3,257
edits
Changes
→Top Ten List
9. Heather, P. (2010) <i>Empires and barbarians: the fall of Rome and the birth of Europe </i>. New York, Oxford Univ. Press. This book looks at how modern Europe came into being from the fall of the Roman Empire, where Rome became an ideal for early European states to emulate. As states arose out of the ashes left behind in Europe, and as new states emerged to take the great vacuum Rome created, states also began to emulate and attempt to replicate and develop their own order that sought to bring back the glory of Rome while establishing a new order.
10. Doyle, M.W. (1986) <i> Empires </i>. Cornell studies in comparative history. Ithaca, N.Y, Cornell University Press. While somewhat dated now but still a classic, Doyle has been an important theorist on empires. The causes and patterns of empires have been numerous throughout history. Doyle tries to make sense of it so we can better understand why empires often reoccur throughout history.