Gale Encyclopedia of World History: Governments

Project editors Anne Marie Hacht and Dwayne D. Hayes present a two-volume encyclopedia intended to provide readers with a sense of how historical forces and influences mold governments of the past and present. The 270 entries of the encyclopedia profile governments selected for their importance in world history, the uniqueness of their form of government, their recognition by international bodies, or their current status as independent states (historical civilizations without a unifying government structure have been excluded). As the unit of identification is form of government, many geographic areas appear more than once. For example, the Roman Empire, the city-states of Venice and Florence, and modern Italy each merit a separate entry, as do Nazi Germany and contemporary Germany. All current member states of the United Nations are include, as are some areas of special sovereignty such as Hong Kong and Vatican City and some international governing bodies such as the United Nations and the European Union. Each entry typically provides a description of the dominant form of government, social and historical background, government structure, political parties and factions, major historical crises and developments, and decline and legacy for historical governments or current issues for present governments. Annotation c2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)