International Library of Political Studies – serie

A fascinating look at the role of the media in fostering nationalism, with a comparative approach that shows the interactions between American, Russian and German nationalism. Extreme nationalism is a subject of enormous contemporary significance today. Does patriotic pride inevitably develop into nationalistic aggression? Is this exacerbated by the global outreach of the media? And what is the relationship between mainstream politics and increasingly vocal far-right groups in Britain, the US, Germany and Russia? This book addresses these questions from a variety of angles, exploring topics ranging from the War on Terror to Holocaust denial, from the 'sanctity' of Rasputin to the 'martyrdom' of Rudolf Hess.

The second British application to join the European Communities (EC) was made during Harold Wilson's second Labour government. It ended in failure with French President Charles de Gaulle's veto in November 1967. "Harold Wilson and Europe" traces the development of Britain's policy towards the EC from the veto to the end of Wilson's government in June 1970. Based on detailed archival research, Melissa Pine traces Wilson's efforts to forge stronger bonds with EC states while managing both a cabinet divided on the issue, and a complex broader foreign policy. This fascinating insight into the Wilson government reveals Wilson's early diplomacy was vital for the Conservatives' successful negotiation of British entry into the EC by 1973. Pine concludes that Wilson was personally committed to securing membership, and that he and key members of his government played a crucial role in securing the UK's eventual membership of the EC.

Formed out of a breakaway from the mainstream Liberal party in 1931, the Liberal National party (renamed the 'National Liberal Party' in 1948) preserved a separate identity for almost 40 years. During this time they helped ensure that the Liberals themselves would not return to their former status of a governing party while helping to broaden the electoral appeal of their Conservative allies, contributing significantly to the Tory domination of the British political scene in the middle of the twentieth century. Here, David Dutton shows us for the first time how the National Liberals were a potent force in shaping the evolution of British politics in the middle decades of the twentieth century, before they finally merged with the Conservative party in 1968.

Maurice Cowling was one of the most controversial historians and thinkers of the last 40 years and a key figure in modern British Conservatism. His work on intellectual and political history assaulted conventional understanding of the political process and challenged the liberal and secular ideas which have been so pervasive in modern Britain. Here, leading scholars disclose Cowling's vision of British democracy and place it in its broader intellectual context. This book therefore provides a powerful multi-disciplinary explanation of Conservative thought about public life in modern Britain, and sheds light upon the interface between philosophy, politics, religion and British democracy.

How does religious fundamentalism operate in modern global society? This two-volume series analyses the dynamics of fundamentalism and its relationship to the modern state, the public sphere and globalisation. In the first volume, fundamentalism is approached from the perspective of state and community building, ideology and practices within the context of global society, and the ways in which fundamentalism is intertwined with issues of politics, state power, democracy, globalization, political activism and political ideology. Expert scholars in the field address specific contemporary and past fundamentalist movements that have emerged from within mainstream Islam, Christianity, Baha'ism, Hinduism, Judaism and Buddhism. This is an important study of an increasingly significant and controversial aspect of modern society, and will be essential reading in the fields of Religion, Politics and International Relations. The second volume explores the links between fundamentalism and communication: the rise of fundamentalism as a mass media phenomenon, fundamentalist communication in the public sphere, national cultural identities and the rise of a 'global society'.Expert scholars in the field address specific contemporary and past fundamentalist movements that have emerged from within mainstream Islam, Christianity, Baha'ism, Hinduism, Judaism and Buddhism. This is an important study of an increasingly significant and virulent aspect of modern society, and will be essential reading in the fields of Religion, Politics, Communications and Media Studies.

The age of Tory reform, especially the period following the Napoleonic wars, is pivotal in British political history. Following the savage repression of radical and popular protest culminating in the 'Peterloo massacre' of 1819, the Tory party turned decisively towards modern 'one-nation' conservatism later set out by Sir Robert Peel in his 'Tamworth Manifesto'. A radical swing from blind defence of the existing order to moderate, practical reform affected most areas of policy and proceeded apace throughout the 1820s. In step with industrial and commercial progress, railway and canal expansion, came a flowering of economics, supported by banking reform. There was also ground-breaking reform of the law and legal system, persistent struggles over the reform of the Corn Laws and, in religion, the established church's eventual acceptance of Catholic Emancipation. In foreign policy, Castlereagh's Congress System was replaced by the masterful Canning's policy of supporting liberal regimes in Latin America - an early exercise in British 'informal empire'.The Conservative government left office before the great Reform Act of 1832 but conservative modernisation continued under Peel's shadow, culminating in Corn Law repeal in 1846. This is an essential textbook for all students of nineteenth-century British political history, the Conservative Party and modern Conservatism, and includes themes of striking contemporary relevance.