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Louis XIV, king of France

(Encyclopedia)Louis XIV, 1638–1715, king of France (1643–1715), son and successor of King Louis XIII. Although he had a series of mistresses, Louis XIV finally came under the influence of Mme de Maintenon, wh...

Suriname

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Suriname s&oobreve;rĭnämˈ, –nămˈ, officially Republic of Suriname, republic (2015 est. pop. 553,000), 63,037 sq mi (163,266 sq km), NE South America, on the Atlantic Ocean. Part of t...

Bonaparte

(Encyclopedia)Bonaparte bwōnäpärˈtā, family name of Napoleon I, emperor of the French. Of the second generation of the family the most important was Louis Bonaparte's son, Louis Napoleon, who became emperor...

Napoleon III

(Encyclopedia)Napoleon III (Louis Napoleon Bonaparte), 1808–73, emperor of the French (1852–70), son of Louis Bonaparte (see under Bonaparte, family), king of Holland. Napoleon III was a complex figure. H...

archaeology

(Encyclopedia)archaeology ärkēŏlˈəjē [Gr.,=study of beginnings], a branch of anthropology that seeks to document and explain continuity and change and similarities and differences among human cultures. Archae...

Socialist parties

(Encyclopedia)Socialist parties in European history, political organizations formed in European countries to achieve the goals of socialism. The French Socialist party, known as the SFIO from its official name ...

French Revolution

(Encyclopedia)French Revolution, political upheaval of world importance in France that began in 1789. The French Revolution, though it seemed a failure in 1799 and appeared nullified by 1815, had far-reachin...

history

(Encyclopedia)history, in its broadest sense, is the story of humanity's past. It also refers to the recording of that past. The diverse sources of history include books, newspapers, printed documents, personal pap...

opera

(Encyclopedia)opera, drama set to music. In the early part of the 20th cent. the foremost operatic composer was Richard Strauss. Although influenced by Wagner, he composed operas with even richer and more stunnin...

American literature

(Encyclopedia)American literature, literature in English produced in what is now the United States of America. The years immediately after World War I brought a highly vocal rebellion against established socia...