Midcentury Journey

by William L. Shirer

The author of turns his perceptive eye and mind on the Europe of 1950-51, at the mid century mark. This is a more philosophical and contemplative appraisal, a less personal and anecdotal one than might have been anticipated. He shares little with his reader of what he saw and did, but shares instead the conclusions he has drawn, and gives a backward look at those forces in history that have produced the conditions -- history that, after a slow evolution produced in a short time profound changes. This is the theme of his story. He takes one with him first to Austria, which he feels can never live again as a nation, then to France, where an unfinished revolution brought defeat and humiliation, not yet resolved. Next to Germany, a country he had known intimately where he sees again evidence that Naziism and the old German disease survive, the new West German republic only a facade while the Allied Control does nothing. England he sees as the result of a generation of complacent refusal to face reality now at a point of exhaustion (for which we should share the blame). The Conservatives cannot undo history. In the European Union, despite Britain's abstention, he sees hope for the future, a limping start in the powerless Council of Europe, but a tangible evidence in the European Army and NATO, in SHAPE under Eisenhower, in the Schuman Plan. Finally, returning to America, he acknowledges evidences of coming of age, but deplores our unsolved problems of distribution, the schizophrenia of our thinking, the atmosphere of intolerance and fear, our ignorance of history, our moral cowardice. We must prove ourselves:- NOW. Shirer's name carries weight to counterbalance a public apathy towards books that make us think.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

310 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1952

About the author

William Lawrence Shirer was an American journalist and historian. He became known for his broadcasts on CBS from the German capital of Berlin through the first year of World War II.

Shirer first became famous through his account of those years in his Berlin Diary (published in 1941), but his greatest achievement was his 1960 book, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, originally published by Simon & Schuster. This book of well over 1000 pages is still in print, and is a detailed examination of the Third Reich filled with historical information from German archives captured at the end of the war, along with impressions Shirer gained during his days as a correspondent in Berlin. Later, in 1969, his work The Collapse of the Third Republic drew on his experience spent living and working in France from 1925 to 1933. This work is filled with historical information about the Battle of France from the secret orders and reports of the French High Command and of the commanding generals of the field. Shirer also used the memoirs, journals, and diaries of the prominent British, Italian, Spanish, and French figures in government, Parliament, the Army, and diplomacy.

Reviews

[Olaf Koopmans · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shirer’s stories of his travels through Europe, is a very readable account of his ascession of where the European Continent stood in 1950.
From the title I’d hoped more for a real travel story larded with some historical facts. In stead it’s more a historical review of Europe in years since WWI, in which his observation about the state of the countries during his travels takes a bit to much a back seat to my taste.
Still his account of what Europe went through in it’s dark first half of the century has remarkable value. Especially since he lived through a lot of it at close hand. And that he was really one of the few who could say about a lot of bad stuff that happened:
“I told you so”

The sad thing for him, history and particular the USA is that he could repeat this remark, while writing this book, about McCartynisme.

I wonder what he would have to say about the comparable predicement the USA is in today

[Dewey Norton · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the first books on international relations I read by a great journalist. Shirer traveled throughout Europe a few years after WWII to see how it had utterly changed from the days when he reported on the rise of Hitler in the 1930's.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

It looks to be roughly 75% complete, and the narration is largely about the lack of resolve on the part of other nations in Europe to Hitler's rearmament of Germany in the run-up to WW II. It is highly Eurocentric, but it does pay some lip service to the Japanese empire building in East Asia as well. It is not overloaded with p.o.v. remarks, and is really presented as a historical narrative, but it does become obvious and fairly screams that, "those who fail to learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat it."

Well, I finished the book, and I really feel that everyone of my generation should read this in order to have some perspective on the world in which we live today, and how our parents' and grandparents' generations were unable to avoid the ravages of two world wars. I think my most profound lesson from this book is the issue of national priorities. The world is connected, and we have acquired the means to destroy life on this planet. This twenty first century needs to address the lessons learned in the twentieth. Failure to do so could well preclude a twenty second century altogether.

[Sam Romilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book after finishing the excellent 'History of the Third Reich'. William Shirer has a great gift of writing about events in such a way that they seem to be happening today. In this case he is writing about the impact of the war on Europe following a tour he made in the early 1950s. Ho looks at a small selection of countries: Germany, Austria, UK and reports on what he observes.

[Mateu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating analysis of some of the key countries involved in the WWII from a social point of view rather than a sequence of events. How each country society was between wars and how it helped or did not stop the coming war.

[Lawrence Hall · Rating 2 out of 5]

Shirer's history and memoirs are great; this one, with much recycling from his earlier work, is perhaps the least of his efforts.

[Harry Dangel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had tried to read this several times over the years but stopped about page 10. This time, I pushed on and was not disappointed. Shirer, with an amazing background as a correspondent, provides a personal (and often quite opinionated) look at war-torn Europe in the years leading up to and following WWII. Most interesting insights as to the paths taken by Austria, France, England and Germany.

[Alan Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written from the perspective of 1951, this book tells how countries such as France and Britain could perhaps have prevented World War II. When the author talks about what the US did or should have done, it is more problematic. For example, he praised US engagement in Korea, which we know now was a total disaster.

[Judith]

Helps to understand what is happening now and how little has changed in the past 70 years. Fascinating.