Barbara Jelavich - Böcker

This highly readable and thoroughly researched volume offers an excellent account of the development of seven Balkan peoples during the nineteenth and the first part of the twentieth centuries. Professors Charles and Barbara Jelavich have brought their rich knowledge of the Albanians, Bulgarians, Croatians, Greeks, Romanians, Serbians, and Slovenes to bear on every aspect of the area’s history--political, diplomatic, economic, social and cultural.It took more than a century after the first Balkan uprising, that of the Serbians in 1804, for the Balkan people to free themselves from Ottoman and Habsburg rule. The Serbians and the Greeks were the first to do so; the Albanians, the Croatians, and the Slovenes the last. For each people the national revival took its own form and independence was achieved in its own way. The authors explore the contrasts and similarities among the peoples, within the context of the Ottoman Empire and Europe.

The Education of a Russian Statesman: The Memoirs of Nicholas Karlovich Giers offers a fascinating glimpse into the life and career of one of Russia's most influential diplomats. Written by Giers himself, the memoirs cover his early childhood, education in St. Petersburg, and his initial years in the Russian Foreign Ministry, providing a detailed account of the path that led him to become the Foreign Minister under Tsars Alexander II and Alexander III. The memoirs shed light on Giers's personal struggles with his foreign roots, his slow rise through the ranks, and his role as a diplomatic secretary, rather than a policy-maker. His dedication, diligence, and moderation are evident throughout the work, as Giers sought to steer Russia away from foreign entanglements and instead focus on internal reforms. His personal relationships and connections, particularly through his marriage to Olga Cantacuzino, niece of the Russian foreign minister, played a pivotal role in his career, and the memoirs offer a unique perspective on the Russian elite’s complex social and political dynamics during the 19th century.In addition to his personal narrative, Giers offers rich historical insights into the political environment of the time, including his experiences in Moldavia, which was under Russian protection. His account paints a vivid picture of the power struggles among local elites, the role of Russian consuls, and the corruption that plagued the region. Giers also provides a candid view of his thoughts on various nationalities and cultures, including his anti-Semitic views, which reflect the prevalent attitudes of his era. The Education of a Russian Statesman not only serves as a memoir of Giers's life but also as a valuable historical document that illuminates Russia's foreign policy, its domestic politics, and the personal dynamics that shaped the country's international standing during the mid-19th century.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1962.

The Education of a Russian Statesman: The Memoirs of Nicholas Karlovich Giers offers a fascinating glimpse into the life and career of one of Russia's most influential diplomats. Written by Giers himself, the memoirs cover his early childhood, education in St. Petersburg, and his initial years in the Russian Foreign Ministry, providing a detailed account of the path that led him to become the Foreign Minister under Tsars Alexander II and Alexander III. The memoirs shed light on Giers's personal struggles with his foreign roots, his slow rise through the ranks, and his role as a diplomatic secretary, rather than a policy-maker. His dedication, diligence, and moderation are evident throughout the work, as Giers sought to steer Russia away from foreign entanglements and instead focus on internal reforms. His personal relationships and connections, particularly through his marriage to Olga Cantacuzino, niece of the Russian foreign minister, played a pivotal role in his career, and the memoirs offer a unique perspective on the Russian elite’s complex social and political dynamics during the 19th century.In addition to his personal narrative, Giers offers rich historical insights into the political environment of the time, including his experiences in Moldavia, which was under Russian protection. His account paints a vivid picture of the power struggles among local elites, the role of Russian consuls, and the corruption that plagued the region. Giers also provides a candid view of his thoughts on various nationalities and cultures, including his anti-Semitic views, which reflect the prevalent attitudes of his era. The Education of a Russian Statesman not only serves as a memoir of Giers's life but also as a valuable historical document that illuminates Russia's foreign policy, its domestic politics, and the personal dynamics that shaped the country's international standing during the mid-19th century.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1962.

Volume I discusses the history of the major Balkan nationalities. It describes the differing conditions experienced under Ottoman and Habsburg rule, but the main emphasis is on the national movements, their successes and failures to 1900, and the place of events in the Balkans in the international relations of the day.

This volume concentrates on the Balkan wars and World War II, which both had their origins in the desire of nationalist circles to complete the territorial unification of their states. A substantial part of this book deals with the wartime experience, the establishment of the postwar regimes and their internal development to 1980 and the divergent paths followed by the five states (Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro, Romania and Serbia) since 1945.

Beginning with the Congress of Vienna in 1815 and extending to the elections in November of 1986, this history of modern Austria has been written for the general reader and the student wishing an overview of the country's recent history. The first part of the book, covering the years from 1815 to 1918, includes a discussion of the events in Habsburg history that have a particular significance for the evolution of the later republic. Particular attention is paid to the unique aspects of the Austrian governmental system. The book concludes with an examination of the Kreisky era, the evolution of Austrian social democracy, and the political controversies after 1983.The main emphasis in the book is on political history and foreign policy, but attention is paid to the cultural history of Austria, focusing particularly on Vienna, throughout the nineteenth and twenieth centuries.

Beginning with the Congress of Vienna in 1815 and extending to the elections in November of 1986, this history of modern Austria has been written for the general reader and the student wishing an overview of the country's recent history. The first part of the book, covering the years from 1815 to 1918, includes a discussion of the events in Habsburg history that have a particular significance for the evolution of the later republic. Particular attention is paid to the unique aspects of the Austrian governmental system. The book concludes with an examination of the Kreisky era, the evolution of Austrian social democracy, and the political controversies after 1983.The main emphasis in the book is on political history and foreign policy, but attention is paid to the cultural history of Austria, focusing particularly on Vienna, throughout the nineteenth and twenieth centuries.

In the century between 1806 and 1914 tsarist Russia was drawn into five wars due to its deep involvement, based on treaty rights and established traditions, in Balkan affairs. This book examines the reason for the Russian involvement in the Balkan peninsula and attempts to explain at least partially the connection that drew the Russian government into entanglements that were not only dangerous to its great power interests, but were also difficult to control. The wars, waged at a high human and economic cost, limited the resources that could be spent on internal development and in particular when they ended in defeat, led to domestic unrest and after 1856 and 1917 to drastic internal change.