Europe in the Era of Two World Wars: From Militarism and Genocide to Civil Society, 1900-1950

by Volker R. Berghahn (Translator)

How and why did Europe spawn dictatorships and violence in the first half of the twentieth century, and then, after 1945 in the west and after 1989 in the east, create successful civilian societies? In this book, Volker Berghahn explains the rise and fall of the men of violence whose wars and civil wars twice devastated large areas of the European continent and Russia--until, after World War II, Europe adopted a liberal capitalist model of society that had first emerged in the United States, and the beginnings of which the Europeans had experienced in the mid-1920s.


Berghahn begins by looking at how the violence perpetrated in Europe's colonial empires boomeranged into Europe, contributing to the millions of casualties on the battlefields of World War I. Next he considers the civil wars of the 1920s and the renewed rise of militarism and violence in the wake of the Great Crash of 1929. The second wave of even more massive violence crested in total war from 1939 to 1945 that killed more civilians than soldiers, and this time included the industrialized murder of millions of innocent men, women, and children in the Holocaust. However, as Berghahn concludes, the alternative vision of organizing a modern industrial society on a civilian basis--in which people peacefully consume mass-produced goods rather than being 'consumed' by mass-produced weapons--had never disappeared. With the United States emerging as the hegemonic power of the West, it was this model that finally prevailed in Western Europe after 1945 and after the end of the Cold War in Eastern Europe as well.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, World War II, School

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Volker Rolf Berghahn is Seth Low Emeritus Professor of History at Columbia University.

Reviews

[Mitch De Haan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book would have been good if he stuck with a structured timeline. He jumped all over the place and was hard to follow along sometimes. Way too convoluted.

[Andrew Daniels · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible, lacking in research
not a great read either, basically it fails as either an introductory book (requires way too much prior reading for any of it to make sense) or as a more advanced detailed book, because it glides over everything with glib conclusions and no detail, or enough explanation. It is hilarious when he talks about "psychic damage" however, an editor should have flagged those. I found frequent errors regularly, something either wrong or misleading.

Japan is a monarchy? The Emperor would have been stunned to find that out... I think the last go at the Emperor ruling was maybe the Kemmu restoration in the 14th century!
100% incorrect to say Japan conquered Manchuria then Korea. What?!

Also Japan is similar organizationally to the Third Reich !? Absolutely not. Japan had contested elections until 1940, Germany had a one party state. Nothing in the economic or legal framework is the same.

trite, and unreliable
not recommended

[Jenna · Rating 2 out of 5]

While not a bad study, there are better books that cover this same ground in more depth and with more insight, I think -- for instance, A History in Fragments -- would be a better place to start. Despite the title, it has a focus on Germany, and relies almost exclusively on sources in English and German, which is unsurprising considering its originally printed in German, but it does lead to an interesting potential bias, not suggested by the title.

[Piker7977 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beghahn asserts some interesting conclusions regarding Europe's first half of the 20th century. Among the most intriguing conclusions are those involving Social Darwinism and imperialism as the roots for racial aggression. Also the marriage of capitalism and militarism. According to Berghahn, this fusion helped create an environment where nation states, such as Nazi Germany, could thrive. His thoughts regarding the United States' contribution to Europe's decades of peace following the World Wars make good points also.

[Maura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for a European History Class - OMG!! When we get to a topic so specific it cannot be anything but boring. An excellent resource for a research paper, don't bother picking it up unless you're really interested in the topic.

[Mollie Hogan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book examines the intriguing phenomenon surrounding Europe and its two world wars. An in-depth study into the affects before, during, and after.

[Kathy West · Rating 3 out of 5]

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- Excellent - Highly Recommended
4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - A good, solid read
3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ - An okay read
2 ⭐️⭐️ - Meh
1 ⭐️ - Not my cup of tea