Book Description

"This book is a collection of about 100 documents designed to act as ad aid to study for sixth form, college and university students who are covering European history from the seventeenth century to the present day. This collection of documents elaborates certain themes in the the history of Europe since 1648. It has grown out of the working experience of a group of university teachers concerned to introduce first-year university students to methods of historical study by reference to contemporary material. Each theme is an aspect of the basic process of European history in the modern era which is taken to be the continent and their readjustment to rising super-powers on the oceanic and continental frontiers and to changing conditions in Africa and Asia. The varied attempts by European governments and statesmen to confront the political and social problems of a period of accelerating change are illustrated while further chapters provide the opportunity of studying in some depth two occasions when particularly important new ideas and expedients were tested--the French and Russian Revolutions. The backgrounds are considered not only from the point of view of international relations but also in wider and deeper perspectives. The varying character of the relationship between Europe and the wider world is the other principal theme of the collection. There are ten chapters, each divided into sections. Each section contains one of more documents illustrating a particular topic. The editors have not aimed at comprehensive treatment of the period, but rather have chosen to elaborate certain themes. These themes they believe to be extremely important ones which do provide at least one illuminating means of approaching recent European History. While all the documents in the collection should prove useful as illustrative material, most of them have been selected with particular reference to their usefulness as material for group discussions. it seems to the editors desirable that such material should direct discussion outwards to wide controversial issues and major themes in recent European History but at the same time make it possible for students to elucidate some detailed references and to gain the benefit of narrowing the focus of their attention at certain points. Whilst bearing these aims in mind, the editors have tried also to provide sufficient variety of material to make it possible for tutors to be flexible in their approaches; thus for example, the problem of the 'New Imperialism' could be studied with the aid of any one or all of four or five documents. In pursuit of these aims, the editors have chosen documents from a wide variety of sources. Whilst including a few familiar documents, the collection generally avoids hackneyed material. Some of the choices are here translated into English for the first time."--Front and back flaps of book jacket.