References sources provide information about specific people, events, and topics. These can be great sources to help identify effect keywords when searching primary sources, and often provide citations for additional information including other primary or secondary sources.
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The Oxford Companion to World War II by 
American Women During World War II by
American Women during World War II documents the lives and stories of women who contributed directly to the war effort via official and semi-official military organizations, as well as the millions of women who worked in civilian defense industries, ranging from aircraft maintenance to munitions manufacturing and much more. It also illuminates how the war changed the lives of women in more traditional home front roles. All women had to cope with rationing of basic household goods, and most women volunteered in war-related programs. Other entries discuss institutional change, as the war affected every aspect of life, including as schools, hospitals, and even religion. American Women during World War II provides a handy one-volume collection of information and images suitable for any public or professional library.
The Encyclopedia of World War II by
An unprecedented achievement in publishing--a multivolume encyclopedic resource, for both the general reader and specialist--on the central conflict of the 20th century, The Encyclopedia of World War II covers the entire scope of the Second World War from its earliest roots to its continuing impact on global politics and human society. * Over 1,400 A-Z entries, including lengthy biographies of individuals, studies of battles, details of weapons systems, and analyses of wartime conferences, crucial battlefield and diplomatic turning points, and lingering historical controversies * Over 270 contributors, including an unprecedented number of international authorities (many from Japan and China), giving the work a global perspective no other encyclopedia on World War II can match * A wealth of primary documents, ranging from official documents to personal correspondence, is included in a separate volume * An introductory section with 70 detailed geopolitical and military maps providing a clear orientation for proceeding with research into specific topics and events, as well as 300 photographs, illustrations, charts, and tables * Includes a discussion of military ranks of the major warring powers and a lengthy comparative table of officers and enlisted men
The Greenwood Encyclopedia of International Relations by
Using humanistic principles to strip away the jargon and narrowness inherent in much of modern-day political scholarship, this historical encyclopedia reclaims the breadth of vision, the privileging of factual evidence over theory, and the moral tenor prevalent in classical political inquiry. Over 6,000 alphabetically arranged entries accompanied by 29 maps make this single-authored set the definitive desktop reference work on international relations and international history. The book's primary focus is upon the rise of the Great Powers and the course of world civilizations, their formative wars and diplomatic, political and economic relations. But a serious effort is made to cover all of the smaller and less powerful regions and their local history, along with how progressive inclusion into the modern state system affected them, both for good and ill. Written with elegant clarity and leavened by healthy doses of professional skepticism and humor, this thoroughly cross-referenced work addresses general as well as specialized readers seeking clear and concise sketches of the topics, simple and complex, that have shaped political and historical developments in our world. The work takes firm stands on important issues. It is not morally neutral on the meaning of historical persons or events. But it is eminently fair: its standard of objectivity and judgment has been to write aout all nations, religions, and events as a historian without country or religion, in the words of John Quincy Adams. While remaining deeply serious and cognizant of the role of the tragic in human history, this book often displays biting wit and overall personality--a great benefit of the single-author approach. Whether or not readers agree with a given interpretation, they are always paid the deep respect of having their intellect minds and moral consciousness engaged with the deeper meaning of the history of international public affairs.
World War II in Europe by
v. 1. Social and political issues and events. Leaders and individuals. Units and organizations -- v. 2. Weapons and equipment. Strategy, tactics, and operational techniques. Battles, campaigns, and operations.
Encyclopedia of Japanese American Internment by
This book addresses the forced removal and confinement of Japanese Americans during World War II--a topic significant to all Americans, regardless of race or color. * Provides comprehensive, authoritative, concise, and clearly written information about the internment of Japanese Americans in a single volume * Combines first-hand accounts by participants in this tragic and historic experience with detailed descriptions of assembly centers, concentration camps, and military and Justice Department internment camps to enable readers to imagine what being interned was like * Describes historic events; examines the legal, political, and social ramifications; supplies biographies of key individuals; and discusses the significance of Japanese internment in Asian American history * Serves as an effective introduction to the subject of Japanese American internment for high school and undergraduate students as well as general readers
The Holocaust Encyclopedia by
The Holocaust has been the subject of countless books, works of art, and memorials. Fifty-five years after the fact the world still ponders the enormity of this disaster. The Holocaust Encyclopedia is the only comprehensive single-volume work of reference providing both a reflective overview of the subject and abundant detail concerning major events, policy decisions, cities, and individuals. Up-to-date and designed for easy access, the encyclopedia presents information on the major aspects of the Holocaust in essays by scholars from eleven countries who draw on a number of sources--including recently uncovered evidence from the former Soviet bloc--to provide in-depth studies on the political, social, religious, and moral issues of the Holocaust as well as short entries identifying events, sites, and individuals. The book also has more than 250 photographs, many of them rare, and 19 maps. The volume includes: * Raul Hilberg on concentration camps and Gypsies * Ruth Bondy, Israel Gutman, and Dina Porat on major ghettoes * Roger Greenspun on the Holocaust in cinema and television * Richard Breitman on American policy * Michael Berenbaum on theological and philosophical responses * Saul Friedländer on Nazi policy * Michael Hagemeister on the Protocols of the Elders of Zion * Michael R. Marrus on historiography * Christopher R. Browning on the Madagascar Plan * Robert S. Wistrich on Holocaust denial * James E. Young on Holocaust literature