The Myth of 1648: Class, Geopolitics, and the Making of Modern International Relations

The Myth of 1648: Class, Geopolitics, and the Making of Modern International Relations
Benno Teschke | 2009-10-13 00:00:00 | Verso | 308 | Europe
Winner of the 2003 Isaac and Tamara Deutscher Memorial Prize, a fresh reinterpretation of the origins of modern international relations. The Treaty of Westphalia in 1648 is widely interpreted as the foundation of modern international relations. Benno Teschke exposes this as a myth. In the process he provides a fresh re-interpretation of the making of modern international relations from the eighth to the eighteenth century.

Inspired by the groundbreaking historical work of Robert Brenner, Teschke argues that social property relations provide the key to unlocking the changing meaning of 'international' across the medieval, early modern, and modern periods. He traces how the long-term interaction of class conflict, economic development, and international rivalry effected the formation of the modern system of states. Yet instead of identifying a breakthrough to interstate modernity in the so-called 'long sixteenth century' or in the period of intensified geopolitical competition during the seventeenth century, Teschke shows that geopolitics remained governed by dynastic and absolutist political communities, rooted in feudal property regimes.

The Myth of 1648 argues that the onset of specifically modern international relations only began with the conjunction of the rise of capitalism and modern state-formation in England. Thereafter, the English model caused the restructuring of the old regimes of the Continent. This was a long-term process of socially uneven development, not completed until World War I.

Download this book!

Free Ebooks Download

Eyewitness Travel Guide to Great Places to Stay in Europe

Eyewitness Travel Guide to Great Places to Stay in Europe
DK Publishing | 2000-01-01 00:00:00 | DK Travel | 432 | Europe
The guide that shows you what other travel books only tell you!

Truly the guide that shows you what others only tell you, DK's Eyewitness Travel Guide: Great Places to Stay in Europe features detailed street maps, cutaways of important attractions, a handy phrasebook, and advice on the best places to eat, shop and sleep. Wake to the sounds of cocks crowing at the Quinta Nova da Conceicao in Lisbon, enjoy opera brunches at the Pulitzer in Amsterdam, spoil yourself at the Principe di Savoia in Milan, or experience the 600-year old Zum Rebstock while in Lucerne, Switzerland. With more than 1,000 full-color photographs detailing hotel interiors and exteriors and lists of regional cuisine and beverages, there is no better way to locate some of the most charming and distinctive places to stay while in Europe.
Reviews

Beautiful DK book, printed in Italy. Glossy pages with hotels, inns, chalets, and castles across Europe. Reinforced covers.



We used this travel guide to plan an extended trip across Italy from Venice to Piedmont, and into Switzerland. The information provided was accurate, and we were pleased with every stay, from a monastery-turned-Napoleonic fort in the hills overlooking Turin, to a 400-year-old hotel in the Principality of Liechtenstein. Anyone want to send me on a second honeymoon? LOL



Great Places to Stay in Europe also includes some brief in-country tips, but you will probably want a true sightseeing guidebook for any particular region(s) you visit. I cannot speak to the revised (2003) edition, but if it is anything like the original (First American Edition, 2000), you are good to go. Oddly, Amazon shows the same number of pages (432) for both.





Full list of countries covered:



NORWAY

SWEDEN

DENMARK

IRELAND (includes NORTHERN IRELAND)

GREAT BRITAIN (ENGLAND, SCOTLAND, WALES)

THE NETHERLANDS (HOLLAND)

BELGIUM AND LUXEMBOURG

GERMANY

AUSTRIA

SWITZERLAND (includes LIECHTENSTEIN)

FRANCE

PORTUGAL

SPAIN

ITALY

GREECE




Reviews
This book has been a lifesaver. Although there is plenty of hotel information available on the internet, this would require some pre-planning. There is no substitute for simply having the addresses and phone numbers available in a book when travelling by car. The book lists quality places in the various touristic areas of Europe. When traveling in the off-season, you can simply rely on the book for last minute reservation while in the area.

Frank Loomans
Reviews
Another wonderful travel guide from Dorling Kindersley, this one covering accommodations in fifteen European countries Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Ireland, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Greece.

