The history books can be divided into three sections:

Tribal Life (Joshua, Judges, Ruth)

The twelve tribes attempted to live with no central government. They tried to allow the Law of Moses to be their guide. This did not work well and the people found themselves caught in a cycle of enslavement to neighboring tribes and kings.

Kingdom Life (1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles)

The tribes were unified into one kingdom under David. His son, Solomon, oppressed the people with heavy taxes and conscripted labor that ultimately led to the division of the nation into the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah. Both Kingdoms ended in destruction.

Oppressed Life (Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther)

After seventy years of exile, the people of Judah were allowed to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple that Babylon had destroyed. They spent the rest of their existance under the oppressive rule of one Empire after another.