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Assured Victory: How "Stalin the Great" Won the War, but Lost the Peace
by Albert L. WeeksThis book documents dictator Joseph Stalin's brilliant tactics as well as missteps in taking preemptive actions that guaranteed ultimate victory over the German invaders. It also covers the policies implemented after the war that made the Soviet Union a menace to world peace and led to collapse of Soviet rule.A detailed reexamination of historical facts indicates that Stalin could deserve to be regarded as a "great leader." Yet Stalin clearly failed as his nation's leader in a post-World War II milieu, where he delivered the Cold War instead of rapid progress and global cooperation. It is the proof of both Stalin's brilliance and blunders that makes him such a fascinating figure in modern history.Today, most of the Russian population acknowledges that Stalin achieved "greatness." The Soviet dictator's honored place in history is largely due to Stalin successfully attending to the Soviet Union's defense needs in the 1930s and 1940s, and leading the USSR to victory in the war on the Eastern Front against Nazi Germany and its allies. This book provides an overdue critical investigation of how the Soviet leader's domestic and foreign policies actually helped produce this victory, and above all, how Stalin's timely support of a wartime alliance with the Western capitalist democracies assured the defeat of the Axis powers in 1945.
Chronology of Americans and the Environment
by Chris J. MagocCovering the 17th century to the contemporary era, this chronological overview of the role of the environment provides many insights into one of the most important aspects of American history.Environmental issues such as deforestation, water pollution, extinction of indigenous animal species, and climate change have long existed in the United States. Fortunately, the American people and their government have demonstrated a willingness to address environmental concerns.Chronology of Americans and the Environment encompasses more than four centuries of dynamic and transformational environmental change that illustrate the central importance of the environment, natural resources, and "nature" throughout American history. The author provides a chronological overview of the significant events, major figures, and public policy developments throughout the history of our relationship with the environment, illustrating the sequence of historical events, cultural ideas, and trends that have led Americans to take action to protect the environment and public health. This book also touches upon prehistoric occurrences and events prior to the arrival of European explorers that provide context for Native American ideas and attitudes toward nature.
Storied Dishes: What Our Family Recipes Tell Us About Who We Are and Where We've Been
by Linda Murray BerzokWe are what we eat—not just physiologically, but culturally. This collection of cross-cultural, generational essays, and accompanying recipes shows the profound importance of food dishes within American women's lives.For people of every ethnicity, food provides much more than mere fuel for the body—it contains an invisible component that ties families and generations together with the continuity of shared experience. And for the women who are entrusted with the responsibility of keeping that priceless cultural thread intact, family recipes embody tradition, bridge generation gaps, and erase age differences.This book is organized around 50 short essays and recipes presented by women from multicultural backgrounds and dissimilar walks of life. The chapters depict the paths of these individuals in their lives and the details of how they acquired their precious family recipes. The stories document how women universally use inherited family recipes to remember and memorialize key women in their lives and to aid and measure their own growth and development. Included are reminiscences of an Egyptian aunt, a poor mother from Australia, a Katrina-flooded New Orleans family, Turkish relations, Chinese mothers, and Indian grandmothers.
Competing Voices from World War II in Europe: Fighting Words (Fighting Words)
by Harold J. GoldbergObviously, there are many books written about World War II—but very few of them present 'competing voices'. Written for college-bound high-school students, first- and second-year undergraduates and general readers of military history, Competing Voices from World War II in Europe highlights the different perspectives and views of all belligerents in the military arena, as well as describing the impact of the war on daily life.The book begins in 1939 (with the invasion of Poland) and ends in 1945 (with Germany's surrender). However, an introductory chapter puts the war in perspective by examining key events preceding the invasion of Poland, and a concluding chapter looks at the controversy surrounding the Nuremberg Trials after the end of hostilities. Though well-known, the main events of the war often remain controversial, and minor events are still relatively unexplored. Though it is often assumed that Allied victory was inevitable, and that all the Allies worked together in a seamless fashion, this book provides evidence that contradicts these basic concepts. Presented with directly reported sources, together with all the contextual information, readers will be able to develop their own opinions about events such as the Munich Conference, the defeat of France, the debate over a second front, the D-Day events of 1944, the development of Soviet-American relations throughout the war and the origins of the Cold War.
