1. French Revolution
French Revolution traces the collapse of the Bourbon monarchy, the creation of revolutionary government and the violence and political experimentation that followed 1789. It follows events from the Estates-General and fall of the Bastille through the execution of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, the Terror and…
2. Holodomor Famine
Holodomor Famine examines the catastrophic famine that struck Soviet Ukraine in 1932–33 during Stalin’s campaign of collectivisation and grain requisitioning. It explains the policies that disrupted agriculture, the restrictions that trapped starving communities and the immense human cost of the crisis. The book also considers the…
3. The Balkan Wars
The Balkan Wars examines the two conflicts of 1912–13 that drove the Ottoman Empire from most of its remaining European territory and then divided its former allies. It explains the rival ambitions of Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece and Montenegro, the campaigns against Ottoman forces and the rapid…
4. The Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain examines the air campaign fought over Britain in 1940 after the fall of France. It explains German plans for air superiority, the organisation of RAF Fighter Command, radar and the Dowding system, and the changing targets attacked by the Luftwaffe. The book…
5. The Battle of Lepanto
The Battle of Lepanto recounts the great naval clash of 1571 between the Ottoman fleet and the Holy League assembled under Don John of Austria. It explains the struggle for control of the eastern Mediterranean, the fall of Cyprus and the coalition politics that brought Spanish,…
6. The Falklands War
The Falklands War recounts the 1982 conflict that followed Argentina’s occupation of the Falkland Islands and Britain’s decision to send a naval task force to recover them. It covers the long South Atlantic deployment, air and naval fighting, the sinking of major warships and the land…
7. The Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War traces the 1870–71 conflict in which Prussia and its German allies defeated the Second French Empire. It follows the diplomatic crisis that preceded war, the rapid German victories, the capture of Napoleon III at Sedan and the siege of Paris. The book also…
8. The Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars traces the European conflicts that grew from the French Revolution and reached their height under Napoleon Bonaparte. It follows major campaigns from Italy and Egypt through Austerlitz, the Peninsular War, the invasion of Russia and the battles that led to Napoleon’s first abdication.…
9. Women of the French Revolution
Women of the French Revolution explores the political and social roles played by women during the upheaval that began in 1789. It examines marchers, writers, salon figures, activists and royal women, including the ways they influenced debate, mobilised crowds and became targets of revolutionary suspicion. The…