Books by Jeremy Black

Political decisions are never taken in a vacuum but are shaped both by current events and historical context. Working forward from the later seventeenth century, this book explores the 'deep history' of the changing and competing understandings within the Tory party of the role Britain has aspired to play on a world stage.

This essential book offers a compelling and original interpretation of the rise of military aviation. Jeremy Black, one of the world's finest scholars of military history, provides a lucid analysis of the use of airpower over land and sea both during the two world wars and the more limited wars of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

Following on from Jeremy Black's previous studies on eighteenth-century foreign policy Politics and Foreign Policy under George and The Collapse of the Anglo-French Alliance, this new book covers the period from the end of the Anglo-French alliance in 1731 to the declaration of war in 1744.

Through its focus on the relationship between foreign and domestic politics, this book provides a new perspective on the events of George I's reign (1714-27). Based on a wealth of British and foreign primary sources.

In this up-to-date account of European warfare since 1815, important treatments of major conflicts - especially World Wars I and II - are combined with insightful analyses of military developments and of their wider political and social contexts.

It was during the course of the eighteenth century that Britain status as a major maritime and commercial power was forged, shaping the political, economic and military policies of the nation for the next two centuries. This title examines how British political culture and public debate in this period responded to.

What is total war? Definitions abound, but one thing is certain-the concept of total war has come to be seen as a defining concept of the modern age. In The Age of Total War, celebrated historian Jeremy Black explores the rise and demise of an era of total war, which he defines in terms of the intensity of the struggle, the range (geographical and/or chronological) of conflict, the nature of the goals, and the extent to which civil society was involved. He contends that this era (roughly 1860-1945) was markedly different from the warfare that characterized earlier periods, and that it is very different from the situation that has evolved since, with its emphasis on asymmetrical conflict and limited warfare.Acknowledging that various definitions are problematic and often contradictory, Black argues that 1860 to 1945 was an era in which the prospect of war and the consequences of it were crucially important for human history. Trends and developments subsequent to 1945 have combined, Black asserts, to make a return to total war unlikely.

The 17th century has been seen as a period of 'crisis' or transition from the pre-modern to the modern world. Jeremy Black explores this crucial period in world history from the perspective of war and military institutions. Genuinely global in range, the book engages with and challenges the idea of a 'military revolution'.

A thought-provoking and important book that raises essential issues crucial not only for understanding our past but also the present day.In this panoramic history, Jeremy Black tells how slavery was first developed in the ancient world, and reaches all the way to the present in the form of contemporary crimes such as trafficking and bonded labour. He shows how slavery has taken many forms throughout history and across the world - from the uprising of Spartacus, the plantations of the West Indies, and the murderous forced labour of the gulags and concentration camps.Slavery helped to consolidate transoceanic empires and helped mould new world societies such as America and Brazil. Black charts the long fight for abolition in the nineteenth century, looking at both the campaigners as well as the harrowing accounts of the enslaved themselves.Slavery is still with us today, and coerced labour can be found closer to home than one might expect.

Jeremy Black sets the politics of eighteenth century Britain into the fascinating context of social, economic, cultural, religious and scientific developments. The second edition of this successful text by a leading authority in the field has now been updated and expanded to incorporate the latest research and scholarship.

This book provides an accessible and up-to-date account of the rich military history of the nineteenth century. It takes a fresh approach, making novel links with conflict and coercion, and moving away from teleological emphases. Naval developments and warfare are included, as are social and cultural dimensions of military activity.

Examines the influence of trade and empire from 1689 to 1815, a crucial period for British foreign policy and state-building. This book also analyzes how the relationships between trade, empire and foreign policy were perceived abroad and how this contributed to an analysis of Britain as a distinctive state, and with what consequences.

Provides an overview of Great Power politics and world order. This book offers historical case-studies, which throw light on both the power in question and the international system of the period, and how it had developed from the preceding period. It is intended for students of international relations, strategic studies and international history.

Relations with Continental Europe have been a central issue in British history. It is at once an important contribution to British history and a crucial work for those seeking to understand Britain's past and present position in Europe.

A New History of England

Travel for pleasure developed greatly in the 18th century, and here Jeremy Black examines travel on the Continent, the so-called "Grand Tour".

Focusing on navies as instruments of power and analysing what they indicate about the nature of state systems and cultures all over the world, Black provides an overview of the most significant debates within the field.

This new edition of this highly successful and influential work includes two entirely new chapters - on Europe and the wider world and on the Revolutionary crisis - and is extensively revised throughout.

Providing an account of the nature, purpose and experience of war since 1450, this text investigates both land and sea warfare and examines weaponry, tactics, strategy and resources as well as the political, social and cultural impact of conflict.

Jeremy Black's compelling text provides a thematic account of British history centering on the twentieth century. These include political structures, ideologies, wars and international relations, economic history, social history as well as consumerism, media and mass communication.