Books by Jeremy Black

Britain yesterday; America today. The reality of being top dog is that everybody hates you. In this provocative book, noted historian and commentator Jeremy Black shows how criticisms of the legacy of the British Empire are, in part, criticisms of the reality of American power today. He emphasizes the prominence of imperial rule in history and in the world today, and the selective way in which certain countries are castigated. Imperial Legacies is a wide-ranging and vigorous assault on political correctness, its language, misuse of the past, and grasping of both present and future.

A concise and very readable history that explores not just the history of Spain itself, but of Spain in the world, from Columbus's first voyage, in 1492, that was central to Spain's global impact, to the loss of Cuba, the Philippines and Puerto Rico in 1898. Spain's colonies were vitally important to its domestic and European position.

Tracing the development of the University of Exeter over the six decades since it was granted its royal charter in 1955, this book tells the history of the institution and its community. Jeremy Black draws on a wide range of resources, from archival material to the personal recollections of staff and students. He records and analyses the story of the university as it engaged with the need to expand and evolve while responding to constant financial and political pressures. The book includes interviews with leading university figures, contributions from former students, and a postscript looking to the future. It charts the University of Exeter's changing place in the world of higher education.from the author's Preface In 2013-14, I wrote The City on the Hill: A Life of the University of Exeter, which was published in 2015 as part of the university's Diamond Jubilee. That extensively illustrated and very heavy book is a worthy memorial. This is adifferent book: it draws on some additional research, while the opportunity to rewrite the study, and bring it up to date has proved welcome. The work has been greatly eased by the great friendship and wonderful co-operation I haveencountered. Staff and students, past and present, have given much time, to pass on information and opinion, to answer questions, and to read and comment on drafts.'

A sweeping history of nations grappling for control of a continent

Englishness is an idea, a consciousness and a proto-nationalism. There is no English state within the United Kingdom, no English passport, Parliament or currency, nor any immediate prospect of any. That does not mean that England lacks an identity, although English nationalism, or at least a distinctive nationalism, has been partly forced upon the English by the development in the British Isles of strident nationalisms that have contested Britishness, and with much success. So what is happening to the United Kingdom, and, within that, to England? Jeremy Black looks to the past in order to understand the historical identity of England, and what it means for English nationalism today, in a post-Brexit world. The extent to which English nationalism has a "deep history" is a matter of controversy, although he seeks to demonstrate that it exists, from 'the Old English State' onwards, predating the Norman invasion. He also questions whether the standard modern critique of politically partisan, or un-British, Englishness as "extreme" is merited? Indeed, is hostility to "England," whatever that is supposed to mean, the principal driver of resurgent English nationalism? The Brexit referendum of 2016 appeared to have cancelled out Scottish and other nationalisms as an issue, but, in practice, it made Englishness a topic of particular interest and urgency, as set out in this short history of its origins and evolution.

Tracing the development of the University of Exeter over the six decadessince it was granted its royal charter in 1955, this book tells the historyof the institution and its community. Includes interviews with leading university figures, contributions from former students, and a postscript looking to the future.

This interdisciplinary book assesses the causes of war, considering what war actually is-key for understanding its causes. Black marshals global examples from the fifteenth century to the present, analyzing the three main types of war-between cultures, within cultures, and civil-emphasizing the social and cultural factors leading to conflict.

A concise and very readable history of what we know today as Italy, from prehistory right up to the present day.

Sumer was the first literary culture in the history of the world, as early as 2500 BC. Dr Black explroes how we can "read" this oldest poetry today. His account is structured around the the narrative poem that treats the hero Lugalbanda and his enounter with a monstrous bird.

This text provides an innovative global military history that joins three periods-World War I, the interwar years, and World War II. Jeremy Black offers a comprehensive survey of both wars, comparing continuities and differences. He traces the causes of each war and assesses land, sea, and air warfare as separate dimensions.

This best-selling guide will help you get to grips with the larger themes and issues behind historical study, while also showing you how to formulate your own ideas in a clear, analytical style.

This book tells the story of a group of islands, their peoples, and their remarkable impact on the rest of the world. Concise and authoritative, it provides a balanced and absorbing narrative of an extraordinary shared past, with equal attention paid to England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. This new edition brings the story up to the present day, and pays greater attention to social developments

From the vantage point of the 21st century, this short history looks back to the age of extremes. Jeremy Black goes beyond the two world wars to focus on the great themes of the 20th century: the crisis of the earth's environment, religion, fundamentalism and politics.

This book provides the first broad history of the evolution of combined operations since antiquity. Jeremy Black provides a balanced assessment of strategic, operational, and technical developments over time, considering both the potential and the limitations of amphibious and airborne warfare-past, present, and future.

This book provides a global history of contemporary land warfare. Black argues that although it has always been critical to the outcome of conflicts worldwide, land warfare has become undervalued in comparison to air power in modern military thinking. Ultimately, he contends, there is no substitute for the control provided by boots on the ground.

The years between 1744 and 1757 were a testing time for the British government as political unrest at home exploded into armed rebellion, whilst on the continent French armies were repeatedly victorious. Providing an analytical narrative, supported by thematic chapters, this book examines the relationship between Britain''s politics and foreign policy in a period not hitherto treated as a unit. Building upon methods employed in the preceding two books (''Politics and Foreign Policy in the Age of George I, 1714-1727'' and ''Politics and Foreign Policy, 1727-44''), this volume charts the significant political changes of 1744-57. It shows how ministerial change and political fortunes were closely linked to foreign policy, with foreign policy affecting, and being affected by, political developments. In particular, it asks important questions about the politics and foreign policy of these years and thus reconsiders the context of imperial growth, economic development and political stability. Far from being simply a study of individual episodes, the book outlines the structural aspects of the relationship between foreign policy and politics, examining issues of political stability, motivation and effectiveness. In particular, the role of monarch, Court and ministers are considered alongside those of Parliament, parliamentary politics, and the public sphere of discussion, notably, but not only, the press. The book therefore offers a guided narrative that both uses and builds on the analysis offered by contemporary commentators, and provides an informed assessment of the significance of the ideas, terms and language employed in eighteenth-century Britain to discuss foreign policy and politics.

Tracing naval warfare from the 1860s into the future, noted historian Jeremy Black provides a dynamic account of strategy and warfare worldwide. He focuses on the interplay of technological development, geopolitics, and resource issues to assess not only the role of leading powers but all those involved in naval conflict.