Showing titles in Politics & Activism

In this succinct portrait of Alexander the Great, distinguished scholar and historian Norman Cantor draws on the major writings of Alexander's contemporaries, as well as the most recent psychological and cultural studies to illuminate this most legendary of men - a great figure in the ancient world whose puzzling personality greatly fueled his military accomplishments.

Charmed or cursed? Doomed by their royal birthright and their parents' marital misery? Or destined to live out the best of their late mother's legacy by selflessly involving themselves in real-world problems? Only time can tell how Prince William and his brother, Harry, will play the extraordinary hands that fate has dealt them.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was arguably the greatest figure of the 20th century. While FDR's official circle was predominantly male, it was his relationships with women - particularly with Lucy Mercer Rutherfurd - that most vividly bring to light the human being beneath this towering statesman.

The cast of characters says it all: Nicholas II, the last great Tsar of Russia; Alexandra, the self-willed wife; their son, Alexis, stricken with hemophilia; and the wild-man Rasputin - fight for their lives during the Revolution.

Quel roi ! Le plus long règne, la plus longue vie, le plus beau palais, des guerres sans fin, des amours multiples, une splendeur incroyable, de la gloire à n'en plus finir, une cour royale fastueuse, mécène des arts et de la culture et un emblème : le Soleil.

Notre histoire commence à Paris le 13 juillet 1793, à la prison du Temple. Marie-Antoinette, prisonnière dans sa cellule, n'est plus reine de France. La reine déchue sait qu'elle va bientôt être séparée de son enfant pour toujours. Dans quelques mois, elle sera exécutée place de la Révolution. Elle profite de ses derniers instants avec son fils Louis-Charles, devenu Louis XVII à la mort de son père Louis XVI, pour lui raconter l'histoire de sa vie.

Fidel Castro ist eine der charismatischsten und zugleich umstrittensten politischen Persönlichkeiten unserer Zeit, der lebende Mythos der kubanischen Revolution, aber auch der diktatorische, jedwede Opposition unterdrückende "Máximo Líder". Seit 1959 ununterbrochen an der Macht, hat der begnadete Redner die Wirtschaftsblockade der USA, zehn US-Präsidenten, zahlreiche Attentatsversuche und das Ende der großen Schutzmacht Sowjetunion überstanden.

This course examines the life of Benjamin Franklin and his influence on both American and world history. He remains the model of the American thinker - a man who was interested in nearly everything, and who pursued those interests with an admirable and contagious passion. To study Franklin's life is to learn not only the history of a single man, but to understand some of the most monumental changes in all of human history.

The world will never see another peace conference like the one which took place in Paris in 1919. For six months, the world's major leaders - including Woodrow Wilson, president of the United States, David Lloyd George, prime minister of Great Britain, and Georges Clemenceau, prime minister of France - met to discuss the peace settlements which were to end World War One.

Cast between the 17th and 18th centuries, this gigantic, Pulitzer prize-winning biography is as impressive as the man himself. Peter the Great was an extraordinary ruler - impulsive and stubborn, cruel yet generous, tender and forgiving.

"Give 'em Hell Harry" was a colorful, feisty, plain-speaking Missourian who rose to greatness, made the most agonizing decision in history and energized a war-weary America. When Harry Truman assumed the presidency following the death of FDR on April 12, 1945, he was a virtual unknown. Now hear his famous voice, the actual news broadcasts, actual events and his fascinating life story.

He was Britain's glory, an aristocrat who possessed the common touch, a brilliant orator and inspiring leader whose indomitable courage towers in history. The voice of Churchill is one of the most identifiable in history. His story is more than that of a great leader. It is the moving account of a man who overcame his weaknesses to grow stronger and stronger as crises mounted. Hear again that unmistakeable voice.

Madeleine Albright was the U.S. secretary of state from 1997 to 2001 - the first woman elected to that post. Albright reinforced America's alliances, advocated democracy and human rights, and promoted American trade and business, labor, and environmental standards abroad.

He was youth, vigor, and optimism personified. Born to wealth and privilege, he became a symbol of America. With his wife by his side, the young president ushered in a new, elegant, artistic, and cultural era in the White House. The postwar baby boomers were coming of age and Kennedy's tragic assassination became the catalyst for social and cultural upheaval in the decade to follow. Hear again his famous voice, the turbulent events, and the compelling life story of John F. Kennedy.

This audio program features the actual speeches and life story of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Is John McCain "for real?" That's the question David Foster Wallace set out to explore when he first climbed aboard Senator McCain's campaign caravan in February 2000. It was a moment when McCain was increasingly perceived as a harbinger of change, the anticandidate whose goal was "to inspire young Americans to devote themselves to causes greater than their own self-interest".

The newest addition to Palgrave's Great Generals series focuses on Andrew Jackson's career including his time as a general in Tennessee and his rise up the Army ranks. Jackson's effective use of spies in wartime and of martial law in peacetime sparked a debate about the curtailing of civil liberties in the name of national security that continues to this day.

He was the plainspoken man from Missouri who never expected to be president, yet rose to become one of the greatest leaders of the 20th century.

In April 1945, after the death of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the presidency fell to a former haberdasher and clubhouse politician from Independence, Missouri. Many believed he would be overmatched by the job, but Harry S. Truman would surprise them all.

Sarah Palin, a hockey mom and small-town mayor, thought her dream of making a difference in Alaskan politics was over when she clashed with the state chairman of her Republican Party and went head-to-head with the powerful Republican governor. In 2006 she became a long-shot candidate for governor, demanding a higher ethical standard in state government. Her populist reform message suddenly became front-page news. Alaskans began listening to her, and they liked what they heard.

Reading Ten Minutes from Normal, one is instantly absorbed in what it's like to be a "normal" person who goes to work at the White House as a part of the president's inner circle. Told in Karen Hughes's disarmingly down-to-earth, warm, often funny, and frank voice, the book is a remarkable blend of an ordinary woman's life, with all its compromises and everyday decisions, and a keenly insightful look at American politics and America's forty-third president.