence of the military genius of Emperor Napoleon." -- Publisher's description

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Michael Havinden and David Meredith

This is a study of Britain's economic and political relationship with its tropical colonies between 1850 and 1960. These colonies stretched right round the world from the West Indies, through West, Central and East Africa to Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Fiji and the smaller Pacific islands. The study focuses on the former colonies and their development problems (rather than on Britain) because this provides a crucial background to understanding the present opportunities and difficulties facing these countries since their independence. The gradual evolution of policy, the early successes and later frustrations, are analysed in detail to see what light they can shed on today's problems.

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Pekka Suvanto

The author portrays conservatism as a phenomenon of political and ideological development from the French Revolution up to the present. The countries used for comparative purposes are mainly Britain, the United States, Germany and France. Conservatism is not a homogeneous movement: in each country it has its own particular character. But a common feature is a conservative way of thinking based on certain principles. Its roots go back to the thought of the Ancient World and Christianity.