Twentieth-Century Europe : A Brief History

by Richards, Michael D.; Waibel, Paul R.

• ISBN13: 9780882952352
• ISBN10: 0882952358
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-08-22
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Summary

This second edition is intended as a concise yet comprehensive survey of the significant themes of European history during a century of both great achievement and unimaginable barbarism. Although the text is short enough to permit instructors to assign additional outside readings, it will nevertheless serve as a good general introduction. In its user-friendly format, the narrative is divided into four parts, two before the outbreak of World War 2 and two thereafter. Each part is introduced by an overview that summarises the main themes of the period covered. Additionally, each of the four parts is further divided into three chapters of roughly equal length. The liberal use throughout the text of maps, tables and illustrations will greatly enhance the student reader's comprehension. Each chapter is framed by a chronology of events and a suggested list of books and films. A liost of abbreviations and acronyms, a list of additional sources for European history concludes the text.

Author Biography

Michael D. Richards, Samford Professor of History at Sweet Briar College, retired from the college in 2004 after thirty-eight years of teaching. He holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Tulsa and a Ph.D. from Duke University. A Fulbright-Hayes Scholar in the Netherlands, Dr. Richards also was an NEH Fellow at UCLA. The author of Revolutions in World History (2003), he has published several book chapters and articles and reviews in scholarly journals, periodicals, and reference works. He also has written for the History News Service. Dr. Richards currently is Policy Coordinator and Vice President of Population-Environment Balance, a national nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C.

Paul R. Waibel is professor of history at Belhaven College. He is the author of Politics of Accommodation (1983), Quiknotes: Christian History (2000), and numerous articles and reviews in scholarly journal, periodicals, reference works, and anthologies. Professor Waibel holds degrees in history from Lynchburg College, Virginia Tech. and West Virginia University. He was a Fulbright-Hayes Scholar at the University Bonn, Germany, and an NEH Fellow at UC Berkeley.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
Part One Overview: 1900-1919	1	(62)
Chapter 1 Before the Deluge: Europe, 1900-1914	5	(22)
Chapter 2 The Great War, 1914-1917	27	(18)
Chapter 3 Revolution and Peacemaking, 1917-1919	45	(18)
Part Two Overview: 1919-1939	63	(60)
Chapter 4 Aftershocks of the Great War	67	(18)
Chapter 5 Recovery and Prosperity, 1919-1929	85	(18)
Chapter 6 From Depression to War, 1929-1939	103	(20)
Part Three Overview: 1939-1967	123	(70)
Chapter 7 Armageddon: Europe in World War II, 1939-1945	127	(22)
Chapter 8 Cold War and Decolonization, 1945-1961	149	(18)
Chapter 9 Out of the Ashes: From Stunde Null to a New Golden Age, 1945-1967	167	(26)
Part Four Overview: 1968 - Present	193	(72)
Chapter 10 Metamorphosis: An Era of Revolutionary Change, 1968-1989	199	(26)
Chapter 11 New Realities for a New Age	225	(24)
Chapter 12 Charting a New Course: Europe in the 1990's and Beyond	249	(16)
Appendix I Additional Sources	265	(3)
Appendix II Abbreviations and Acronyms	268	(5)
Index	273