Books by Peter Lewis

A fresh, stimulating look at Adolf Hitler and his dictatorship throughout the study of ten key aspects. Hitler's tyranny is still difficult to understand today. In this book, Ralf Georg Reuth examines ten aspects of this catastrophe. Among other things, he asks: Was anti-Semitism more pronounced in Germany than elsewhere? Was Versailles really responsible for Hitler's rise and why did the Germans follow a racial fanatic like him? How did his war differ from all others before it? The disturbing answers provide an overall picture that shows Hitler was not the consequence of the depths of German history, but the result of chance, deception, and seduction. This thought-provoking new study takes aim at several of the norms of Hitler scholarship from the past forty years. Reuth interrogates and challenges a range of orthodox views on such topics as how mainstream politicians facilitated Hitler's rise to power, the Führer's infamous pact with Stalin, and the complicity of ordinary Germans in his genocidal tyranny. Eschewing a conventional chronological approach in favor of a forensic analysis of Hitler's mainsprings of action both as chancellor and military commander, Reuth portrays Hitler as the apotheosis of what he argues is a specifically German strain of militarism and imperialism, shifting the focus firmly back to the mindset and modus operandi of Hitler himself. The portrait that emerges is one of a murderous fantasist and political opportunist driven by an all-embracing ideology of racial superiority. Reuth's account courts controversy on a number of points and offers a fascinating counterpoint to much recent scholarship.

In the decades since independence, the countries of sub-Saharan Africa have faced three central dilemmas of development. The first has been the challenge of state building. In the wake of colonial rule, governments have encountered the problems of establishing legitimate authority and constructing capable states.

Providing a broad historical perspective on Africa's political and economic development and an overview of current problems and prospects, this collection of articles offers insight into the major questions, theories and challenges in African development.

War words have embedded themselves in our collective psyche; British politicians are fond of invoking the 'Dunkirk spirit' whenever the country is faced with major crisis or even minor adversity, and Roosevelt's famous description of Pearl Harbor as 'a date which will live in infamy' was echoed by many US commentators after the 9/11 attacks. So far, so familiar. Or is it? How many of us know, for instance, that 'Keep Calm and Carry On', far from achieving its morale-boosting aim, was considered at the time to be deeply patronizing by the people it was directed at, and so had only limited distribution? The Word at War explores 100 phrases spawned and popularized in the lead-up and during the conflict of World War Two. Substantial essays explore and explain the derivations of, and the stories behind, popular terms and phraseology of the period, including wartime speeches (and the words of Churchill, Hitler and FDR); service slang; national stereotypes; food and drink; and codewords.

Indonesian and Nigerian politics paralleled each other to a remarkable degree before diverging suddenly when oil money came into play. This book suggests that the explanation for this divergence is found in each country's way of confronting policy reform and developing institutions for economic growth.

Presents a look at one of the first major railway disasters in Britain, the fall of the Dee bridge in May 1847, which occurred just outside Chester with the loss of five lives. This book provides detailed technical insight and is illustrated with contemporary material. It is useful for engineering students, historians and railway enthusiasts.

The new edition of this popular and widely-used text includes entirely new chapters on political economy and South Africa and has been thoroughly revised throughout to reflect the major changes in Africa and in the wider world since the end of the Cold War.