The Ballot Box

This work includes very short introduction boxed sets. These are books that are perfect to pop in your pocket now packaged to make the ideal gift! Five best-selling introductions to politics from the highly acclaimed "Very Short Introductions" series are packaged together in a stylish box, to give a complete introductory overview to the subject of politics - from the development of capitalism, the history of democracy to a succinct history of fascism, from its pre-First World War origins to the contemporary resurgence of the extreme right. "Politics: A Very Short Introduction" is by Kenneth Minogue (ISBN-10: 0-19-285388-0/ISBN-13: 978-0-19-285388-2). "This is a fascinating book which sketches, in a very short space, one view of the nature of politics the reader is challenged, provoked and stimulated by Minogue's trenchant views." - Ian Davies, "Talking Politics". In this provocative but balanced essay, Kenneth Minogue discusses the development of politics from the ancient world to the twentieth century. He prompts us to consider why political systems evolve, how politics offers both power and order in our society, whether democracy is always a good thing, and what future politics may have in the twenty-first century. "Capitalism: A Very Short Introduction" is by James Fulcher (ISBN-10: 0-19-280218-6/ISBN-13: 978-0-19-280218-7). The history and development of capitalism are discussed through three detailed and absorbing case studies ranging from the tulipomania of seventeenth-century Holland to the recent Enron crisis in America. "Democracy: A Very Short Introduction" is by Bernard Crick (ISBN-10: 0-19-280250-X/ISBN-13: 978-0-19-280250-7). This is a short account of the history of the doctrine and practice of democracy, from ancient Greece and Rome through the American, French, and Russian revolutions, and of the usages and practices associated with it in the modern world. "Socialism: A Very Short Introduction" is by Michael Newman (ISBN-10: 0-19-280431-6/ISBN-13: 978-0-19-280431-0). "well written and enjoyable to read." - "Socialist Review". Many people now think of socialism as an outdated ideology. Michael Newman seeks to contextualise it, explaining the evolution of socialist ideas from the French Revolution to the present day, and examining why past attempts to implement socialism might have failed. "Fascism: A Very Short Introduction" is by Kevin Passmore (ISBN-10: 0-19-280155-4/ISBN-13: 978-0-19-280155-5). 'Kevin Passmore's excellent introduction to the subject succeeds on many levels [...] There are few books by a single author that deal with fascism as a generic phenomenon across the whole of Europe, especially one as concise as this, and as refreshingly free of jargon and the inevitable, interminable, typologies' - Tim Kirk, - "Times Literary Supplement".

Table of Contents:
Politics: A Very Short Introduction by Kenneth Minogue; Capitalism: A Very Short Introduction by James Fulcher; Democracy: A Very Short Introduction by Bernard Crick; Socialism: A Very Short Introduction by Michael Newman; Fascism: A Very Short Introduction by Kevin Passmore; Plus a copy of the new edition of A Very Short Introduction to Everything

Review :
Out of Oxford's superb stable of "Very Short Introductions" come two thoroughbred gifts...The authors, from Bernard Crick to Susan Blackmore and John Polkinghorne, are expert;the format convenient; the presentation stylish. Brain someone up this year. Independent