History and Geopolitics All books
Alain Boureau
Satan, the Heretic History of demonology in Medieval Europe, 1260-1350
Alain Boureau is one of the most original French medievalists. In his earlier, best-selling book on the droit du seigneur, he showed that such a custom had never actually existed. The present work is not about Satan and Satanism, but about the birth of demonology, i.e. about the demons that inhabit Satan's Court - a fascinating topic for a medievalist. Before the end of the thirteenth century, theology had shown little interest in demons, according to Boureau. But Saint Thomas Aquinas' Treatise on Evil, written in 1272, changed all this. Boureau tries to find an explanation. He is not concerned with why people believe in demons - he has not written a social history of demonology. Instead, he sets out to understand why theologians became interested in the subject - for this is a history of theological ideas about demons. The author summarises his explanation as follows: I propose that the date of the invention of demonology be moved forward by more than a century, not because a new doctrine was established and enforced then, as was the case in the fifteenth century, but because of the considerable procedural changes that assimilated witchcraft and invocations of the devil with the crime of heresy, which in turn led to new legal developments and more revelations. In addition, the injection of doctrinal content into the ancient theme of the devil's pact explained demoniac activity in the world. The issue that lies at the heart of these discussions about a pact with the devil, evil and evidence is obviously the emergence of our legal system. Alain Boureau is a director of studies at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales.
Sophie Delaporte
Saturday 22 August 1914 A Doctor at War
The bloodiest day in France’s history as it was lived by a doctor in the Great War
Claude Lelièvre, Christian Nique
The School of Presidents From Charles de Gaulle to François Mitterrand
What kind of education shaped Charles de Gaulle, Georges Pompidou, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing and François Mitterand? Who were their mentors? What was their opinion of school? What role is played in educational politics by a nationalist "Saint-Cyrien", a conservative "Normalien," a liberal from Polytechnique or ENA, or a socialist from Sciences-Po? How did their different educational experiences affect their actions and their views? A story of four great men who were once just schoolboys like everyone else.
Michel Meyer
The Secret History of the Fall of the Berlin Wall New Edition 2019
In Berlin, on the night of 9th to 10th November 1989, the world was radically changed when the ‘Wall of Shame’ came down without a struggle. A year later, German reunification was joyfully celebrated, the Cold War came to an end and the Soviet Union collapsed.
Giulia Sissa
Sex and Sensuality in the Ancient World
This fascinating study of the “art of lovemaking” in Ancient Greece and Rome offers an essential lesson for today
Michel Bar-Zohar
Shimon Peres The Secret History of Israel
“The story of Peres is that of Israel,” wrote Haaretz about this book.
Pierre Vermeren
Shock of Decolonisation from 1962 to the present
The failure of French decolonisation, and government cowardice in the face of recent violence
Nicolas Offenstadt
Shot at Dawn : The Executed of the Great War And the Collective Memory (1914-1999)
Why were some soldiers tried and executed by their own military authorities during World War I? Using previously unpublished source material, the author has been able to throw light on one of the most sombre episodes of the Great War. Besides reviewing the history of the events themselves, the author also examines the struggle with the military authorities to clear the soldiers names, beginning in the period between the two world wars. By the 1960s, the public image of the executed soldiers had begun to change. It would culminate in the British campaign to grant them an official pardon and in the French decision to remember them a ceremony. How, he asks, did these changes come about? Nicolas Offenstadt is a graduate of the Institut des Etudes Politiques, in Paris. He holds an agrégation in history and is a member of the Thiers Foundation.
Nicolas Offenstadt
Soldiers Executed during World War I
Why were some soldiers tried and executed by their own national military authorities during World War I?
Robert Belot
The Statue of Liberty The secret of the most famous monument in the world
A fascinating historical narrative presented as a lively investigation. Decoding the signification of the Statue of Liberty, based on the political and cultural beliefs of its creator, Auguste Bartholdi
Fondation pour la Recherche Stratégique, François Heisbourg
Strategic and Military Yearbook 2002
This book provides an up-to-date overview of the major trends and strategic challenges facing the world today. Experts in their field offer concise as well as detailed analyses most notably on the following subjects: - the expansion of U.S. military power compared with the stagnation of European defence - military aspects of operations in Afghanistan - terrorist networks - the proliferation of weapons - defence measures against attacks with biological weapons - security and defence agreements in Asia - the strategic outlook for Europe - financing research; the strategy of European co-operation - overhauling the French armed forces - the French military and the challenge of non-conventional threats These studies are complemented by thorough statistical and analytical data on French defence, on the military budgets of France and other nations, and on international treaties and agreements.
Fondation pour la Recherche Stratégique, François Heisbourg
Strategic and Military Yearbook 2003
The war in Iraq - what are the origins of the conflict and the consequences for the Middle East and Europe ? Al-Qaeda, Iran, Syria, North Korea - where are the potential conflicts and those already underway ? Europe, the United States - what place does American supremacy leave its former allies in the Cold War ? What choices can Europe make in the face of this mounting danger ? This book provides an up-to-date, concise and accurate survey of the major trends and strategic challenges facing the world today and tomorrow.
Fondation pour la Recherche Stratégique, François Heisbourg
Strategic and Military Yearbook 2004
As the consequences of U.S. involvement in Iraq are making themselves felt worldwide, and as the U.S. presidential campaign comes to a climax, this book provides a timely survey of the changing strategic and geopolitical landscape. The articles included here, written by some of the top experts in their fields, evaluate the repercussions for all of us of developments in the world's most powerful nation; they also examine the so-called clash of civilisations and consider the real risks of such a clash. This is an indispensable, complete and informed book that will enable readers to understand present and future changes in the global situation. A veritable gold mine of information, the Annuaire stratégique et militaire provides an annual examination of France's defence situation and allows a comparison with France's partners. François Heisbourg, an internationally renowned specialist in international and defence issues, is the director of the Fondation pour la Recherche Stratégique (FRS) and president of the International Institute of Strategic Studies. He is the author of Hyperterrorisme: la nouvelle guerre (2001) and the editor of Annuaire stratégique et militaire 2002 (English edition: French Strategic and Military Book) and Annuaire stratégique et militaire 2003, all published by Editions Odile Jacob.
Daniel Sibony
The Quran and the Bible In questions and answers
A step-by-step study of the Quran, almost exactly word for word, to grasp the precise content. A polemical book, but a book based upon the author's knowledge of the Arabic language and the sacred texts of Islam. A return to the original text that allows us to understand the political and geopolitical issues of today's world.
Jean-Pierre Rioux
They Taught Me the History of France
After his defence of French history, Jean-Pierre Rioux identifies his influences and his “masters”, thereby shedding light on his intellectual commitments, and painting the portrait of a generation. An ode to the greater and lesser figures of French history.
