Viewed through the political necessities of the nation state, the tumultuous events of the twentieth century and the sentiments at the heart of those events take on a fresh perspective.

Modern Europe provides both text and illustrations which draw on a wide range of sources, from state archives, published memoirs and heroic paintings to private letters, oral testimony, picture postcards, cartoons and songs.

Highlighting the most important events, ideas, and individuals that shaped modern Europe, A Concise History of Modern Europe provides a readable, succinct history of the continent from the Enlightenment and the French Revolution to the present day. Avoiding a detailed, lengthy chronology, the book focuses on key events and ideas to explore the causes and consequences of revolutions—be they political, economic, or scientific; the origins and development of human rights and democracy; and issues of European identity. Any reader needing a broad overview of the sweep of European history since 1789 will find this book, published in a first edition under the title Revolutionary Europe, an engaging and cohesive narrative.

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.

This book explores the role of France in the events leading up to the end of the Cold War and German unification. --from publisher description.

Collection of essays originally published in the Journal of modern history, v. 68, no. 4, Dec. 1996; most of the essays were originally presented at a conference held Apr. 1994, University of Chicago.