Union History

Russia: What Everyone Needs to Know provides fundamental information about the origins, evolution, and current affairs of the Russian state and society. The story begins with Russia's geographic endowment, proceeds through its experiences as a kingdom and empire, and continues through the USSR's three-quarters of a century, and finally the breakup of that regime a generation ago. Drawing on trends within Russia and on ratings and rankings compiled by international organizations, Colton discusses the challenges facing the country and the realistic options for coping with them.

"Unser Geschäft ist der Tod – und das Geschäft läuft gut." PMC (Private Military Company) WAGNER ist ein privates russisches Sicherheits- und Militärunternehmen, dessen Einheiten verdeckt operieren und als besonders brutal gelten. WAGNER war während der russischen Machtübernahme auf der Krim sowie in Syrien, im Sudan, in Mali aktiv und ist es aktuell auch in der Ukraine.

Arkadi Babtschenko kennt als ehemaliger Soldat die russische Armee aus ihrem Innersten; als kritischer, verfolgter Autor lebt er seit Jahren in der Ukraine und im Exil. Mit dieser einzigartigen Binnensicht beider Seiten schreibt er über die Situation seit 2014, wie niemand sonst es vermag – leidenschaftlich persönlich, stilistisch brillant und mit größter Kenntnis: Da sind die staatsnahen Medien, die mit Trash und Nationalkitsch einen "russischen Infantilismus" heranzüchten, ohne Würde und Scham.

In ways visible and invisible to their fellow recruits and conscripts, the experience of Jews was distinct from that of other soldiers who served in Lincoln's armies. Adam D. Mendelsohn draws for the first time upon the vast database of verified listings of Jewish soldiers serving in the Civil War collected by The Shapell Roster, as well as letters, diaries, and newspapers, to examine the collective experience of Jewish soldiers and to recover their voices and stories.

The ostensible goal of the controversial Kilpatrick-Dahlgren Raid on Richmond (February 28 - March 3, 1864) was to free some 13,000 Union prisoners of war held in the Confederate capital. But orders found on the dead body of the raid's subordinate commander, Colonel Ulric Dahlgren, point instead to a plot to capture or kill Confederate president Jefferson Davis and set Richmond ablaze. What really happened, and how and why, are debated to this day.

Der Krieg ist zurückgekehrt nach Europa. Mit der Krise um die Ukraine hat 25 Jahre nach dem Fall der Mauer ein neuer Ost-West-Konflikt begonnen. Die langjährige Moskau-Korrespondentin Katja Gloger beschreibt die wahren Ursachen der gefährlichen Konfrontation. Sie hat den Aufstieg Wladimir Putins erlebt, als erste Journalistin aus dem Westen konnte sie ihn über Monate begleiten. Sie erklärt das "System Putin", die gefährliche Ideologie des "russischen Weges" und geopolitische Ambitionen sowie die strategischen Fehler des Westens.

Über die jüngere Entwicklung der russischen Politik – ein kenntnisreiches, erhellendes Hörbuch von der vielfach ausgezeichneten Journalistin und ehemaligen Moskau-Korrespondentin Golineh Atai. Seit dem "Anschluss" der Krim erfindet sich Russland neu: als eine Großmacht, die chauvinistisch spricht und aggressiv handelt. Das sagt Golineh Atai, die für ihre Berichterstattung aus Moskau vielfach ausgezeichnet worden ist. Sie erklärt die tieferen Gründe für eine Politik, die im Westen vielfach kaum wahrgenommen, in falsche Vergleiche heruntergebrochen oder einfach verdrängt wird.

The Asymmetric Warfare Group (AWG) serves as the United States Army’s global scouts. We leverage direct observations of the operational environment, emerging threat capabilities, and friendly gaps to advise the operational force. One of the threats we see on the horizon is that posed by Private Military Companies (PMCs). PMCs are proliferating worldwide and play an increasingly important role in conflict. Specifically, PMCs based in the Russian Federation have been active in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. They are of increasing concern to commanders worldwide.

Le ferie alla dacia per coltivare patate e le vacanze dei mafiosi nell'unico albergo di lusso del Mar Nero. L'infanzia di Gorbaciov, scolaro modello e attore mancato in un villaggio di contadini, e la ricetta dell'ex braccio destro di Stalin, convinto che basterebbe dare "pane e salame" a tutti per riportare l'ordine. La febbre della roulette nei casinò di Mosca e la fame a Leningrado come al tempo dell'assedio nazista.