Radical Feminists: A Guide to an American Subculture (Guides to Subcultures and Countercultures)
by Paul D. BuchananThis timely new book explores the formation of the Radical Feminist Movement of the 1960s and 1970s, its prominent leaders and organizations, and the issues it sought to address.Radical Feminists: A Guide to an American Subculture provides a current, comprehensive introduction to the Radical Feminists of the 1960s and 1970s, familiarizing readers with the individuals, organizations, actions, and philosophies that comprised this now-historic movement. Of course, the feminists of the 1960s and 1970s stood on the shoulders of the crusaders who came before. Thus, the book looks at important historical events that paved the way for Radical Feminism, also examining the influence of the Women's Suffrage, Civil Rights, and New Left Movements. Specific social and political issues that concerned the Radical Feminists are explored, including sexuality, sex roles, contraception, and abortion; equal opportunity; feminism in the media; and women in leadership. Finally, the work scrutinizes the fate of the Radical Feminists and their legacy, discussing how their work affected the women's movement overall and how it affects the women—and men—of today.
Sexual Health: A Reference Handbook (Contemporary World Issues)
by David E. NewtonSexual Health provides teenagers with a comprehensive review of common problems related to sexual health, offering suggestions and resources for understanding and working through those issues.What are the major types of sexually transmitted diseases and how are they contracted and treated? How effective are different types of contraception? How do you recognize the stages of puberty? The defining feelings of sexual orientation? This candid, authoritative handbook is designed to serve young people as a reliable, enlightening source of answers to questions like these as they navigate the often confusing transition from adolescence to physical maturity. In addition to being a go-to resource on common problems related to sexual health, this welcomed volume considers a number of related issues and controversies, including sex education, the "morning after" pill, condoms in schools, and more. It also includes information on various organizations that have an interest in adolescent sexual health, as well as wide range of additional resources in print and online.
The Rise of the Federal Colossus: The Growth of Federal Power from Lincoln to F.D.R. (Praeger Series on American Political Culture)
by Peter ZavodnyikThis challenging book explores the debates over the scope of the enumerated powers of Congress and the Fourteenth Amendment that accompanied the expansion of federal authority during the period between the beginning of the Civil War and the inauguration of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.The Rise of the Federal Colossus: The Growth of Federal Power from Lincoln to F.D.R. offers readers a front-row seat for the critical phases of a debate that is at the very center of American history, exploring such controversial issues as what powers are bestowed on the federal government, what its role should be, and how the Constitution should be interpreted.The book argues that the critical period in the growth of federal power was not the New Deal and the three decades that followed, but the preceding 72 years when important precedents establishing the national government's authority to aid citizens in distress, regulate labor, and take steps to foster economic growth were established. The author explores newspaper and magazine articles, as well as congressional debates and court opinions, to determine how Americans perceived the growing authority of their national government and examine arguments over whether novel federal activities had any constitutional basis. Responses of government to the enormous changes that took place during this period are also surveyed.
Sacred Profanity: Spirituality at the Movies
by Aubrey MaloneThis book offers a history of films with Biblical, spiritual, and supernatural themes.This volume follows the evolution of one of the Hollywood's longest running thematic concerns. From the silent era to the present, Sacred Profanity: Spirituality at the Movies examines the rich diversity of films with spiritual themes—films that reflect our own fascination with the divine and supernatural, while evoking the specific times in which they were created.From Birth of a Nation to Angels and Demons, Sacred Profanity discusses over 180 films with an insightful, movie lover's approach. Coverage encompasses Biblical stories like King of Kings; films about spiritual characters, such as The Nun's Story; foreign masterpieces like The Seventh Seal; movies that incorporate spiritual symbolism, such as Taxi Driver and Cool Hand Luke; horrifying visions of the Satanic like The Exorcist, and controversial works like The Last Temptation of Christ. The book also looks at the history of Hollywood's attempt to maintain moral order through censorship, as well as the growing influence of filmmakers' own spiritual beliefs on the movies we see.
