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The Unsettling of Europe: How Migration Reshaped a Continent
An acclaimed historian examines postwar migration's fundamental role in shaping modern Europe
Migration is perhaps the most pressing issue of our time, and it has completely decentered European politics in recent years. But as we consider the current refugee crisis, acclaimed historian Peter Gatrell reminds us that the history of Europe has always been one of people on the move.
The end of World War II left Europe in a state of confusion with many Europeans virtually stateless. Later, as former colonial states gained national independence, colonists and their supporters migrated to often-unwelcoming metropoles. The collapse of communism in 1989 marked another fundamental turning point.
Gatrell places migration at the center of post-war European history, and the aspirations of migrants themselves at the center of the story of migration. This is an urgent history that will reshape our understanding of modern Europe.
Migration is perhaps the most pressing issue of our time, and it has completely decentered European politics in recent years. But as we consider the current refugee crisis, acclaimed historian Peter Gatrell reminds us that the history of Europe has always been one of people on the move.
The end of World War II left Europe in a state of confusion with many Europeans virtually stateless. Later, as former colonial states gained national independence, colonists and their supporters migrated to often-unwelcoming metropoles. The collapse of communism in 1989 marked another fundamental turning point.
Gatrell places migration at the center of post-war European history, and the aspirations of migrants themselves at the center of the story of migration. This is an urgent history that will reshape our understanding of modern Europe.
576 pages, Hardcover
First published August 27, 2019
37 people are currently reading
553 people want to read
About the author
Peter Gatrell
27 books6 followersA historian specializing in population displacement in the modern world and the economic and social history of Russia, Peter Gatrell is emeritus professor at the University of Manchester. He earned his undergraduate and PhD degrees from the University of Cambridge.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
September 18, 2019
Interesting and thought provoking
The history of Europe is the history of immigration. In this book, the author shows how immigration has repeatedly been seen through the same prism, e.g., migrants taking jobs, migrants unable to fit in and so on. The fact that this is constantly disproved doesn’t change anything. A timely and thought-provoking reminder in a renewed era of migration.
The history of Europe is the history of immigration. In this book, the author shows how immigration has repeatedly been seen through the same prism, e.g., migrants taking jobs, migrants unable to fit in and so on. The fact that this is constantly disproved doesn’t change anything. A timely and thought-provoking reminder in a renewed era of migration.
October 14, 2019
Interesting, but lacking some of the hard data I expected it to have, somewhat more political than historical.
September 24, 2025
Tenttikirja!
Opin tosi paljon taas, vaikka tosi paljon tiesinkin jo, mikä helpotti kirjan lukua valtavasti. Paljon ihan oikeita tarinoita ja yksittäisten henkilöiden kokemuksia, mitä on musta upeeta päästä lukemaan, koen niiden kehittävän ymmärrystä pakolaisten monimutkaisista taustoista kaikista eniten. Ei tekis pahaa vähän isommallekaan yleisölle lukea tällaista.
Opin tosi paljon taas, vaikka tosi paljon tiesinkin jo, mikä helpotti kirjan lukua valtavasti. Paljon ihan oikeita tarinoita ja yksittäisten henkilöiden kokemuksia, mitä on musta upeeta päästä lukemaan, koen niiden kehittävän ymmärrystä pakolaisten monimutkaisista taustoista kaikista eniten. Ei tekis pahaa vähän isommallekaan yleisölle lukea tällaista.
March 7, 2022
I enjoyed a lot reading this book and have gained much knowledge about the migration history in Europe since world war II until today. It wasn't easy for a non-European to fully understand the interwoven relations between countries and nations within Europe, but the motivation behind the migration could empathize most times.
There are four lessons from the book that are concluded by the author in the last chapter, which I think is a much better summarization of my own.
Migration within Europe, and especially the general trend of migration from East Europe, Mid East, North Africa to West Europe has actually contributed a lot to the economy in West Europe. Many times having migration doesn't necessarily mean job completion to the existing residents, but the creation of new jobs. The sad thing about it is that these immigrants oftentimes took low-paid, informal jobs without having proper social warfare.
Migrates took a long way to run into their destination, lots of them failed halfway and either be deterred or died or drowned in the middle of the Mediterranean sea. There were various reasons for migrates, such as looking for economic betterment, avoiding political persecution in the origin country, seeking asylum because of civil war (as a result of decolonization or conflict between communist and west world), or seeking family reunions. In the early stage of the migration flood, lots of the migrates happened due to the displacement of the soldiers and people as a result of the negotiation of the second world war. But with countries developing at a different pace, public opinions towards migrates changed in later years, and migrates have to present themselves as 'legal' refugee to be admitted into West Europe (or EU generally).
