From 1904-1905, Russia and Japan were locked in conflict arising from rival imperial ambitions in the Far East. Nicholas Papastratigakis offers an integrated analysis of Russian naval strategy in the decade before this Russo-Japanese War, in which the Russians suffered catastrophic defeat. He seeks to determine the extent to which their defeat can be attributed to flawed Tsarist naval strategy in the region. Rooted in rich primary resources from Russian, French and British archives, the book sheds new light on Russia's conduct in international affairs in the pre-World War I era. He places Russian naval strategy in the broader context of Russian military strategy at the turn of the century, and of imperialism and 'navalism' in general. This book will be of enormous interest to scholars and students of naval, military, imperial and Russian history.

During the years before the First World War, the realignment of world powers resulted in agreements concluded in 1904 and 1907 between Britain, France, Russia and Japan. John Albert White terms this a Quadruple Entente, a more accurate and complete description than the more commonly used Triple Entente, which omits Japan. His more inclusive view leaves undisturbed the conception of Europe as the centre of political gravity, but at the same time calls proper attention to the enhanced role which Japan had won through her victories in the Sino-Japanese and Russo-Japanese wars and by her careful management of her entry into the larger family of nations. This wider perspective on the crucial pre-war years shows how, in its political context as well as its geographical terrain and its general impact, the First World War was a world war in every sense.

This book is an examination of the development of the French imperial mission in China from 1885 to 1900. French industry and capital contributed to the construction of the great Fort Arthur naval base, and the Beijing-Hankou railway, and paid for much of Russia's encroachment in Manchuria. By 1900, French interests were diffused throughout China. Lee demonstrates France's preference for a policy of economic penetration rather than the establishment of a territorial "sphere of interest," and evokes a remarkable period of European territorial acquisitiveness and competition.

Based on wide-ranging archival sources, M. Sukru Hanioglu's landmark work is the story of the power struggles within the CUP and its impact on twentieth-century Turkish politics and culture. It also provides important insights into the diplomatic relationship between the Ottoman Empire and the so-called Great Powers of Europe at the turn of the century. Hanioglu traces and defines the intellectual roots and ideas of the movement in the process of charting the evolution of its Weltanschauung.