Encyclopedia of Religion and Film
by Eric Michael Mazur, EditorComprising 91 A–Z entries, this encyclopedia provides a broad and comprehensive introduction to the topic of religion within film.Technology has enabled films to reach much wider audiences, enabling today's viewers to access a dizzying number of films that employ diverse symbolism and communicate a vast array of viewpoints. Encyclopedia of Religion and Film will provide such an audience with the tools to begin their own exploration of the deeper meanings of these films and grasp the religious significance within.Organized alphabetically, this encyclopedia provides more than 90 entries on the larger religious traditions, the major film-producing regions of the globe, the films that have stirred controversy, the most significant religious symbols, and the more important filmmakers. The included topics provide substantially more information on the intersection of religion and film than any of the similar volumes currently available. While the emphasis is on the English-speaking world and the films produced therein, there is also substantial representation of non-English, non-Western film and filmmakers, providing significant intercultural coverage to the topic.
Books on Early American History and Culture, 2001–2005: An Annotated Bibliography (Bibliographies and Indexes in American History)
by Raymond D. IrwinThis volume offers a complete listing and description of books published on early America between 2001 and 2005.An extraordinary research tool, Books on Early American History and Culture, 2001-2005: An Annotated Bibliography is part of a series listing materials on the history of North America and the Caribbean from 1492 to 1815. This volume includes monographs, reference works, exhibition catalogs, and essay collections published between 2001 and 2005. Each entry provides the name of the work, its author(s) or editor(s), publisher, date of publication, ISBN and/or OCLC number(s), and the Library of Congress call number. Following each detailed citation, there is a brief summary of the work and a list of journals in which it has been reviewed. Organized thematically, the book covers, among many other topics, exploration and colonization; maritime history; environment; Native Americans; race, gender, and ethnicity; migration; labor and class; business; families; religion; material culture; science; education; politics; and military affairs.
America's Heroes: Medal of Honor Recipients from the Civil War to Afghanistan
by James H. WillbanksThis book features the stories of 200 heroic individuals awarded the Medal of Honor for their distinguished military service while fighting for their country, from the Civil War to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.America's Heroes: Medal of Honor Recipients from the Civil War to Afghanistan pays tribute to Americans who have demonstrated uncommon valor in the face of great danger. The Medal of Honor recipients featured in this book all acted heroically to earn this highly coveted award, many of them by risking—or sacrificing—their lives to save the lives of others. The stories of these individuals—chosen to reflect the wide diversity of ethnic and cultural backgrounds, branches of service, and conflicts of the recipients—will broaden readers' understanding and appreciation of the Medal of Honor and the distinguished Americans who have received it.In addition to the gripping stories of these heroic Americans, this unique encyclopedia includes an introduction that chronicles the evolution in the award's significance. The Medal of Honor has changed greatly over the last 150 years, not only in the design of the physical decoration itself, but also in terms of the qualifying criteria for the award's recipients.
The Baby Boomer Encyclopedia
by Martin GitlinThis encyclopedia defines and contextualizes the Baby Boomer generation and the wide-reaching contributions of its members throughout modern American history.Comprising some 80 million Americans born between 1946 and 1965, the Baby Boomers have significantly changed every aspect of American history and culture. The members of this generation experienced some of the most tumultuous times in American history; indeed, the Boomers helped create these pivotal eras. From the advent of rock and roll to disco and rap, from the sexual revolution to the arrival of AIDS, and from race riots to the election of a black president, Baby Boomers have seen it all.Through nearly 100 alphabetically arranged entries, this encyclopedia gives later generations insight into the contributions of the Baby Boomers, and it helps members of that generation better contextualize their own experiences. Included entries are written in a clear and engaging manner, covering politics and activism, entertainment, the economy, gender roles, arts, pop culture, sports, religion, drug and alcohol use, and many other subject areas.
