Concise History of Modern Europe

David S. Mason is professor emeritus at Butler University.

In this comprehensive and engaging book, Mason captures the major changes, revolutions, politics, and ideologies that shaped European societies. These developments include wars and political revolutions—such as those in 1789, 1917, and 1989—and economic, intellectual, and scientific revolutions. This narrative, therefore, touches on many interdisciplinary aspects of history: cultural, social, intellectual, political, and economic. These changes moved Europe by and large toward progress, integration, liberty, equality, and solidarity. Although the book broadly covers major European events, it is concise and rich in context. It is fascinating and clearly written to help readers learn the twisting and complex paths Europe has taken from the Enlightenment to the European Union and the evolution of the ideas of democracy, progress, and human rights from the era of absolute monarchy and divine right to a Europe united, democratic, and free. In tracing these developments, the book’s major contribution is its focus on major themes and ideas, showing how they have affected the European continent since the French Revolution. Recommended. Undergraduates through faculty and general readers.

• Boxes, Illustrations, and MapsPreface and AcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Revolutionary EuropeTimeline of European History1. The Old Regime and the EnlightenmentThe Old Regime in FranceThe EnlightenmentThe Impact of the Enlightenment2. The French Revolution and Napoleon1789: The Revolution BeginsThe Radical Republic and the TerrorNapoleon and Europe3. The Industrial Revolution and the Birth of CapitalismCauses of the Industrial RevolutionSocioeconomic Consequences of IndustrializationThe Impact of the Industrial Revolution4. 1848: The People’s SpringEurope after 1815: ReactionLiberalism and Nationalism in the Early Nineteenth CenturyPrecursors to 1848: The 1830 Revolution in FranceThe Revolutions of 1848Revolt Spreads through EuropeRepression and ReactionConsequences and Legacy of 18485. Marx, Marxism, and SocialismKarl MarxThe Communist ManifestoMarxist TheoryThe Idea of CommunismThe Legacy of Marxism6. Darwinism and Social DarwinismCharles DarwinThe Theory of Evolution by Natural SelectionDarwinism and ReligionSocial DarwinismSocial Darwinism and European HistoryThe Influence of Darwinism7. The Unifications of Italy and GermanyNationalism and the Nation-StatePrelude to Unification: The Crimean WarMazzini, Cavour, and the Unification of ItalyBismarck and the Unification of GermanyThe Dual Monarchy of Austria-HungaryImplications of Nationalism and Unification8. The Age of Imperialism and the Scramble for AfricaEuropean Expansionism before the Nineteenth CenturyThe Motivations for ImperialismThe Scramble for AfricaThe Colonization of AsiaPatterns of Colonial RuleThe Legacy and Consequences of European Imperialism9. World War IEurope on the Eve of WarThe Tinderbox: Nationalism in the BalkansThe Spark: The AssassinationThe EscalationThe WarVersailles, the Peace Settlements, and the League of NationsConsequences of the War10. The Russian Revolution and CommunismTsarist RussiaHints of Change and Reform1905: Prelude to RevolutionMarxism and LeninismWorld War I and the Two RevolutionsCivil War, New Economic Policy, and ConsolidationStalin and TotalitarianismThe Legacy and Meaning of the Russian Revolution11. World War II and the HolocaustEurope between the World WarsThe Rise of Militarism and FascismHitler’s AggressionThe WarThe HolocaustThe Consequences of World War II12. Europe Divided, the Cold War, and DecolonizationThe Division of EuropeThe Onset of the Cold WarDecolonizationPostwar Western EuropeEastern Europe after the WarConclusions: From Cold War to Perestroika13. 1989: The Collapse of Communism and End of the Cold WarBefore 1989: Soviet Hegemony and the Brezhnev DoctrineGorbachev and PerestroikaThe Revolutions of 1989The Disintegration of the Soviet Union and YugoslaviaTransition from Communism to Market DemocracyConclusions: The Impact of 198914. The European Union: Europe United and Free?Origins of the Common MarketFrom Common Market to European UnionExpansion to Eastern EuropeThe European Superpower?Growing PainsThe European Union’s Immigration CrisisBrexitWhat Is Europe?15. Europe in the Twenty-First CenturyFlashpoints of Globalism versus NationalismRussia’s Place in Europe and the Crisis in UkraineEurope’s Evolving Relationship with the United StatesGlossaryNotesSuggestions for Additional ReadingIndexAbout the Author