Description
Book Synopsis Between the years 1815 and 1945, Europe achieved unrivaled global dominance, only to see it shattered by two world wars. This frenetic rise and fall was attended by immense societal change. In 1815, Europe remained largely agricultural and dependent upon horsepower. By 1945, the power of the atom had been unleashed. Two industrial revolutions occurred in the interim--the first founded upon coal, iron and steam, the second upon oil, steel, electricity and internal combustion. The implications for humanity were profound.
This concise yet comprehensive study is divided into three sections. In section one, the map of Europe emerges in its modern visage as unrestrained nationalist fervor gives rise to an assemblage of new nation-states. In section two, the continent attains global hegemony as massive industrialization fuels a mad scramble for colonial markets and raw materials. In section three, a cauldron of national, ethnic and class hatreds spawn the rise of totalitarian
Table of Contents
- Table of Contents
- Preface
- Section I. Evolution: The Nations Take Form
- 1. Reaction and Revolution, 1815–1848
- 2. Nationalism Triumphant, 1848–1870
- 3. Societal Achievements, 1815–1870
- Section II. Natural Selection: The Nations Take Sides
- 4. The Domestic Affairs of France and Germany, 1870–1914
- 5. Great Britain After Palmerston, 1865–1914
- 6. Domestic Affairs of the Hapsburg Empire, Russia and Italy, 1870–1914
- 7. International Affairs, 1870–1914
- 8. Societal Achievements, 1870–1914
- Section III. Survival of the Fittest: The Nations Collide
- 9. The First World War and the Treaty of Versailles, 1914–1919
- 10. Domestic Affairs Between the Wars, 1919–1939
- 11. International Affairs Between the Wars, 1919–1939
- 12. World War II: Axis Blitzkrieg, 1939–1942
- 13. World War II: Allied Victory, 1942–1945
- 14. Societal Achievements, 1914–1945
- Chapter Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
