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 Free Download Kamoludin Abdullaev, "Historical Dictionary of Tajikistan" English | 2018 | ISBN: 153810251X | PDF | pages: 650 | 4.0 mb Tajikistan is the poorest and only Persian-speaking country among the post-Soviet independent states. Historically, the Tajiks of Central Asia and Afghanistan along with the Persians of modern Iran came from a related ethnic group. When the Tajik Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was established in late 1924, it became the first modern Tajik state that remained one of the 15 union republics of the Soviet Union until 1991. Almost immediately after the collapse of the USSR, Tajikistan became a scene of brutal civil war, taking place in one of the global hubs of religiously motivated political struggle, militancy, mass cross-border refugee flows, insurgency, and drug trafficking. During the first decade of the 21st century, the country was making modest progress toward stability. However, the heavy burden of socio-economic problems, in addition to continuing conflict in the neighboring Afghanistan-Pakistan, presented even bigger challenges for Tajikistan. In addition, Western economic sanctions against Russia in 2014, coinciding with continuing lower oil prices, have negatively affected one million of Tajik labor migrants in Russia. Yet Tajikistan has become neither weaker nor less important as a player in world politics.  Free Download Leo Schelbert, "Historical Dictionary of Switzerland" English | 2014 | ISBN: 1442233516 | EPUB | pages: 662 | 0.9 mb Switzerland's exceptional scenic beauty of valleys, lakes, and mountains, its central location on international trade routes, and its world famous banking system are just a few elements that have contributed to its rise in the global market. It consists of twenty-six member states, called cantons and it's actively engaged in the maintenance of peace among nations. The history of the Swiss Confederation is as rich and varied as its culture and people.  Free Download John Renard, "Historical Dictionary of Sufism" English | 2015 | ISBN: 0810879735 | EPUB | pages: 582 | 4.1 mb The most broadly accepted explanation of Sufism i the etymological derivation of the term from the Arabic for "wool," ṣūf, associating practitioners with a preference for poor, rough clothing. This explanation clearly identifies Sufism with ascetical practice and the importance of manifesting spiritual poverty through material poverty. In fact, some of the earliest "Western" descriptions of individuals now widely associated with the larger phenomenon of Sufism identified them with the Arabic term faqīr, mendicant, or its most common Persian equivalent, darwīsh. Sufism, as presented here embraces a host of features including the ritual, institutional, psychological, hermeneutical, artistic, literary, ethical, and epistemological.  Free Download Angel Smith, "Historical Dictionary of Spain" English | 2017 | ISBN: 1538108828 | PDF | pages: 831 | 5.6 mb Following Spain's transition to democracy in the 1970s, the country experienced rapid economic modernization, the establishment of a functioning liberal democracy, and a cultural renaissance. Along with rising living standards, over the following thirty years ordinary Spaniards experienced massive improvements in the road and rail networks, in local amenities-from sporting facilities to centers for the aged-and in the public health system. As a result, by the start of the 20th century Spaniards had largely overcome any sense of inferiority in comparison with other major western European countries and the United States. However, Spain was hit by a severe economic recession between 2008 and 2011, and unemployment levels are still very high. Moreover, a large number of corruption cases have come to light, and tensions between the central government and Catalan autonomous government have burst into open conflict. Restructuring the Spanish economy, ensuring probity in public life, and accommodating Catalonia within the Spanish state are therefore key tasks in the decade the lies ahead.  Free Download Peter Lamb, "Historical Dictionary of Socialism" English | 2015 | ISBN: 1442258268 | PDF | pages: 661 | 3.3 mb Socialism has been an influential force for social change for almost two centuries. Its philosophy and ideology have inspired millions while simultaneously arousing fear and revulsion in its enemies. Having emerged after the French Revolution in the effort to build upon and develop the egalitarian ideas of the Enlightenment, socialism has taken many forms. It has, furthermore, sometimes been manipulated and reformulated by opportunists who have built authoritarianism and totalitarian dictatorships in its name. Opponents seize on such examples to frighten away people who may otherwise have found socialism attractive. Socialism has survived such criticism and misrepresentation as its core principles have struck a chord with generations of people concerned with social justice.  