About national and international power in the "modern" or Post Renaissance period. Explains how the various powers have risen and fallen over the 5 centuries since the formation of the "new monarchies" in W. Europe.

Paul Kennedy owes a great deal to the editor who persuaded him to add a final chapter to this study of the factors that contributed to the rise and fall of European powers since the age of Spain’s Philip II. This tailpiece indulged in what was, for an historian, a most unusual activity: it looked into the future. Pondering whether the United States would ultimately suffer the same decline as every imperium that preceded it, it was this chapter that made The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers a dinner party talking point in Washington government circles. In so doing, it elevated Kennedy to the ranks of public intellectuals whose opinions were canvassed on matters of state policy. From a strictly academic point of view, the virtues of Kennedy's work lie elsewhere, and specifically in his flair for asking the sort of productive questions that characterize a great problem-solver. Kennedy's work is an example of an increasingly rare genre – a work of comparative history that transcends the narrow confines of state– and era–specific studies to identify the common factors that underpin the successes and failures of highly disparate states. Kennedy's prime contribution is the now-famous concept of ‘imperial overstretch,’ the idea that empires fall largely because the military commitments they acquire during the period of their rise ultimately become too much to sustain once they lose the economic competitive edge that had projected them to dominance in the first place. Earlier historians may have glimpsed this central truth, and even applied it in studies of specific polities, but it took a problem-solver of Kennedy's ability to extend the analysis convincingly across half a millennium.

Embark on a journey through time with 'The History of Empires: Rise and Fall of Great Powers,' a comprehensive exploration of the world’s most influential empires. From the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt to the sprawling dominions of Rome and Byzantium, and onto the more recent British and French colonial empires, this book delves into the origins, zeniths, and eventual declines of history's most powerful realms. Each chapter examines the unique political, economic, cultural, and military aspects that contributed to the rise and fall of these great powers. Rich with detailed case studies and insightful analysis, this book offers invaluable lessons on the cyclical nature of empires, their lasting legacies, and their profound impact on the modern world. Perfect for history enthusiasts, scholars, and anyone interested in the grand narratives of human civilization, this book provides a deeper understanding of the forces that have shaped our world.

About national and international power in the "modern" or Post Renaissance period. Explains how the various powers have risen and fallen over the 5 centuries since the formation of the "new monarchies" in W. Europe. "From the Trade Paperback edition.

Drawing in lessons from 400 years of Great-Power politics, this volume challenges both the "declinist" arguments and the overstretched hypothesis of Paul Kennedy to develop an alternative approach to the debate on the rise and fall of the Great Powers. The first half of the book compares the Spanish, Dutch and the First and Second British world orders. It identifies their common features in order to find the most salient causes for their rise as world powers, and the most probable reasons for their decline. The second half of the book addresses the American world order in the 20th century, from Pax Americana to the End of US Hegemony. The author sees the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the resurgence of the US as evidence of the role played by normative dimensions, commonly underestimated in International Relations analysis. Theoretically challenging, Knutsen's volume provides a fresh approach to debates in international relations aimed at both students and scholars.

This is a lucid and well-structured text dealing with key issues in international affairs from the period of German unification to the aftermath of World War I. It: * Provides excellent explanation and analysis of the central issues * Clarifies a notoriously complex period of international history * Updates traditional books in this field of 19th and 20th century diplomatic/international history * Takes a thematic approach * Leads students through the main events and reviews recent trends in historical debate and scholarship * Includes an annotated bibliography Consideration of `the German problem' and `the Balkan problem' have taken on a new urgency and relevance with recent developments in Europe, and this book provides an excellent introduction to the subject.

Theory and History in International Relations is an eloquent plea to scholars of global politics to turn away from the "manufacture" of data and return to a systematic study of history as a basic for theory. While the modest use of empiricism will always be important, Puchala rejects the logical positivism of the so-called "scientific revolution" in the field in favor of a more complex, even intuitive, vision of global politics. He addresses the potential uses of history in studying some of the major debates of our time-the Cold War as a struggle between empires, the collision of civilizations, cultural encounters and colonies in the ancient world, and liberal approaches to the understanding of history and ethical contributions to the dialogue over theory.

Arguing that we live in a world where great powers - such as China and the EU - are not helpless in the face of the United States, this text contends that the other major nations of the world must work alongside the US in order to counter-balance America's current dominance of the international political scene.

This is a detailed, single volume analysis of Britain's changing position in the world during the twentieth century. It places British policy making in the appropriate domestic and international contexts, offers an alternative to the more negative, 'decline'-obsessed assessments of Britain's role and influence in global affairs. This book suggests that Britain's leaders did a better job than some historians think. Michael Turner, in order to understand why they took the options they did, investigates their motives and aims within the international environment within which they operated.