History in Dispute Vols. 1-21 from Gale Virtual Reference Library

History in Dispute is an ongoing series designed to present, in an informative and lively pro-con format, different perspectives on major historical events drawn from all time periods and from all parts of the globe. The series was developed in response to requests from librarians and educators for a history-reference source that will help students hone essential critical-thinking skills while serving as a valuable research tool for class assignments.

Individual volumes in the series concentrate on specific themes, eras, or subjects intended to correspond to the way history is studied at the academic level. For example, early volumes cover such topics as the Cold War, American Social and Political Movements, and World War II. Volume subtitles make it easy for users to identify contents at a glance and facilitate searching for specific subjects in library catalogues.

Each volume of History in Dispute includes up to fifty entries, centered on the overall theme of that volume and chosen by an advisory board of historians for their relevance to the curriculum. Entries are arranged alphabetically by the name of the event or issue in its most common form. (Thus, in Volume 1, the issue “Was detente a success?” is presented under the chapter heading “Detente.”)

Each entry begins with a brief statement of the opposing points of view on the topic, followed by a short essay summarizing the issue and outlining the controversy. At the heart of the entry, designed to engage students’ interest while providing essential information, are the two or more lengthy essays, written specifically for this publication by experts in the field, each presenting one side of the dispute.

In addition to this substantial prose explication, entries also include excerpts from primary-source documents, other useful information typeset in easy-to-locate shaded boxes, detailed entry bibliographies, and photographs or illustrations appropriate to the issue.

Other features of History in Dispute volumes include: excerpts from primary source documents to illuminate the viewpoints presented with each entry, individual volume introductions by academic experts, tables of contents that identify both the issues and the controversies, chronologies of events, names and credentials of advisers, brief biographies of contributors, thorough volume bibliographies for more information on the topic, and a comprehensive subject index.

Additional help:

• Gale Virtual Reference Library

Try these more focused databases:

• Volume 01, The cold war: First series
• Volume 02, American Social and Political Movements, 1945-2000: American Social and Political Movements
• Volume 03, American Social and Political Movements, 1900-1945: Pursuit of Progress
• Volume 04, World War II, 1939-1943
• Volume 05, World War II, 1943-1945
• Volume 06, The Cold War: Second Series
• Volume 07, Water and the Environment Since 1945: Global Perspectives
• Volume 08, World War I: First Series
• Volume 09, World War I: Second Series
• Volume 10, The Crusades, 1095-1291
• Volume 11, The Holocaust, 1933-1945
• Volume 12, The American Revolution, 1763-1789
• Volume 13, Slavery in the Western Hemisphere, circa 1500-1888
• Volume 14, The Middle East since 1945: First Series
• Volume 15, The Middle East Since 1945: Second Series
• Volume 16, Twentieth-century European Social and Political Movements: First Series
• Volume 17, Twentieth-century European Social and Political Movements: Second Series
• Volume 18, The Spanish Civil War
• Volume 19, The Red Scare After 1945
• Volume 20, Classical Antiquity and Classical Studies
• Volume 21, Revolutionary Russia 1890-1930

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