A Concise History of Modern Europe

David S. Mason is professor emeritus at Butler University.

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 present. Drawing on the enduring theme of revolution, David S. Mason explores the political, economic, and scientific causes and consequences of revolution; the development of human rights and democracy; and issues of European identity and integration. He deliberately avoids a detailed chronology of every country and time period, instead 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; the evolution and expansion of the European Union; and current issues confronting Europe. Any reader who wants to view the broad sweep of European history will find this book an engaging narrative, supplemented with maps, timelines, sidebars, photos, and a glossary.

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, NEP, 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 EUExpansion to Eastern EuropeThe European Superpower?Growing PainsBreaking Point? Immigration Crisis and BrexitWhat Is Europe?Conclusion: Europe in the Twenty-First CenturyRussiäs Place in Europe and the Crisis in UkraineEurope¿s Evolving Relationship with the United StatesGlossaryNotesSuggestions for Additional ReadingIndexAbout the Author