any rec on the rise of socialism/communism/and fascism in the 1900's not written with bias? From more of a sociological take, rather then a strictly historical.
Noob Question: What books should I be reading to get the flavor for this period?
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ha well I meant with as little as possible. I just don't want to pick up some ultra capitalist/conservatives take on the events.
Well, I can only recommend hobsbawm again. He certinaly isn't unbiased, he's a Marxist, but he analyses things well and doesn't tend to stray into opinion too much.
The Age of Revolution: Europe 1789-1848, The Age of Capital: 1848-1875 and The Age of Empire: 1875-1914. look like the three you're referring too. Yeah these look pretty god. Just what I was looking for.
Those are the ones. Though you will find more about Fascism in The Age of Extremes.
Henry Kissinger's Diplomacy.
That book made me play now as France and play a Balance-of-Power game by preventing Prussia to form Germany, and by preventing Austria to become all too powerful.
To this end, I allied now with Bavaria and several other small states in Germany... plus the Russian Empire. That's definitely gonna prevent the Prussians ever to attack the smaller states. Ha!
All this is explained very well in Kissinger's Diplomacy (he points out that the not-so-smart moves of Napoleon III actually allowed Germany to become too powerful).
That book made me play now as France and play a Balance-of-Power game by preventing Prussia to form Germany, and by preventing Austria to become all too powerful.
To this end, I allied now with Bavaria and several other small states in Germany... plus the Russian Empire. That's definitely gonna prevent the Prussians ever to attack the smaller states. Ha!
All this is explained very well in Kissinger's Diplomacy (he points out that the not-so-smart moves of Napoleon III actually allowed Germany to become too powerful).
That book is in my to-do pile (I got it second hand, so he didn't get a penny), is it as good as I've heard?
For a focused but relevant biography set in this period, I recommend Stanley: The Impossible Life of Africa's Greatest Explorer by Tim Jeal.
I'd recommend Hannah Arendt's brilliant "The Origins of Totalitarianism". It deals with Nazism and Stalinism though, (so not fascism and "regular" communism as she claims they're not truly totalitarian). Part 3 is a pure sociological analysis, while part 1 and 2 are hhistorical and less exciting.
Also she is to the best of my knowledge as unbiased as can be.
If you're looking for fiction, not history, that gives a good feeling for the period, I would recommend the FLashman books by George MacDonald Fraser. There is a huge series of them, following the exploits of the bully from Tom Brown's Schooldays. Very entertaining and well researched (with many interesting footnotes) it is a great way to immerse yourself in the period.
Not really a book, but there is also the old BBC tv show "Fall of Eagles" which is nice to get immersed in this time period
Actually there is a factual book which accompanies the series. I got it last year and its cool, but the copy was ancient and literally fell to pieces while I read it.
Wikipedia is also good for getting some knowlege about the period. I like to look up the history of states,wars,regions etc after playing Victoria 2 to get more depth.. And also to read more about whan happens in events.
As for fiction on the period, the book Things fall apart by Chinua Achebe is a good book. It deals with how life was in Nigeria before it was colonized, and also how the people there experienced the later colonization.
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This isn't just for the Victorian era but are there any good books on Irish and Scottish History, particularly dealing with the periods of English rule and their fight against it?
Anyone know any good books for this time period that are NOT text books or straight history books? They can be such dull reading and only cover grand events, so to speak. I know I can grab Dickens or Twain for a good look at US and UK during this period but what about the rest of the world?
Twilight of the Habsburgs: The Life and Times of Emperor Francis Joseph by Alan Palmer is probably the most up-to-date book on Austria from the game's period you can find and it also covers a fair bit on the rest of the world at the time. Edvard Radzinsky's Alexander II: The Last Great Tsar is great to get an idea of Tsarist Russia. Hopkirks The Great Game has already been mentioned but if you want to extend the timeframe into the WWI-era and beyond Tournament of Shadows: The Great Game and the Race for Empire in Central Asia by Karl E. Meyer and Shareen Blair Brysac is also excellent, if a bit dryer. For the United States, the various volumes of the Oxford Histroy of the United States that cover the game period (What Hath God Wrought and Battle Cry of Freedom) are quite good.