A History of Europe in the Twentieth Century

by Eric Dorn Brose

This last century of European history is situated between a violent and authoritarian past and the dawn of a more democratic and peaceful period--an era that may represent the future. Written in a vivid and accessible style, A History of Europe in the Twentieth Century examines the continent's descent into the turmoil of two world wars, the tense cold war standoff between the victors, and finally the beginning of a more tranquil and egalitarian age. Rather than viewing Europe's history from an outdated perspective colored by cold war ideology, Eric Dorn Brose discusses these topics from a contemporary point of view, looking backward at the total impact of major events on the European world.
A History of Europe in the Twentieth Century is organized chronologically around five main themes:
* war and the quest for alternatives
* ethnic and racial belligerency and the effort to create harmony
* authoritarianism and the struggle for democracy
* technological revolutions and systems
* elite and popular culture
This thematic approach allows students to focus on separate specific aspects of the history of this troubled century, while striving for a composite view. Brose also dedicates special subsections of the text to extensive discussions of the peace movement, gender relations, the Holocaust, cultural developments, the rise of the EU, and today's terrorist threats. Each chapter begins with a vignette related to chapter themes and subject matter. There is also a historiographical component to A History of Europe in the Twentieth Century , making it ideal for upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses in twentieth-century Europe.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Reference, Textbooks

548 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Josh Irvin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having read and analyzed this work for a 200-level history course, I can safely say that Brose's work would be a wealth of knowledge, if not for his own biases. The book is heavily written in favor of socialist and left-wing groups, portraying them as harried progressives fighting against the repressive traditionalist governments of Europe. While these groups did push for and achieved much for the working class, Brose's accounts are far from objective and attribute nearly every advance in Europe to the efforts of these political parties. Furthermore, Brose's work would likely be more accessible and useful were it not for the empty language pervading nearly every page. It is my guess that if the book had been more heavily edited for brevity, clarity, and objectivity, it would be nearly 200 pages shorter. Normally, I would not nit-pick a book on its choice of descriptive language, but Brose's use of vocabulary is verbose and unnecessary and makes it a far more difficult read while saying comparatively little. Given that most readers of this work will be collegiate, many will be aware of the dire straits Europe faced in its formative years in modernity, and requires less overstatement than Brose provides.

[Myrivername · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked that the author discusses the art of the different periods in relation to what was happening.

[Lillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Main textbook for 20th Century European History class.