Inside History Collection

In this series, you are taken back to the dramatic events, who have shaped world history for better or for worse. From the construction of the first cathedrals in Europe of the plague to the landing in Normandy in 1944. From the crusaders' bloody marches towards Jerusalem to the daring pilots who gave man air under his wings. Along the way, you will be enlightened in an entertaining way as to why the events took shape as they did. This series has the dramatic narrative as its focal point. You not only get an overview of history's most significant events, but also captivating human destinies, spectacular feats, and history's greatest heroes and villains brought to life.

POPULAR REVOLUTIONS END IN BLOODSHED AND GENOCIDE

COLONISTS BEAT SUPERPOWER • The Declaration of Independence was based on a new idea, that all men are born equal. But to gain that independence, an army of ragged colonists would have to battle the British Empire’s well-trained Red Coats. At their head stood George Washington. His only advantage? A stubborn willingness to never give up.

America’s fight for freedom began here • The American colonists had had enough. A protest against unfair British taxes in Boston sparked a furious response as citizens descended on the harbour to take matters into their own hands.

USA rejects British rule with a declaration • 241 years ago, the delegates of 13 North American colonies signed The Declaration of Independence to secede from British rule. It marked the birth of a new nation with a simple message: that everyone has a right to freedom.

GEORGE WASHINGTON The man who refused to be king • He put his name to the capital of the United States and is considered America’s greatest hero, but George Washington was neither a great politician nor a genius on the battlefield. He dropped out of school early and became rich on the back of the slave trade. His greatest achievement was to resist the temptations of power.

USA’s first 13 states • Between 1607-1733, the British established no less than 13 colonies in North America, stretching from the coniferous forests in the north to the great swamps of Georgia in the South. It was a huge area of land that separated North America’s 2.5 million colonists – a distance that was both geographical and cultural. But the settlers united behind one common cause: a growing desire for independence from Britain. In 1776, the colonies united to launch the bloody War of Independence – and 13 years later, George Washington would become the first President of the United States.

America was founded on a lcohol • The founders of the United States spent as much time in their glasses as they did reviewing important documents. From Jefferson to Washington, the Founding Fathers loved a drink. Without booze, the Declaration of Independence might never have happened.

America’s fight for freedom • In the 1750s the British Empire fought numerous wars against the Indians and French in North America. To cover the high costs, the government in London demanded extra tax from its North American colonists. These taxes triggered a wave of protests, which in 1775 developed into an armed uprising. For the next six years, the colonists fought a war of freedom against the world’s strongest military force before winning their independence. The rebel’s ideals of freedom, equality and democracy have since permeated the Western world.

BLOOD FELL FROM THE SCAFFOLD • Revolution rarely ends with casting out the king. This was France’s experience after the people took power in 1789. At first, nobles were executed and four years later, it was the monarch’s turn on the guillotine. Eventually 40,000 French people were beheaded in a single year during the Reign of Terror.

16 facts about THE FRENCH REVOLUTION • In 1789 the French Revolution,...