Each volume of the Dictionary of World Biography contains 250 entries on the lives of the individuals who shaped their times and left their mark on world history. This is not a who's who. Instead, each entry provides an in-depth essay on the life and career of the individual concerned. Essays commence with a quick reference section that provides basic facts on the individual's life and achievements. The extended biography places the life and works of the individual within an historical context, and the summary at the end of each essay provides a synopsis of the individual's place in history. All entries conclude with a fully annotated bibliography.

Geographically, historically and culturally Vietnam was profoundly influenced by Chinese culture due to more than 1,000 years under Chinese rule. Chinese influence was less important in Vietnam from 1884 to 1945 after the French occupied Cochinchina and established their protectorate in Tonkin and Annam. By the end of the 19th century almost all the Vietnamese resistance forces were defeated by the French. The Vietnamese revolutionaries looked for different paths of national liberation, and thought of foreign aid. Phan Boi Chau and Cuong De admired the Japanese reforms. He founded Phong Trao Dong Du (Journey to the East Movement). Phan Chu Trinh loved Western democracy and modernization in exhorting non- violence (ahimsa). He was the soul of the Modernization Movement. Nguyen Tat Thanh (Ho Chi Minh) leaned toward the Comintern. He founded Vietnam Thanh Nien Cach Mang Dong Chi Hoi (Vietnam Revolutionary Youth Association) in 1925, and Dang Cong San Viet Nam (Vietnam Communist Party) in 1930. He played an important role in the Vietnamese revolutions in the 20th century. Nguyen Thai Hoc headed Viet Nam Quoc Dan Dang (Vietnam Kuomintang), and adopted San Min Chu I (Three Peoples Principles) promoted by Sun Yat- sen. Bui Quang Chieu founded Dang Lap Hien (Constitutionalist Party), cherishing Phap- Viet De Hue (Franco- Vietnamese Cooperation). Ta Thu Thau, Phan Van Hum, Ho Huu Tuong chose Trotskyism known as the Fourth International. Ngo Dinh Diem was a mandarin. Nguyen Van Thieu and Nguyen Cao Ky were military men. They all were trained and educated by the French before being backed by Washington to become leaders of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam). International Politico- Cultural Influences on Vietnam in the 20th Century was the summary of the influences of the Big Five and Japan on Vietnam in the 20th century. It showed the readers how important foreign aid was in Vietnam, how Vietnam was modified by foreign aid, and how complicated the Vietnam problems were for not digesting different political doctrines and cultures smoothly.

From one of the world's leading historians comes an ambitious and sweeping history of the world in the 20th century. Ranging from the world wars to the traumas of decolonization and the technological triumphs of the space race, A History of the 20th Century documents the events, the characters, the ideologies, the cultural transformations and the dramatic politics of these turbulent times. Jeremy Black examines subjects as diverse as the Russian Revolution, the Great Depression, the Cold War, the Iranian Revolution and the birth of the internet in a compelling narrative. Keen to highlight the role of demographics, the environment, culture and technology as well as the better-known tales of political rivalries, he brings a new perspective to this most important subject.

Each volume of the Dictionary of World Biography contains 250 entries on the lives of the individuals who shaped their times and left their mark on world history. This is not a who's who. Instead, each entry provides an in-depth essay on the life and career of the individual concerned. Essays commence with a quick reference section that provides basic facts on the individual's life and achievements. The extended biography places the life and works of the individual within an historical context, and the summary at the end of each essay provides a synopsis of the individual's place in history. All entries conclude with a fully annotated bibliography.

Three grand themes characterized the twentieth century: crises on a scale that outstripped any in human history; revolutionary ideology and action that brought social and political transformations on a global scale; and new technologies breathtaking in their pace and innovation. It was a century of triumphant creativity and achievement, yet it witnessed violence and destruction of appalling, even cataclysmic, intensity. How can such contradictions be captured so that those who live in the twenty-first century may understand, and perhaps learn from, the varieties of human experience in the twenty-first century may understand, and perhaps learn from, the varieties of human experience in the twentieth century? The authors go back to 1880 to present a thematic history of the tumultuous 20th century organized in fifteen chapters that stress cultural, social, and material issues as well as major political developments. Carefully selected case studies bring to life in ordinary experience the themes of each chapter. Themes with a temporal orientation are featured in Part One on the “Early Century” (Modernization, Imperialism, Materialism, Socialist Revolution, and Fascism); and in Part Two on the “Later Century” (Decolonization, Peasant Movements, 1960s' Radicalism, and Islamic Fundamentalism). Part three takes up larger themes that encompass the whole century (Feminism, War and Peace, Science, Population, and Economic Inequality). Illustrations and suggestions for further reading, films, and videos, enhance this innovative text.

Twentieth Century China: New Approaches is an important revisionist study of China's recent past. The chapters throw light on a variety of subjects within the field, which has recently undergone considerable change. The three major parts of this reader take into account the historical shape of the century, local perspectives on national history, and reflections on cultural history. The chapters in this volume reflect a move away from a Western-centred analysis of Chinese history, as well as the new wealth of archival material made accessible over the last decade. They highlight in challenging ways important topics that have generated considerable excitement among historians. Subjects discussed include the watershed date of 1949, feminism, the revolutions, the discourse of the communist party, and political theatre in modern China.

In the parade of highlights with which many have tried to sum up the twentieth century, the overarching patterns and fundamental transformations often fail to come into focus. The Columbia History of the 20th Century, however, is much more than a chronicle of the previous century's front-page news. Instead, the book is a series of twenty-three linked interpretive essays on the most significant developments in modern times--ranging from athletics to art, the economy to the environment. Rather than presenting a linear narrative, each author uncovers patterns of worldwide change. James Mayall, for example, writes on nationalism from the rise of European fascism to the rise of Asian and African nations; Sheila Fitzpatrick traces the history of communism and socialism in Moscow and Havana. In her chapter on women and gender, Rosalind Rosenberg covers the progress of women's rights throughout the world, from Middle Eastern activism to the American feminist movement. Jean-Marc Ran Oppenheim's history of sports traces the spread of Western sports to all corners of the globe and the West's appropriation of such activities as martial arts. In each, the important strands of history--events, ideas, leading figures, issues--come together to offer an illuminating look at cultural connection, diffusion, and conflict, showing in stark relief how this period has been unlike any preceding era of human history.