Bigger Than Blockbusters: Movies That Defined America
by James RomanWhether it's the hum drum existence of Marion Crane and her illicit love affair, the psychotic antics of Norman Bates, the sudden irrational migration of birds, a crop duster swooping down on Roger Thornhill in the middle of nowhere, or Vincent Vega and Mia Wallace's unforgettable dance at Jack Rabbit Slim's - they are all cinematic moments that forever changed the psyche and viewing experience of American audiences. Bigger Than Blockbusters: Movies That Defined America tells the stories behind the most significant and influential films in American culture, movies that have had a profound influence on the literary, cinematic and popular culture of our time.Arranged chronologically, the volume gives readers an opportunity to place the films within the context of the social and cultural historic dynamic of the time, making this an ideal source for student papers and reports. Each entry includes the filmmaker, actors, release information, a synopsis of the film, critics' reviews, awards, current availability, and then background on the making of the film in an artistic, economic, and technological context. Spanning all genres, including horror and drama, adventure, comedy, musicals, science fiction, and more, this volume is loaded with enough trivia and factoids to satisfy even the most die-hard movie buff. Also included are other Greatest Films compilations from the National Society of Film Critics and noteworthy sources for comparative purposes. Guaranteed to inspire forays into film favorites as well as some very lively debate, this resource is essential reading for film lovers and students alike.
Sexual Crime: A Reference Handbook (Contemporary World Issues)
by Caryn E. NeumannA contemporary, fact-filled resource on the historical, legal, medical, and political aspects of a wide variety of sexual crimes.Authoritative and informative, Sexual Crime: A Reference Handbook offers a thoroughly up-to-date report on an issue of extraordinary urgency. It is an expert introduction to a variety of often misunderstood crimes.Sexual Crime begins with a background chapter outlining the causes and definitions of sexual crime, legal and cultural attitudes over the past three centuries, and common myths surrounding this sensitive subject. It then offers wide ranging coverage of issues, including date rape, crimes involving male victims, rape in prison, female perpetrators, medical treatments, political ramifications, and other contemporary issues.
NATO: A Guide to the Issues (Contemporary Military, Strategic, and Security Issues)
by Brian J. CollinsThis superb introduction to NATO is written for the national security novice, yet is full of insights for the more seasoned hand interested in how and why NATO reached its current state.In the more than half-century since NATO was founded, there has been endless debate about its purpose, about whether it is meeting that purpose, and about the strategies it employs to that end. Speculation has also been rife about the organization's "imminent demise." Those questions and more are the subject of NATO: A Guide to the Issues.Covering the organization from its founding in 1949 through the present, the guide examines aspects of NATO that have undergone tremendous change over the years, including its purpose, military mission, geographic concept of operations, and membership. At the same time, it explores key aspects of NATO's organization that have remained constant. These include the ability of members to participate in operations as much or as little as they desire, decision-making by consensus, and a general belief that people from different countries working together on a daily basis promotes cooperation, understanding, and friendship.
Mormonism: A Historical Encyclopedia
by W. Paul Reeve and Ardis E. Parshall, EditorsCovering its historic development, important individuals, and central ideas and issues, this encyclopedia offers broad historical coverage of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.Mormonism: A Historical Encyclopedia helps readers explore a church that has gone from being an object of ridicule and sometimes violent persecution to a worldwide religion, counting prominent businesspeople and political leaders among its members (including former Massachusetts governor and recent presidential candidate Mitt Romney).The encyclopedia begins with an overview of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—six essays cover the church's history from Joseph Smith's first vision in 1820 to its current global status. This provides a context for subsequent sections of alphabetically organized entries on key events and key figures in Mormon history. A final section looks at important issues such as the church's organization and government, its teachings on family, Mormonism and blacks, Mormonism and women, and Mormonism and Native Americans. Together, these essays and entries, along with revealing primary sources, portray the Mormon experience like no other available reference work.
Belligerents, Brinkmanship, and the Big Stick: A Historical Encyclopedia of American Diplomatic Concepts (Non-ser.)
by John M. DobsonThis encyclopedia offers authoritative coverage of the concepts, traditions, events, and individuals that shaped United States' foreign relations from the American Revolution to the present.Belligerents, Brinkmanship, and the Big Stick: A Historical Encyclopedia of American Diplomatic Concepts is the first comprehensive encyclopedic work to focus specifically on America's extraordinary history of political engagement with the world. With hundreds of alphabetically organized entries and a rich collection of primary sources, it offers a unique way of understanding the centrality of diplomacy and the role of foreign relations throughout U.S. history.The encyclopedia is divided into five chronological sections, each containing a brief introduction, topical entries, biographical portraits, and representative documents. It is designed to help readers gain a deeper understanding of both general ideas as well as specific policies like the Monroe Doctrine, the Open Door Policy, and Shuttle Diplomacy. By examining seminal events, important ideas, and individual contributions in the context of U.S. history, the encyclopedia reveals the underlying traditions and motivations of American foreign policy as it has evolved over time.
