Description
Mason (political science, Butler U.) takes a topical approach to European history, focusing on major events and processes that have revolutionized Europe between 1789 and 1989. Fourteen chapters offer treatments of the ancien régime and the Enlightenment, the French Revolution and Napoleon, the Industrial Revolution, the revolutions of 1848, Marxism and socialism, Darwinism and Social Darwinism, the unifications of Germany and Italy, the Age of Imperialism, World War I, the Russian Revolution and communism, World War II and the Holocaust, the Cold War, the end of the Cold War and the collapse of communism, and the emergence of the European Union. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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Highlighting the key events, ideas, and individuals that have shaped modern Europe, this fresh and lively book provides a concise history of the continent from the Enlightenment to the integration of the European Union. Drawing on the enduring theme of revolution, David S. Mason explores the causes and consequences of revolution: political, economic, and scientific; the development of human rights; and issues of European identity and integration. He deliberately avoids a detailed chronology of every country and time period by emphasizing the most crucial events in shaping contemporary Europe. Fourteen focused chapters address such topical issues as the Enlightenment; the French Revolution and Napoleon; the Industrial Revolution; the theories and impact of Marx and Darwin; the revolutions of 1848, 1917, and 1989; the unifications of Germany and Italy; European imperialism; the two World Wars; the Cold War; and the evolution and expansion of the European Union. Any reader who wants to view the broad sweep of European history will find this book an engaging narrative.
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