Profiles

Describes the geography, plants and animals, history, economy, language, religions, culture, and people of Niger.

Surveys the history of the Soviet Union through the exploits and achievements of the seven men who were its leaders from 1917 to 1991; Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, Nikita Khrushchev, Leonid Brezhnev, Yuri Andropov, Konstantin Chernenko, and Mikhail Gorbachev.

Discusses efforts to create perfect societies by such individuals as: Ann Lee and Joseph Meacham and the Shakers, Christian Metz and the Amana Colonies, George Rapp and the Harmony Society, Robert Owen and New Harmony, George Ripley and Brook Farm, John Humphrey Noyes and Oneida, and Katherine Tingley and the Point Loma community.

Profiles ten figures in American history who have been accused of betraying their country, including Benedict Arnold, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, and Aldrich Ames.

The modern State of Israel is a product of centuries of Jewish history that affect all aspects of Israel's society and culture, its politics, and its policies. Professors Reich and Kieval introduce us to a nation seeking to maintain and enhance its traditions while struggling to deal with present domestic and foreign challenges. They examine the land and people of Israel and the division between Jews of Oriental and Ashkenazi backgrounds as well as the division between Jewish and Arab citizens, before turning to the economic concerns facing a country virtually devoid of natural resources. Their discussion of Israel's history provides the background for a detailed consideration of the dynamics of its political system. This new edition offers a comprehensive analysis of the implications of the 1988 and 1992 elections, the far-reaching impacts of the immigration of Jews from the former Soviet Union, and the evolution of Israel's special relationship with the Reagan and Bush administrations. Reich and Kieval also offer a thoughtful discussion of the continuing Arab-Israeli conflict, focusing on the rise of the intifada and the current peace negotiations.

Traces the history of the labor movement in the United States through brief biographies of labor leaders: Samuel Gompers, Eugene Debs, William Haywood, "Mother" Jones, John Lewis, A. Philip Randolph, Jimmy Hoffa, and Cesar Chavez.

Profiles eight notable justices of the United States Supreme Court and landmark cases in which each was involved: John Marshall, Roger Taney, John Harlan, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Louis Brandeis, Charles Evans Hughes, Hugo Black, Earl Warren.