Nation-states had different reactions towards migration at different times and their reactions varied among nations. Some were in short of labor and encouraged inflow migration at a certain time, some were on the contrary and relied on the remittance from its people that were working abroad. Recent years have witnessed the Arab Spring and its dramatic consequences in migration inflow into the EU, which was undesired by EU countries, as they oftentimes relate new migrates towards terrorism and they don't want less-educated people to come into the country. There is also a general concern that most new migrants are Muslim, which are very different in religion and hard to adapt to the EU society. The Dublin regulation has been firstly introduced in the 90s and is aimed at building a fence for the EU. It asks its border countries, especially Italy, Greece to keep the asylum refugees checked before entering the EU, which usually leads to outreach countries such as Turkey to hold refugees for years to be admitted, or never.
Lastly, one very important aspect of migration is the story of identity and their assimilation to the host society. This involves clothing, food, language, and culture. Stories have been documented in form of museums. The assimilation is often from the government's purpose and they seldom ask what the migrants really want. Some actions of the migrants may be thought of as a refusal of assimilation, but all the migrants wanted were really basic human rights.
There are four lessons from the book that are concluded by the author in the last chapter, which I think is a much better summarization of my own.
Migration within Europe, and especially the general trend of migration from East Europe, Mid East, North Africa to West Europe has actually contributed a lot to the economy in West Europe. Many times having migration doesn't necessarily mean job completion to the existing residents, but the creation of new jobs. The sad thing about it is that these immigrants oftentimes took low-paid, informal jobs without having proper social warfare.
Migrates took a long way to run into their destination, lots of them failed halfway and either be deterred or died or drowned in the middle of the Mediterranean sea. There were various reasons for migrates, such as looking for economic betterment, avoiding political persecution in the origin country, seeking asylum because of civil war (as a result of decolonization or conflict between communist and west world), or seeking family reunions. In the early stage of the migration flood, lots of the migrates happened due to the displacement of the soldiers and people as a result of the negotiation of the second world war. But with countries developing at a different pace, public opinions towards migrates changed in later years, and migrates have to present themselves as 'legal' refugee to be admitted into West Europe (or EU generally).
Nation-states had different reactions towards migration at different times and their reactions varied among nations. Some were in short of labor and encouraged inflow migration at a certain time, some were on the contrary and relied on the remittance from its people that were working abroad. Recent years have witnessed the Arab Spring and its dramatic consequences in migration inflow into the EU, which was undesired by EU countries, as they oftentimes relate new migrates towards terrorism and they don't want less-educated people to come into the country. There is also a general concern that most new migrants are Muslim, which are very different in religion and hard to adapt to the EU society. The Dublin regulation has been firstly introduced in the 90s and is aimed at building a fence for the EU. It asks its border countries, especially Italy, Greece to keep the asylum refugees checked before entering the EU, which usually leads to outreach countries such as Turkey to hold refugees for years to be admitted, or never.
Lastly, one very important aspect of migration is the story of identity and their assimilation to the host society. This involves clothing, food, language, and culture. Stories have been documented in form of museums. The assimilation is often from the government's purpose and they seldom ask what the migrants really want. Some actions of the migrants may be thought of as a refusal of assimilation, but all the migrants wanted were really basic human rights.
February 18, 2020
A good book which looks at a very intractable problem. Very long but worth the effort.
January 30, 2021
took me a while to get through this but it’s very good. traces the story of migration across europe since ww2 and the experiences of different people in different countries. i’m reminded of an English exam question where you had to write an essay on just the title “man’s inhumanity to man”: this would fit the bill perfectly. Time and again Europeans think of themselves ahead of others and ignore the lesssons of history 🥲
August 20, 2022
Book that encapsulates the migratory exchanges in all the regions of Europe. The author does a good job in painting a full picture, although I had the feeling when finishing the book that the stories in France, the UK and Germany were the most described. Still, offers a fresh view in an increasingly polarised topic nowadays in Europe that at the end of the day gives a valuable insight in the current debates about migration from the political parties.
August 16, 2023
Omg so much detail and so many countries, religions, ethnicities to absorb. More like a text book and a grueling read but very informative. Each part could have been a book in itself. Took a few notes that I found especially interesting and investigated a few events in more detail. Should be good discussion if anyone else reads!
March 26, 2021
A ;history of the migrations in and into Europe since 1945. Lots of examples of things European nations and the EU tried that Trump tried in his administration. Also some unsettling tales of the forced migrations in Europe after WWII.
April 10, 2020
Makes you think. The period covers all my life. There are many aspects that I really was blind to. Good book.
January 19, 2021
Will Write Review Latter
April 27, 2021
Epic read/ great book
July 9, 2022
Výrazne mi vadil štýl akým je to písané: neustále chaotické skákanie medzi analytickým textom a kazuistikami na 3 riadky. Jedna z tých kníh, kde autor dookola recykluje už spomenuté.
May 2, 2023
Good, interesting book. Often times hard to follow as there was so much information and it jumped around between topics quite quickly.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews