Barbarism and Civilization: A History of Europe in Our Time

Starred Review. Barbarism and civilization have been inextricably intertwined in 20th-century Europe, says University of Chicago historian Wasserstein in this tour-de-force. Taking WWI as his starting point, Wasserstein (Britain and the Jews of Europe 1939�1945) details how some of history's greatest achievements (increased democracy, widespread wealth and longevity) have been accompanied by tremendous violence�two vicious world wars, government-instigated famine in the Soviet Union, genocide in the Balkans and terrorism in the name of Islam. Wasserstein focuses on politics and the economy, moving smoothly from Britain to Germany to Russia to Turkey and back, with a clear command of all the historical material. Cultural and gender issues receive occasional attention, as in his discussions of the status of women in the 1930s and 1960s. Wasserstein even takes his story up to the present, covering changes Muslim immigration has brought to the Continent. At all times, he displays a clear writing style and an admirable balance, two traits that make this a rare gem of contemporary scholarship. Wasserstein ends on a pessimistic note: while he sees greater tenderness toward the needy, he fears for the future in a post-Christian Europe without a moral compass and a vulgarized public discourse and aesthetics. Photos, maps. (Dec.)
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Review
Wasserstein fashions a powerful narrative. Sunday Independent. This is a huge synthesis marvelously researched, enriched with interesting pictures and a massive bibliography. Sunday Independent. Milton Shain. A rich and broad ranging synthesis...Numerous plums enrich an always fluently written and insightful text that artfully conceals the vast amount of material that has been synthesized. Mark Mazower. Times Literary Supplement. An admirable work of scholarly synthesis, which should be required reading... for anyone absorbed by the perplexing century we recently left behind. Geoffrey Wheatcroft, The Spectator eloquent, exhaustive and highly learned, this book is both a considerable achievement and an enlivening read...a highly competent and impressive book. John Bew, Times Higher Education Supplement Thoughtful, fast-moving... exciting. As narrative histories of the last century go, this is as good as it gets. Dominic Sandbrook, Literary Review By turns grim, humorous and surprising, this is a fascinating sweep of the century, covering war, politics, and social, cultural and economic change. Belfast Telegraph

928 pages
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (October 1, 2007)
Language: English
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