Your complete guide to understanding the U.S. Constitution. Want to make sense of the U.S. Constitution? This new edition walks you through this revered document, explaining how the articles and amendments came to be and how they have guided legislators, judges, and presidents—and sparked ongoing debates along the way. You’ll get the lowdown on all the big issues—from separation of church and state to impeachment to civil rights—that continue to affect Americans' daily lives. Plus, you’ll find out about U.S. Constitution concepts and their origins, the different approaches to interpretation, and how the document has changed over the past 200+ years. Inside, you’ll find fresh examples of Supreme Court Rulings such as same sex marriage and Healthcare Acts such as Obamacare. Explore hot topics like what it takes to be elected Commander in Chief, the functions of the House and Senate, how Supreme Court justices are appointed, and so much more. Trace the evolution of the Constitution Recognize the power of the U.S. Supreme Court Get details on recent Supreme Court decisions Find new examples of the Bill of Rights Constitutional issues are dominating the news—and now you can join the discussion with the help of U.S. Constitution For Dummies .

Why Rome Fell: Decline and Fall, or Drift and Change? discusses the causes of the fall of the Roman Empire in the West in the context of concepts of monarchy, power structure, social mobility, religion, and the aristocratic ethos. Dr. Michael Arnheim, an accomplished scholar of Roman history, delivers compelling comparisons of the later Roman Empire with the Principate and the Byzantine Empire. Unlike (in Gibbon's phrase) "the indissoluble union and easy obedience that pervaded the government of Augustus and the Antonines," the later Roman Empire is revealed in this book as a fractured society rent by divided loyalties ; Why Rome Fell includes coverage of the transition from the ancient to the medieval world, exploring the monarchy, and the relationship with the aristocracy of Diocletian, by contrast with that of Constantine and his successors. It also discusses Constantine's role in the rise of Christianity, together with the general significance of religion and religious persecution. There are also expansive treatments of conflicting theories, including Gibbon's "decline and fall," the Pirenne thesis, the malaria hypothesis, and the approach of the school of "late antiquity." The book also explores the criteria for optimal professional history writing, with comparative case studies of a number of societies spanning three thousand years. --Book Jacket

"Journey through the complete history of human power structures with Dr. Michael Arnheim's groundbreaking book, Five Thousand Years of Monarchy. This meticulously researched work offers a fresh and original interpretation of the nature of government, arguing that there are in reality only two pure forms: monarchy and oligarchy, and throughout Arnheim explores the timeless struggle between the two. From ancient Mesopotamia to modern China, explore how power structures have shaped societies, influenced stability, liberty, and equality, and determined the course of history"-- Provided by publisher.