Richard J. Overy – författare

The multi-national Habsburg empire has never lost its fascination since its fall in 1918. Robin Okey's book shows how the Habsburg peoples experienced the same social, economic and political processes as most other Europeans, in ways that cast interesting light on these processes from both the European and the Habsburg angle. Opposing views that the national problem was therefore subordinate to underlying socio-economic backwardness, Okey argues for the inextricable entanglement of the two themes, as nationalism emerged from a process of social mobilisation which threatened the position of dominant Austro-Germans and Magyars. Robin Okey brings a distinctive approach to an intriguing subject, in a comprehensive study based on wide reading in most of the Monarchy's languages.

The multi-national Habsburg empire has never lost its fascination since its fall in 1918. Robin Okey's book shows how the Habsburg peoples experienced the same social, economic and political processes as most other Europeans, in ways that cast interesting light on these processes from both the European and the Habsburg angle. Opposing views that the national problem was therefore subordinate to underlying socio-economic backwardness, Okey argues for the inextricable entanglement of the two themes, as nationalism emerged from a process of social mobilisation which threatened the position of dominant Austro-Germans and Magyars. Robin Okey brings a distinctive approach to an intriguing subject, in a comprehensive study based on wide reading in most of the Monarchy's languages.

This book is a fascinating survey of nineteenth-century republicanism, the first of its kind this century. It investigates why it was that although France was one of the first countries in modern Europe to become a republic in 1792, it was nearly a hundred years before a republic was acceptable to the majority. Pamela Pilbeam suggests that republicanism was a witch's brew of Enlightenment rationality, bloody memories and conflicting socialist expectations. The book concludes that the successful republic of 1871 used the rhetoric of democracy to conceal persistent elitism.

Secularisation can mean many quite different things - rising unbelief, the privatisation of belief, weakening denominational identity, the development of a religiously neutral state. This book reveals both the many-sidedness of secularisation and the great unevenness with which it affected different areas of life. France is the classic example of the secularisation of society in the later nineteenth century. Church and school, then church and state, were separated. Town councils tore down crosses and banned processions. Teachers and doctors were seen as a new priesthood. Yet even in France things were not so simple. In the west, most people remained practising Catholics, and Lourdes demonstrated the continuing vitality of 'popular religion'. When we look at Germany and England, or compare Catholics with Protestants and Jews, the picture becomes even more complex. This book examines the nature and causes of religious change in the three countries, and the class, gender and regional differences within each.

Secularisation can mean many quite different things - rising unbelief, the privatisation of belief, weakening denominational identity, the development of a religiously neutral state. This book reveals both the many-sidedness of secularisation and the great unevenness with which it affected different areas of life. France is the classic example of the secularisation of society in the later nineteenth century. Church and school, then church and state, were separated. Town councils tore down crosses and banned processions. Teachers and doctors were seen as a new priesthood. Yet even in France things were not so simple. In the west, most people remained practising Catholics, and Lourdes demonstrated the continuing vitality of 'popular religion'. When we look at Germany and England, or compare Catholics with Protestants and Jews, the picture becomes even more complex. This book examines the nature and causes of religious change in the three countries, and the class, gender and regional differences within each.

A masterful new survey of sixteenth-century France which examines the vicissitudes of the French monarchy during the Italian Wars and the Wars of Religion. It explores how the advances made under a succession of strong kings from Charles VIII to Henri II created tensions in traditional society which combined with economic problems and emerging religious divisions to bring the kingdom close to disintegration under a series of weak kings from Francois II to Henri III. The political crisis culminated in France's first succession conflict for centuries, but was resolved through Henri IV's timely reconnection of dynastic legitimism with religious orthodoxy.

