Richard F. Hamilton Boeken

Why did World War I happen? Several of the oft-cited causes are reviewed and discussed in this analysis. The argument of the alliance systems is inadequate, lacking relevance or compelling force. The argument of an accident or "slide" is also inadequate, given the clear and unambiguous evidence of intentions. The arguments of mass demands focusing on nationalism, militarism, and social Darwinism are also arguably insufficient. They lack indications of frequency, intensity, and process or influence on the various decisions.

The book offers a comprehensive analysis of three prominent social theories: mass society, pluralism, and bureaucracy. It clarifies their backgrounds, contexts, and key arguments while assessing their validity and claims. Through interdisciplinary insights from humanities, history, sociology, economic history, and political science, the author provides a clear overview of these theories' empirical adequacy. Additionally, the book includes expert commentary and suggests directions for future research, making it a valuable resource for understanding modern societal interpretations.

The major European powers drafted war plans before 1914 and executed them in August 1914; none brought the expected victory by Christmas. Why? This tightly focused collection of essays by international experts in military history reassesses the war plans of 1914 in a broad diplomatic, military, and political setting for the first time in three decades. The book analyzes the war plans of Austria-Hungary, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, and Russia on the basis of the latest research and explores their demise in the opening months of World War I. Collectively and comparatively, these essays place contingency war planning before 1914 in the different contexts and challenges each state faced as well as into a broad European paradigm. This is the first such undertaking since Paul Kennedy’s groundbreaking War Plans of the Great Powers (1979), and the end result is breathtaking in both scope and depth of analysis.

"Decisions for War" examines the pivotal choices made by small groups of leaders in various countries that led to World War I. It challenges common explanations like nationalism and militarism, focusing instead on the unique agendas of key figures in Austria-Hungary, Germany, Russia, and beyond, including Japan and the U.S.

The author explores the enduring leftist nature of French working-class politics amid industrialization and rising living standards. By reexamining survey data from two French organizations, he reveals that greater affluence is linked to social changes that foster radicalism. As rural and small-town workers migrate to urban areas and large factories, they encounter political activists who shape their understanding of newfound wealth through a Communist lens, influencing their political perspectives.

The book offers a comprehensive analysis of Marxism, Marxist revisionism, and Leninism, exploring their key propositions across various subjects such as urbanization, labor changes, and economic crises. Hamilton employs perspectives from sociology, history, and social movements to evaluate these theories. He finds limited empirical support for Marxism and Leninism, while acknowledging some support for revisionism. Unlike other texts, it addresses gaps in evidence and references critical studies, presenting a well-documented critique in a concise format.

Analyzing Nazi electoral successes through urban voting records, Richard F. Hamilton challenges the notion that Hitler's supporters were primarily from the lower middle class. His research, based on data from elections in fourteen major German cities, reveals that support for the Nazis actually increased with the affluence of a district, with wealthier areas showing the strongest backing. This study offers a nuanced understanding of the socio-economic dynamics behind the Nazi party's rise to power.

A practical introduction to one of the more popular separation techniques. Readers will learn to perform separations and will develop the ability to make an educated guess as to what the conditions will be to separate a new mixture of compounds. The authors provide classes of compound and background theory that quickly develop the skills of the student learning thin layer chromatography. Chapter coverage includes stationary phase, mobile phase, practical techniques, applications, recent developments, and advantages and disadvantages of thin layer chromatography. Includes a bibliography of texts providing additional separations for further study.