Cold War and McCarthy Era: People and Perspectives (Perspectives in American Social History)
by Caroline S. EmmonsThis volume offers readers the opportunity to see how the Cold War and McCarthy eras affected men, women, and children of varying backgrounds, providing a more personal examination of this important era.Studies of the Cold War often focus on the political power players who shaped American/Soviet relations. Cold War and McCarthy Era: People and Perspectives shifts the spotlight to show how the fear of a Soviet attack and Communist infiltration affected the daily life of everyday Americans.Cold War and McCarthy Era gauges the impact of McCarthyism on a wide range of citizens. Chapters examine Cold War-era popular culture as well as the community-based Civil Defense Societies. Essays, key primary documents, and other reference tools further readers' understanding of how official reactions to Communist threats, both real and perceived, altered every aspect of American society.
The Montgomery Bus Boycott: A History and Reference Guide (Non-ser.)
by Cheryl PhibbsA revealing, comprehensive, and detailed account focusing on the people and personalities behind the Montgomery, Alabama, Bus Boycott in 1955–1956, which became the catalyst for a national civil rights movement.The Montgomery Bus Boycott: A History and Reference Guide offers a comprehensive account of a critical turning point in American history. It offers a richly detailed chronological trip through post-World War II Southern society to the early 1960s, then focuses on the day-to-day frustrations, challenges, and victories of the people behind the protest that inspired a nationwide movement.The Montgomery Bus Boycott fills a gap in available resources with its comprehensive portrait of mid-1950s Montgomery—the mainly black, uneducated female protestors, activist Rosa Parks, Dr. King, and the white society desperate to keep intact the only culture they understood. Firsthand news reports, editorials, quotes, eyewitness accounts, and behind-the-scenes stories of political maneuvering help readers experience this dramatic—and still reverberating—victory over oppression.
Political Campaigns and Political Advertising: A Media Literacy Guide
by Frank W. BakerExamining political campaigns and political advertising through the analytical lens of media literacy, this well-illustrated and timely handbook guides readers through the maze of blandishments and spin that is the hallmark of the modern political campaign. It dissects the persuasive strategies embedded in the political messages we encounter every day in the media and demonstrates the importance of critical thinking in evaluating media stories. Key concepts of media literacy are applied to political advertising in traditional media (newspapers, television, radio) and on the Internet, the new frontier of the political advertising wars. Dealing with blogs, social networking, user-generated Web sites, and other electronic formats familiar to young voters, this lively introduction to the new world of political messaging appeals to readers' affinity for visual learning as well as their ability to discern messages in text.Unique in applying media literacy concepts to the political context while directly addressing students and general readers, this book not only explains but graphically demonstrates both established techniques of political framing and the new avenues of persuasion being pioneered in digital media. It will also interest viewers who like their political news in traditional media but unconventional formats.
Beatniks: A Guide to an American Subculture (Guides to Subcultures and Countercultures)
by Alan BisbortThis is a revealing look at the events and personalities that defined the Beat Generation, drawing on over three decades of research.Beatniks: A Guide to an American Subculture gets readers past the caricature of the "beatnik" as a goateed, beret-wearing, bongo-playing poseur, drawing on extensive research to show just how profound an impact the beats had on American culture, politics, and literature. Beatniks conveys the complexity, influences, events, and places that shaped the Beat Generation from the late 1940s to the cusp of the 1960s. The book also features a series of essays on specific aspects of the subculture, as well as interviews with Beat Generation luminaries like Allen Ginsberg, Ann Charters, Roy Harper and Michael McClure. Throughout, readers will meet an extraordinary gallery of people both famous—Jack Kerouac, William Burroughs, Neal Cassady—and lesser known but no less fascinating, including Kenneth Patchen, Lord Buckley, Mort Sahl, Jack Micheline, Lew Welch, Joan Vollmer Adams, and Lenore Kandel. Also included is a detailed glossary with the origins and meanings of the beat lingo.