Many Italians in the early sixteenth century challenged Church authority and orthodoxy, stimulated by religious 'Reformation' debates and the lack of agreement on alternatives to Rome's leadership. This book surveys and analyses the various positive and negative responses which led to a re-formation of Church institutions, and parish life for the lay population, especially after the Council of Trent in 1563.Church, Religion and Society in Early Modern Italy:- Discusses the roles of bishops and parochial clergy, seminaries and religious education- Examines religious orders and lay confraternities, particularly in relation to 'good works' or philanthropy- Explains the varied uses of the visual arts, music, processions and festivities to enthuse and educate the laity- Pays special attention to two controversial issues: the Inquisition's role and the stricter enclosure of nunsComprehensive yet approachable, Christopher F. Black's volume incorporates diverse religious practices and experiences, and explores the successes and failures of reform throughout mainland Italy during a period of religious and social upheaval.

This highly-illustrated book emphasizes above all the diversity of the Italian Renaissance in the period between the fourteenth and the seventeenth centuries: the enormously varied forms of cultural achievement and the different circumstances that prevailed in various contexts, both urban and courtly. Richard MacKenney examines why the great revival did not touch the whole of Italy or the majority of its people. He argues that, while the wonder and joy of classical rebirth remained vivid, there was also a dimension of anxiety, especially in the challenge that ancient cultures posed to Christian belief.

This highly-illustrated book emphasizes above all the diversity of the Italian Renaissance in the period between the fourteenth and the seventeenth centuries: the enormously varied forms of cultural achievement and the different circumstances that prevailed in various contexts, both urban and courtly. Richard MacKenney examines why the great revival did not touch the whole of Italy or the majority of its people. He argues that, while the wonder and joy of classical rebirth remained vivid, there was also a dimension of anxiety, especially in the challenge that ancient cultures posed to Christian belief.

Martyn Lyons offers a fresh interpretation of European history in the half-century following the fall of Napoleon. Instead of seeing the period in traditional terms of Restoration and Reaction, this new account emphasizes the problems of remembering and forgetting the recent revolutionary and Napoleonic past, and of either incorporating or rejecting its legacy.Post-Revolutionary Europe:- Makes interesting comparisons and contrasts between the fall of the French Empire in 1815 and the collapse of the Soviet Empire in 1989-91- Examines the new forms of popular participation in political life which developed between the 1830 and 1848 Revolutions, as a broad public sphere of action was created- Offers a series of thematic chapters which discuss key topics such as peasants and artisans, the bourgeois family, nationalism, the growth of cities, and European Jewry- Covers a wide geographical context, from Britain to the Balkans and from Portugal to RussiaIllustrated throughout, this clear and engaging text is essential reading for all those with an interest in this important period of European history.

Martyn Lyons offers a fresh interpretation of European history in the half-century following the fall of Napoleon. Instead of seeing the period in traditional terms of Restoration and Reaction, this new account emphasizes the problems of remembering and forgetting the recent revolutionary and Napoleonic past, and of either incorporating or rejecting its legacy.Post-Revolutionary Europe:- Makes interesting comparisons and contrasts between the fall of the French Empire in 1815 and the collapse of the Soviet Empire in 1989-91- Examines the new forms of popular participation in political life which developed between the 1830 and 1848 Revolutions, as a broad public sphere of action was created- Offers a series of thematic chapters which discuss key topics such as peasants and artisans, the bourgeois family, nationalism, the growth of cities, and European Jewry- Covers a wide geographical context, from Britain to the Balkans and from Portugal to RussiaIllustrated throughout, this clear and engaging text is essential reading for all those with an interest in this important period of European history.

The third volume of this three-volume history focuses on Germany's late but explosive economic transformation after 1800, the cycles of war, defeat, and dictatorship from 1914 to 1950, and the 'German miracle' after 1950. The picture is one of rapid change, but within a framework of recognizable long-term continuities. This book shows vividly how Germany participated in the rapid transformation, since 1800, of all western societies and economies while retaining distinctive features that had long characterized this central region of Europe. With original contributions from an international team of scholars, this volume represents some of the best work in the field.