East Europe

Founded at the dawn of the 17th century as European nations were establishing global empires, the English East India Company would become a vital part of burgeoning British supremacy. Begun as a joint-stock company for trade with the East Indies, this organization would evolve into one of the world's first capitalistic corporations.

The story of Eastern Europe is one of successes and failures, competing interests, and the rise and fall of states and empires. The ancient Greek and Roman empires knew the importance of Eastern Europe for trade and settlement. The medieval period would see some of the greatest empires of European history, like Kievan Rus, the Bulgarian Empire, Serbia, and the German Crusader states. By the early modern period, these great states would be replaced by Russia, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the Ottoman Empire.

The definitive history of the Ottoman Empire “Lucid, judicious and enjoyable.” (Times Literary Supplement) The Ottoman Empire was one of the largest and most influential empires in world history. Its reach extended to three continents and it survived for more than six centuries, but its...

An essential new history of Central Europe that “deftly unravels the strands of a long and complex past” (Wall Street Journal) Central Europe has long been infamous as a region beset by war, a place where empires clashed and world wars began. In The Middle Kingdoms, Martyn Rady offers the...

Once valued at close to seven trillion dollars by today’s standards, the Dutch East India Company, formed in 1602, became the world’s first multinational corporation. In the nearly 200-year reign of their empire at sea, the Dutch East India Company amassed unfathomable fortunes, laid the foundation of the modern globalized world, and built monopolies that controlled the economy of the 17th and 18th centuries in Europe and the East Indies.

Perhaps the most famous – or as many would put it, infamous – of these naval corporations was the Dutch East India Company, also known as VOC. Established around the beginning of the 17th century, this nautical behemoth of a corporation was determined to squeeze everyone else out of the market. Vested with the power to wage war and exterminate any who dared stand in their way, the rest of the world stood by as the unstoppable force took over the whole of international maritime trade.

Imagine a society with no unemployment, zero inflation, free healthcare and education, free childcare, virtually no serious crime, and where women and men are treated with absolute equality. Such a society has existed: in the German Democratic Republic (GDR), popularly known as East Germany.

The British East India Company served as one of the key players in the formation of the British Empire. From its origins as a trading company struggling to keep up with its superior Dutch, Portuguese, and Spanish competitors to its tenure as the ruling authority of the Indian subcontinent to its eventual hubristic downfall, the East India Company serves as a lens through which to explore the much larger economic and social forces that shaped the formation of a global British Empire.

An authoritative guide to global migration that corrects decades of misunderstanding and misguided policy, "defying orthodoxy on all sides of the debate" (Yascha Mounk, author of The Identity Trap​). As debates on immigration have reached fever pitch, so has political and media fearmongering...

East Germany: The History and Legacy of the Soviet Satellite State Established after World War II examines the controversial country and its place in the Cold War. The history of East Germany was a remarkable one, from its chaotic origins through its ossification as a Stalinist regime, until the country collapsed with the Berlin Wall. Not only is Germany still marked by the division, but the old frontier still represents different expectations, social conditions, and worldviews.

Traverse the ancient trade routes that forged empires, fueled pandemics, and ignited global cultural exchange. Perfect for your daily commute or a long road trip, this immersive world history narrative sweeps from the deserts of Central Asia to the shores of the Mediterranean. Experience the...

Durante más de seis siglos, el imperio fue posiblemente el imperio musulmán más fuerte del mundo, dominando a sus rivales en Europa y Asia durante muchos años. Abarcando tres continentes y controlando tierras en los Balcanes, el Cáucaso, Crimea, Anatolia, Oriente Próximo, Levante, Egipto y el norte de África, el Imperio otomano fue una de las potencias más amenazadoras en el apogeo de su poder en el siglo XVI. Era temido por otros grandes imperios de Europa.

Join me for a distinctive 10-day itinerary through Northeast Italy, where it feels like we are walking together, exploring each destination side by side. This audiobook transforms your travel experience, making it feel as though you're on a leisurely vacation with a local friend. Dive into the vibrant life of Milano, relax by the serene lakes of Como and Garda, and wander through the storied streets of Verona, Venice, Bologna, and Florence.

In this book, we explore British Colonialism in India, a history of oppression and exploitation, whilst celebrating the contributions that the diaspora and its descendants have made to British society. We explore the origins of the British East India Company, navigating through the dark history of a struggle for independence. On the way we meet Mahatma Gandhi, and recognize his significance in the fight for independence, before we discuss the partition of India and creation of Pakistan. We conclude with Indian emigration to the UK, and the history of the modern-day British Indian.