In 1914, the assassination of Austro-Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand became the catalyst for a great war that swept over the world. Anxious Americans watched as the conflict widened and eventually engulfed their nation. President Woodrow Wilson believed a war would "make the world safe for democracy." When World War I ended, Wilson struggled to establish the League of Nations, the blueprint for the future United Nations, but the American public was more interested in technological advances like the automobile, radio, camera, refrigerator, and commercial aviation that changed the way they lived.
The Caucasian Republics examines the three republics of the Transcaucasus - Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia - which are situated in the area between Europe and Asia, extending from the Greater Caucasus to the Turkish and Iranian borders, between the Black and Caspian seas. Although small and isolated by mountain chains, the region's location at crossroads between major world cultures has historically enhanced its importance as it served as a buffer zone between competing nations and a center of trade.
From the vast empire Mongolians built after Ghenghis Khan united them in the 13th century- which at its height stretched from the pacific Ocean to the Black Sea- to periods under Chinese and then Soviet control to today when the Buddhist traditions that were once repressed are flourishing and the country is struggling to implement economic reforms.
Since the first edition of Hungary was published, Hungary has elected several post-Communist governments, Joined NATO, begun membership talks with the EU, and made substantial progress in dealing with its economic problems. This updated and revised edition chronicles the history of Hungary, from its ancient origins to its current affairs.
The first in the new Nations in Transition series, this should be a godsend for students seeking current information on Russia. Kort, author of several other books on Russia and the Soviet Union, does an admirable job of condensing Russian history, from the Kievian city-states to the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.
