Böcker av Alexander Lee

"Why are some countries more democratic than others? By neglecting colonialism, existing research overlooks origins: for most non-European countries, elections began under Western colonial rule. Analyzing a global sample of colonies across four centuries, this book explains the emergence of colonial electoral institutions and their lasting impact"--

This volume offers the first comprehensive survey of regime change in Italy in the period c.1494-c.1559.Far from being a purely modern phenomenon, regime change was a common feature of life in Renaissance Italy - no more so than during the Italian Wars (1494-1559). During those turbulent years, governments rose and fell with dizzying regularity. Some changes of regime were peaceful; others were more violent. But whenever a new reggimento took power, old social tensions were laid bare and new challenges emerged - any of which could easily threaten its survival. This provoked a variety of responses, both from newly established regimes and from their opponents. Constitutional reforms were proposed and enacted; civic rituals were developed; works of art were commissioned; literary works were penned; and occasionally, aspects of material culture were pressed into service, as well. Comparative in approach and broad in scope, it offers a provocative new view of the diverse political, culture, and economic factors, which ensured the survival (or demise) of regimes - not only in "major" polities like Florence, Rome, and Venice, but also in less-well-studied regions like Savoy.This book will appeal to researchers and students alike interested in cultural, political, and military history.

A comprehensive, authoritative and highly original portrait of one of history's most unjustly infamous characters.

Why do some states provide infrastructure and social services to their citizens, and others do not? In Development in Multiple Dimensions, Alexander Lee examines the origins of success and failure in the public services of developing countries.

Renowned as an age of artistic rebirth, the Renaissance is cloaked with an aura of beauty and brilliance. But behind the Mona Lisa's smile lurked a seamy, vicious world of power politics, perversity and corruption that has more in common with the present day than anyone dares to admit.