Free Download Stanislav J. Kirschbaum, "Historical Dictionary of Slovakia" English | 2013 | ISBN: 0810880296 | EPUB | pages: 488 | 1.1 mb On the stroke of midnight on 1 January 2013, the inhabitants of Slovakia celebrated a major milestone in their history: two decades of democratic government and personal freedom. This is so far the longest period of such rule in their history. This anniversary surpasses by a few months their only previous, generation-long, experience, namely in the First Czecho-Slovak Republic (1918-1938). The difference, of course, is that the Slovaks no longer share a state with another nation but run their own affairs. Slovakia is now an accepted and recognized member in the family of nations whose athletes, artists, and other notable personalities are acknowledged around the world. It is a member of international organization's and multilateral institutions and participates in efforts to maintain peace and enhance prosperity around the world.  Free Download Graham Harvey, Robert J. Wallis, "Historical Dictionary of Shamanism" English | 2015 | ISBN: 1442257970 | EPUB | pages: 392 | 1.4 mb A remarkable array of people have been called shamans, while the phenomena identified as shamanism continues to proliferate. This second edition of the Historical Dictionary of Shamanism contains with examples from antiquity up to today, and from Siberia (where the term "shaman" originated) to Amazonia, South Africa, Chicago and many other places. Many claims about shamans and shamanism are contentious and all are worthy of discussion. In the most widespread understandings, terms seem to refer particularly to people who alter states of consciousness or enter trances in order to seek knowledge and help from powerful other-than-human persons, perhaps "spirits". But this says only a little about the artists, community leaders, spiritual healers or hucksters, travelers in alternative realities and so on to which the label "shaman" has been applied.  Free Download R. Andrew Nickson, "Historical Dictionary of Paraguay" English | 2015 | ISBN: 0810878194 | PDF | pages: 765 | 3.2 mb Land-locked Paraguay is one of the smaller nations of Latin America, whose global image is now changing very rapidly. In the process, the tired stereotype of a "forgotten" country comprising only military dictators, Nazis, and steam trains is being rapidly discarded. Indeed Paraguay is now no longer off the map and its unique history is attracting growing interest.  Free Download Thomas K. Park, "Historical Dictionary of Morocco" English | 2016 | ISBN: 1442262966 | EPUB | pages: 998 | 37.2 mb A historical reference work on Morocco must take as its subject al-maghrib al-aqsa (the far west) as the Arabic scholars have generally referred to the approximate region of present-day Morocco, roughly the north-west corner of Africa but at times including much of the Iberian peninsula, because the modern nation-state is a relatively recent creation owing much to events in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. External influences on Morocco tend to come across the narrow straits of Gibraltar to the north, from the east along the Mediterranean litoral, or up from the Sahara. In each case, access is constrained by geography and continued control from outside the region has been difficult to manage over the long term. Although many of the dynasties that came to power in Morocco conquered much broader regions, history and topology have so conspired that there is still more coherence to an historical focus on al-maghrib al-aqsa than is the case for most modern nation-states.  Free Download Vlad Spanu, "Historical Dictionary of Moldova" English | 2007 | ISBN: 0810856077 | EPUB | pages: 496 | 2.6 mb The Republic of Moldova claims a European lineage reaching back in time long before its 14th century accession to statehood. In the 15th century, it managed against all odds to avoid being conquered by Islam and―albeit an intermittent vassal after 1485―it maintained its autonomy and was never turned into a province of the Ottoman Empire. After this period, however, Moldova would not be so fortunate, as it altered between Russian, Romanian, and Soviet control until it finally gained its independence in 1991 from the Soviet Union. |
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