Stripping away the jargon and narrowness inherent in much political scholarship, this historical encyclopedia reclaims the breadth of vision, the privileging of factual evidence over theory, and the moral tenor of classical humanistic political inquiry. Over 6,000 alphabetically arranged entries accompanied by 29 maps make this single-authored set the definitive desktop reference work on international relations and international history. The primary focus is upon the rise of the Great Powers and the course of world civilizations, their formative wars and diplomatic, political and economic relations. But smaller and less powerful regions are covered too, along with how inclusion into the modern state system affected them. Clearly written and leavened by professional skepticism and humor, this thoroughly cross-referenced work addresses all readers seeking clear and concise sketches of the topics that have shaped global politics and history. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.