On June 7, 2015 Turkey is going to hold its 24th general election – probably the most heated in last two decades. In this country which is on the path of spectacular economic development, the voter turnout is over 80% – one of the highest among European countries. Though the ruling Justice and Development Party […]
Hirst, John. The Shortest History of Europe. Black Inc., 2009. John Hist is an Australian historian and intellectual, currently serving as an emeritus professor of history at La Trobe University, Melbourne. His book The Shortest History of Europe is a relatively concise yet an impressive book. In the print form, the book spans 160 pages however, I got […]
Quataert, Donald. The Ottoman Empire, 1700-1922. Cambridge University Press, New York. 2005. The Donald Quataert (late) was Middle East/ Ottoman historian and Distinguished Professor at Binghamton University with a particular interest in economic/labor and social history. The book under review provides a general overview of the Ottoman Empire. Around 200 pages in length, this book is […]
Friedrich Engels (1820 – 1895) was one of the contemporaries of Karl Marx. Both worked in close association and are considered to be the fathers of Marxist theory. Engels came from a well off Prussian family. His father owned textile mills. His family raised him as a Christian yet he developed atheist ideas. More to the disappointment […]
Max Weber’s The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism is undoubtedly his most acclaimed work published in 1905. It was not translated into English until 1930. In this book, Weber tried to provide an alternative narrative of emergence of capitalism which was totally different from his predecessor, Karl Marx. While Marx saw religion as just […]
Saint Simon: Intro
Saint Simon (1760 – 1825) was a nobleman by birth but renounced his title after the French revolution. He participated in the American Revolution and wrote actively on politics and society. For a short period of time, he indulged in business which he left after a feud with his partner. Then he studied physiology and […]