This series of short historical studies has as its main theme successive phases in the evolution of modern history from Renaissance times to the present day. Its general purpose is to provide within a limited compass, and at a reasonable cost, scholarly surveys of some of the fundamental developments which have influenced the civilization and conditioned the outlook of the modern world. A second aim of the series will be to illustrate how not only the general direction of recent historical inquiry but also its very content and its relations with other disciplines have been progressively modified. If students of scientific or technological subjects who are extending their interests to the 'liberal' arts or social sciences are made aware of these trends something will have been done to close the gap between the scientific and humane cultures. A further feature of the series will be the endeavour to present selected periods of British history against the contemporary background of European development, with special emphasis on the nature and extent of cultural, scientific or intellectual interchange. Here the object will be to demonstrate the unity as well as the diversity of the European heritage and to re-examine its evolving significance in the context of world history.

In reinterpreting the term 'Thirty Years War' in this volume, Dr. Steinberg argues that it misleads because it gives a fictitious momentum and unity to regional European events and also because the 'Thirty Years War' was only part of the Bourbon / Hapsburg contest for European hegemony lasting from 1609-1659. The major displacements of political power in Europe in the seventeenth century, such as the decline of Spain and the preponderance of France, cannot be understood by confining attention to 1618-1648. The author traces the origins of the 'Myth' of the Thirty Years War to contemporary propagandists and later publicists and also shows how it has survived even modern economic history research. A reassessment of the events and impact of the Thirty Years War gives a more informed insight into its outstanding and controversial protagonists, such as Gustavus Adolphus and Wallenstein. Dr. Steinberg's final evaluation of this major European crisis convinces not only because it reflects recent scholarship, but also because of its intrinsic merit.