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. Bibliographies are another powerful reference tool you can use to identify research already conducted by scholars relevant to your research topic.
The Greenwood Encyclopedia of International Relations (print) 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.
Encyclopedia of the Cold War (print) by
Between 1945 and 1991, tension between the USA, its allies, and a group of nations led by the USSR, dominated world politics. This period was called the Cold War - a conflict that stopped short to a full-blown war. Benefiting from the recent research of newly open archives, the Encyclopedia of the Cold War discusses how this state of perpetual tensions arose, developed, and was resolved. This work examines the military, economic, diplomatic, and political evolution of the conflict as well as its impact on the different regions and cultures of the world. Using a unique geopolitical approach that will present Russian perspectives and others, the work covers all aspects of the Cold War, from communism to nuclear escalation and from UFOs to red diaper babies, highlighting its vast-ranging and lasting impact on international relations as well as on daily life. Although the work will focus on the 1945-1991 period, it will explore the roots of the conflict, starting with the formation of the Soviet state, and its legacy to the present day.
Encyclopedia of Cold War Espionage, Spies, and Secret Operations (print) by
The cold war officially lasted from 1945 to 1991; however, many operations and individual spies often are found beyond these dates, with some previously unknown operations and names having surfaced only recently. Based on all the latest research, the core part of the book consists of over 330 individual entries that include biographical accounts of the lives and operations the individual spies and secret agents took part in. In support of the entries, the book provides important useful tools: a complete chronology of significant espionage activities; a glossary of key terms and figures providing additional background to the entries; references to other sources, either in print or electronic formats; and extensive cross-references for all entries. Reaching as far back as 1917 and the Soviet seizure of power in Russia, Encyclopedia of Cold War Espionage, Spies, and Secret Operations covers the entire range of Soviet Bloc and Western espionage. The book explores in depth the critical cold war years, 1945–1991, alongside all the extended ramifications of espionage, up to the spies and operations most recently unveiled. The bulk of the entries centers on the cold war conflict of the United States and NATO-allied countries against the USSR and Communist China, though many other countries were involved in cold war espionage operations as well. Selected fictional characters and operations created by John LeCarr#65533;, Ian Fleming, and Robert Littell are also included in a separate section due to the image, accurate or imaginary, of the intelligence operative that was either reviled by the professionals or enthusiastically embraced by the general public.