When Reagan and Gorbachev sat down in Reykjavik in 1986, George Shultz said that it was “the poker game with the highest stakes ever played”. It was the last time the world had a chance to do away entirely with nuclear weapons. This is the behind-the-scenes story of this remarkable summit conference. An Impossible Dream is the first exploration of recently available archives of both sides - top-secret archives of the Kremlin, the personal papers of Gorbachev, as well as Reagan's archives.

From learning about Lenin and the Red Army to discovering how and why Stalin rose to power and his eventual leadership during World War II and beyond, this book provides an essential look at one of the most important periods in Russian history. Listeners will be enthralled by this fascinating tale that delves into every aspect of Russia's struggles and successes.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia under Yeltsin and Putin implemented a political system of "imitation democracy," marked by "a huge disparity between formal constitutional principles and the reality of authoritarian rule." How did this system take shape, how else might it have developed, and what are the prospects for re-envisioning it more democratically in the future? These questions animate Dmitrii Furman's Imitation Democracy, a welcome antidote to books that blandly decry Putin as an omnipotent dictator without considering his platforms, constituencies, and sources of power.

Betrothed to Major Samuel Prescott, Amanda sympathizes with the Union, but Alice struggles to forgive the Northern forces that nearly destroyed their home. To make ends meet, Alice smuggles medical supplies for the Confederacy, and she falls in love with Amanda's former beau, Colonel William Jackson. Meanwhile, two opposing armies, devastated by the clash at Fredericksburg, wait for the spring campaign on the banks of the Rappahannock River.

In Putinomics, Chris Miller examines the making of Russian economic policy since Vladimir Putin took power in 1999. Miller argues that Putin's economic strategy has functioned far more effectively than most Westerners realize. While acknowledging that part of Putin's successes - above all, quadrupling per capita GDP in just a decade and a half - can be attributed to cashing in on high oil prices, Miller details the government policies that have also been fundamental to Russia's growth.

On April 14, 1860, the day Fort Sumter fell to Confederate forces, Washington, D.C. - surrounded by slave states and minimally defended - was ripe for invasion. In The Siege of Washington, John and Charles Lockwood offer a heart-pounding, minute-by-minute account of the first twelve days of the Civil War, when the fate of the Union hung in the balance. The fall of Washington would have been a disaster: it would have crippled the federal government, left the remaining Northern states in disarray, and almost certainly triggered the secession of Maryland.

#1 best-selling author and popular radio and television host Glenn Beck considers the hot-button issue of education in the US, exposing the weaknesses of the Common Core school curriculum and examining why liberal solutions fail. As he did with the issue of gun control in his thoughtful and succinct #1 best seller Control, Glenn Beck uncovers the politically motivated truth behind the continual failures of the American educational system and offers real, tangible solutions for change.

In the wake of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the late 20th century was a time of unprecedented hope for democracy and freedom in Eastern Europe. Young writers, journalists, and adventurers such as Katya Cengel flocked from the West eastward to cities like Prague and Budapest, seeking out terra nova. Despite the region’s appeal, neither Kyiv in the Ukraine nor Riga in Latvia was the type of place you would expect to find a 22-year-old Californian just out of college. But Cengel ended up living and working in both. This book is her remarkable story.

Long called by some the “Andersonville of the North”, the prisoner of war camp in Elmira, New York, is remembered as the most notorious of all Union-run POW camps. It existed for only a year - from the summer of 1864 to July 1865 - but in that time, and for long after, it became darkly emblematic of man’s inhumanity to man. Confederate prisoners called it “Hellmira”. Derek Maxfield contextualizes the rise of prison camps during the Civil War, explores the failed exchange of prisoners, and tells the tale of the creation and evolution of the prison camp in Elmira.

The Civil War ended more than 150 years ago, yet our nation remains fiercely divided over its enduring legacies. In A Thousand May Fall, Pulitzer Prize finalist Brian Matthew Jordan returns us to the war itself. Creating an intimate, absorbing chronicle from the ordinary soldier's perspective, he allows us to see the Civil War anew - and through unexpected eyes.

During the Civil War, Americans confronted profound moral problems about how to fight in the conflict. In this innovative book, D. H. Dilbeck reveals how the Union sought to wage a just war against the Confederacy. He shows that Northerners fought according to a distinct "moral vision of war", an array of ideas about the nature of a truly just and humane military effort.