Each book in the Seminar Studies series provides a concise and reliable introduction to a wide range of complex historical events and debates, covering topics in British, European, US and world history from the medieval period to the present day. Written by acknowledged experts and including supporting material such as extracts from historical documents, chronologies, glossaries, guides to key figures and further reading suggestions, Seminar Studies titles are essential reading for students of history.
Almost half a century after its launch, the series continues to introduce students to the problems involved in explaining the past, giving them the opportunity to grapple with historical documents and encouraging them to reach their own conclusions. To submit proposals for new books in the Seminar Studies series, please contact the series editors:
Mark Stoyle: [email protected] Gordon Martel: [email protected]
By Mary L. Hanneman
June 27, 2001
By 1925 the process of Japan's transition to a modern industrialised, westernised state was pretty much complete. Not only had the imperial tradition been restored with the Meiji Restoration in 1868, but some forms of democratic parliamentary institutions had been set up. However, during the ...
By Derek Offord
July 06, 1999
This new Seminar Study provides students with a rewarding introduction to nineteenth-century Russia. This period of Russian history is, of course, characterised by the flowering of an enormously rich intellectual and cultural life, the origins of which lie in the intelligentsia¿s opposition to ...
By P. Limm
December 18, 1989
The Dutch Revolt 1559-1648 begins by illustrating the historical background and causes of the revolt. This is followed by chronological sections devoted to each phase of the revolt and an assesment section that takes a more thematic approach, looking at the military, economic, ...
By Martyn Bennett
August 31, 1995
The English Civil War (1642-53) is one of the most crucial periods in British history. Martyn Bennett introduces the reader to the main debates surrounding the Civil War which continue to be debated by historians. He considers the repercussions both on government and religion, of Parliament's ...
By W. J. Sheils
March 28, 1989
The changes brought about during the English Reformation clearly reflected the desire of the Crown, government and landed classes to reduce the political power and landed wealth of the late medieval Church. This book covers the background to the Reformation, the processes which brought about these ...
By Alan James
April 13, 2006
This controversial study takes the provocative line that the French monarchy was a complete success. James turns the idea of royal absolutism on its head by redefining the French monarchys success from 1598 - 1661. The Origins of French Absolutism, 1598-1661 maintains that ...
By Anthony Wood
May 06, 1986
A popular concise guide - one of the clearest available on the Russian Revolution....
By Susan R. Grayzel
November 10, 2014
The First World War was the first modern, total war, one requiring the mobilisation of both civilians and combatants. Particularly in Europe, the main theatre of the conflict, this war demanded the active participation of both men and women. Women and the First World War provides an introduction to...
By John Miller
May 28, 1997
First published in 1983, John Miller's Glorious Revolution established itself as the standard introduction to the subject. It examines the dramatic events themselves and demonstrates the profound impact the Revolution had on subsequent British history. The Second Edition contains a fuller ...
By R. J. Knecht
June 10, 2010
In the second half of the sixteenth century, France was racked by religious civil wars and peace was only restored when Henry of Navarre finally converted to Catholicism, deciding – in his immortal phrase – that 'Paris is worth a mass'. In this lucid introduction to a complex period in French ...
By Nicholas Morton
November 22, 2012
This new addition to the popular Seminar Studies series looks at the origins, development and organisation of the Military Orders during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, showing how they functioned as a form of religious life and concentrating on their role in the Crusades and in the ...
By Martyn Housden
October 31, 2011
The League of Nations - pre-cursor to the United Nations - was founded in 1919 as a response to the First World War to ensure collective security and prevent the outbreak of future wars. It was set up to facilitate diplomacy in the face of future international conflict, but also to work towards ...