African Americans in the Nineteenth Century: People and Perspectives (Perspectives in American Social History)
by Dixie Ray HaggardA revealing volume that portrays the lives of African Americans in all its variety across the entire 19th century—combining coverage of the pre- and post-Civil War eras.Uniquely inclusive, African Americans in the Nineteenth Century: People and Perspectives offers a wealth of insights into the way African Americans lived and how slave-era experiences affected their lives afterward. Coverage goes beyond well-known figures to focus on the lives of African American men, women, and children across the nation, battling the oppression and prejudice that didn't stop with emancipation while they tried to establish their place as Americans.The book ranges from the African origins of African American communities to coverage of slave communities, female slaves, slave–slave holder relations, and freed persons. Additional chapters look at African Americans in the Civil War, Reconstruction, and Jim Crow eras. An alphabetically organized "mini-encyclopedia," plus additional information sources round out this eye-opening work of social history.
America's Sexual Transformation: How the Sexual Revolution's Legacy Is Shaping Our Society, Our Youth, and Our Future (Sex, Love, and Psychology)
by Gary F. KellyThis book explains how the short-lived sexual revolution 50 years ago has led to the current evolution of our sexual values and behaviors and social standards among youth culture, examining topics such as communication technologies and sex, teen pregnancy, and divorce rates in the Bible Belt.Is an increase in sexual activity during adolescence a normal part of the transition to adulthood, or evidence of a societal problem? Why would conservative religious youth become sexually active earlier than their peers and be more likely to have an unintended pregnancy or sexually transmitted disease? How are women continuing to lead our society's sexual transformation?Written by an author whose 40-year career in sexology and university administration provides a uniquely qualified perspective upon both sex research and the changing sexual perceptions of American youth, this comprehensive book is must-read for both parents and policy makers. America's Sexual Transformation traces the philosophical, cultural, and scientific developments responsible for the beginning and end of America's sexual revolution that have now spawned a more substantive sexual transformation. It examines traditional theories and attitudes regarding sex, and demonstrates how the findings of sex research provide entirely new paradigms that should replace outmoded and harmful theories. This groundbreaking book also explains who we are as sexual individuals and how we got to be that way.
The Sporting Life: Victorian Sports and Games (Victorian Life and Times)
by Nancy Fix AndersonThis lively and intriguing study looks at the way sports both reflected and shaped Victorian society.Just as our own games have a lot to say about modern American culture, so sports are a prism through which we can gain valuable insights into Victorian society. The Sporting Life: Victorian Sports and Games is an engaging and perceptive account of how sport developed during Britain's heyday, who played (and who wasn't allowed to play), and what it all conveys about gender, race, imperialism, and national pride.Drawing extensively on 19th-century writings, The Sporting Life begins with a survey of sports in pre-Victorian England and the impact of industrialism in the early 19th century. We read of the effects of evangelicalism and utilitarianism, both of which first opposed sport, then used it for their own purposes. We learn of the association of sports with masculinity, an identification women challenged late in the century. Finally we learn how English sports became part of the imperial game, used to promote—and resist—the spread of Victoria's vast empire.
Monsters in the Mirror: Representations of Nazism in Post-War Popular Culture
by Sara Buttsworth and Maartje Abbenhuis, EditorsThis collection provides readers with a comprehensive overview of postwar representations of Nazism in popular culture, documenting and critiquing their enormous impact and importance.From Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator to the depiction of Nazis in the Raiders of the Lost Ark to other various literature, comic books, video games, television programs, and pop music, Nazism has maintained a constant presence in popular culture after World War II. Why are representations of Nazism—which are often used to depict the ultimate expression of human evil—so entrenched in our culture?Each chapter in this book examines this multifaceted topic from different angles, highlighting the different incidences of Nazistic representations in the post-1945 period. The diverse subject matter in this text ranges from analysis of recent allo-historical novels, to the music of the "neo-folk" movement, to fetishes and pornography. Readers will gain insight on how the imagery and symbology of Nazism in popular culture has changed over time and understand how the disconnect between representations of Nazism and the historical record have developed, particularly with regard to the genocide that resulted from Nazi politics.