The Czech Republic

by Heather Docalavich, Shaina Carmel Indovino

Overview

The Czech Republic is one of the newest countries in the world. It's also new to the EU-it joined in 2004. People have lived in what we now call the Czech Republic for thousands of years, however. This land has a long history and is moving forward while dealing with challenges like the recent global recession.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781422222379
Publisher:	Mason Crest Publishers
Publication date:	01/28/2012
Series:	Officer Gunnhildur Mysteries
Pages:	64
Product dimensions:	8.25(w) x 8.26(h) x 0.37(d)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

Table of Contents

Introduction 8

1 Modern Issues 11

2 The Czech Republic's History and Government 21

3 The Economy 35

4 The Czech Republic's People and Culture 41

5 Looking to the Future 51

Time Line 56

Further Reading/Internet Resources 57

For More Information 58

Glossary 59

Index 62

Picture Credits 63

About the Authors and the Consultant 64

Editorial Reviews

Indovino's introduction of the EU and its benefits to citizens clarifies for young readers the governmental and economic improvements to a major land mass. Mapping informs the reader of country placement, but color choices are too close in tone for clear differentiation. Choice of issues—dating systems, Roma, terrorism, nuclear power—moves quickly to the heart of international controversies. The exception—"Italy," a poorly written, poorly edited volume—opens with an inane comment and relies on repetition and the nebulous terms "many" and "most." In a few volumes, the compression of history into short paragraphs confuses more than it enlightens, as with summaries on Italian suffrage and Czech Hussites. Glossaries—entrepreneurial, fief, serf, propaganda, infrastructure, Marshall Plan—encourage in-depth reading and perception of themes. Negative aspects and inconsistencies devalue the set. Time lines contain inexplicable gaps, as with 1526-1914 in the Czech Republic. Indexing is unusually limited for a reference set. Some photos are blurry, shadowed, and ill-chosen—for example, handgun and tall buildings in Germany and Czech Republic, and a forbidding Mulderslot Castle and unidentified concentration camp in Netherlands, while Poland and Portugal depict more rounded views of age, gender, and culture. (Major European Union Nations) Reviewer: Mary Ellen Snodgrass

VOYA - Mary Ellen Snodgrass