The monarchy is at the heart of British life. If you're going to understand Britain and its history, you need to understand the story of its royal family. This lively guide walks you through the history of the British monarchy from the earliest times to the present day and covers the colourful characters, extraordinary events, power struggles, and politics that have shaped one of the most famous institutions in the world.

By giving rise to new ideologies that in time transformed the political structure of much of the world, the American and French Revolutions stand as two of the most important political events in global history. The American establishment of a republican government, and the gradual expansion of democracy that ensued, altered traditional political and social thought, thus shaping the later French Revolution and creating the core ethic of later American political values. The Enlightenment ideals of the French Revolution, as later spread by the armies of Napoleon, dissolved most traditional European notions of political authority. This encyclopedia offers current, detailed information on the people, events, movements, and ideas that defined the revolutions in France and America, as well as in other parts of the world during the late eighteenth-century Age of Revolutions........

This eighth installment of Salem's Great Events from History series identifies key events that helped to shape the course of the history of the world from 1901 to 1940. In more than 1,000 essays, a plethora of topics are presented, including Canada claiming the Arctic Islands (1901); the plague killing 1.2 million in India (1907); Gertrude Ederle swimming the English Channel (1926); Stalin beginning the Purge Trials (1934); and Germany hosting the 1936 Olympics. A number of the entries are revisions of material appearing in earlier Salem publications, such as Great Events from History (1972–1980). Approximately one-quarter of the content is new. Each signed essay—averaging three to five pages—presents material in a similar, user-friendly format. At a quick glance, bold type indicates the exact date of the event, its locale, various topical categories (e.g., civil rights and liberties, science and technology), and major figures involved. This information is followed by a summary describing the event and an assessment of the historical significance or long-term ramifications. A generous annotated list of resources amd see also references wrap things up. The text is relieved somewhat by black-and-white photographs, illustrations, tables, maps, and diagrams. Sidebars provide extra information or excerpts from primary sources (speeches, writings, and other documents). Each volume also has its own unique table of contents and historical maps representing the world regions, but an alphabetically arranged keyword list of contents and a list of maps, tables, and sidebars for the whole set are also included. Volume 6, in addition to essays, houses all the indexes (geographical, category, personage, and subject); a bibliography; a "Chronological List of Entries"; and a directory of suggested electronic resources. Initially daunting in appearance due to its size, this resource is remarkably readable, and the reader is able to locate essential facts with ease. A fount of accessible, valuable material, it is a necessary purchase for libraries already owning earlier installments of this series or for institutions where curriculum has a strong focus on the early part of the twentieth century. Recommended for high-school students and above.