Great Places to Stay in Europe entices readers with stunning double-page photos prefacing each country introduction, which is an overview of the different types of accommodations, highlights of some of the most interesting places to see, food and drink suggestions, bedrooms and bathroom arrangements, and pertinent practical information such as tipping, telephoning, and currency.

Country sections are easy to spot: each is identified by its own colored thumb tab, and favorite places to stay are designated with a photo, while short entries offer excellent amenities but are rated slightly lower. Nonetheless, they are still "great places to stay." Photo listings have a description of the premises, telephone number and address, email address, map location, number of rooms, and other amenities, all designated by a symbol for easy usage. Price bands and a country map are also included as is a comprehensive index of hotels listed by name and by area. (Check for prices in Euros.)

As with DK's Eyewitness Travel Guides, Great Places to Stay in Europe is an ideal size for travel. Highly recommended.
Reviews
If I were to have a few select books on travel, this would be one of them. It is an indispensible tool for finding enjoyable places to stay. It has maps of specific countries with the locations of the hotels it describes on the map. This is really useful when you are travelling (in a car) around as opposed to just staying in one city or two. I agree with another reveiwer that the hotels/inns/palaces with pictures are generally better than entries without a picture. Sometimes the website for the establishment will be listed. One caveat... as many countries in Europe now use the euro for currency, you may have to do some math as the prices listed are in former currencies... but the "star rating" system will give you a rough idea.
Reviews
Truly outstanding publication. Perfectly organized, realistic photogrtaphs help readers select unique, charming, and exclusive inns of character. My wife wanted to stay in a castle with a moat in France. We used the book to find the perfect inn. A memorable chateau (de Boussec) in the quiet countryside, surrounded by fresh flowers, and fields of cattle. Just perfect. The Marquis (de Boussec) greeted us at the door and entertained us for dinner with his lovely wife. Our mouths watered at the homemade tenderloin and fresh berries (from the garden) served in the formal dining room. Our eyes watered when we realized we ate at a 400 year old table, where French nobility dined before us. All the hosts spoke English, all recommended unique sights. Great inns in Provence, and elsewhere. Get this book, and see a side of Europe once reserved for the aristocracy.

Download this book!

Free Ebooks Download

Church and Chronicle in the Middle Ages: Essays Presented to John Taylor

Church and Chronicle in the Middle Ages: Essays Presented to John Taylor
Ian Wood,Graham Loud | 2003-08-02 00:00:00 | Hambledon & London | 296 | Europe

Download this book!

Free Ebooks Download

Divine Feminine: Theosophy and Feminism in England (The Johns Hopkins University Studies in Historical and Political Science)

Divine Feminine: Theosophy and Feminism in England (The Johns Hopkins University Studies in Historical and Political Science)
Joy Dixon | 2001-03-09 00:00:00 | The Johns Hopkins University Press | 320 | Europe
In 1891, newspapers all over the world carried reports of the death of H. P. Blavatsky, the mysterious Russian woman who was the spiritual founder of the Theosophical Society. With the help of the equally mysterious Mahatmas who were her teachers, Blavatsky claimed to have brought the "ancient wisdom of the East" to the rescue of a materialistic West. In England, Blavatsky's earliest followers were mostly men, but a generation later the Theosophical Society was dominated by women, and theosophy had become a crucial part of feminist political culture.

Divine Feminine is the first full-length study of the relationship between alternative or esoteric spirituality and the feminist movement in England. Historian Joy Dixon examines the Theosophical Society's claims that women and the East were the repositories of spiritual forces which English men had forfeited in their scramble for material and imperial power. Theosophists produced arguments that became key tools in many feminist campaigns. Many women of the Theosophical Society became suffragists to promote the spiritualizing of politics, attempting to create a political role for women as a way to "sacralize the public sphere." Dixon also shows that theosophy provides much of the framework and the vocabulary for today's New Age movement. Many of the assumptions about class, race, and gender which marked the emergence of esoteric religions at the end of the nineteenth century continue to shape alternative spiritualities today.
Reviews
I heard about this book from a friend of mine while attending class in UBC. I'm very impressed with Dr. Dixon's arguments and opinions. I must say, I never thought a book on theosophy and feminism in England could be so intriguing. This book is a stunner, I highly recommend it. Hopefully I will be able to study under Dr. Dixon one day.

Download this book!

Free Ebooks Download