A History In Fragments: Europe in the Twentieth Century

(Paperback)

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The problem with the history of 20th-century Europe, asserts the author, is that everyone thinks they know it. The great stories of the century - the two world wars, the rise and fall of Nazism and Communism, female emancipation - seem self-evidently important. But behind the grand narratives, the politics and the ideologies, lies another history: the history of forces that shaped the lives of individual Europeans. This is the thrust of Richard Vinen's survey of this uniquely destructive and creative century. It argues that there is no single history that encompasses the experience of all Europeans, but rather a multiplicity of different, partially interlocking, histories. Some of these histories are told here, in a book which seeks to root the generalizations of large-scale analysis in the concrete - and sometimes incongruous - details of individual lives, whilst aiming to be at once challenging, informing and revealing.

Reviews

'Fascinating and immensely readable...often sums up key moments in soundbite phrases that imprint themselves beautifully on the memory.' GLASGOW SUNDAY HERALD 'Beautifully written, and can be confidently recommended to anyone seeking to make sense of our recent history.' DAILY TELEGRAPH 'A master of telling fact and illuminating insight, Vinen somehow manages to be both opinionated and objective.' Andrew Roberts 'I admired [A HISTORY IN FRAGMENTS] very much indeed. It struck me as a tour de force, as impressive in its collation of little-known facts as in its presentation of fresh and always intelligent interpretation.' Anthony Howard 'A great deal of social history is invitingly served up. Sex, demography, culture and religion are as much in evidence as politics... The photogrpahs are unusually original.' ECONOMIST 'A frequently provocative book. Richard Vinen- a young historican who lectures at King's College London- [is] an unusually stimulating guide to our recent past. There is the confidence of the broad overview, the jolt that comes from placing familiar facts in an unfamiliar perspective. Like an expert snooker player, Vinen has set up his first paradox merely to bounce a second paradox off it. He has set out to write a history of twentieth century Europe which, although broadly chronological in approach, will not read like a standard textbook account. He supposes that readers have some knowledge of the facts already; and, more importantly, he supposes that they possess some basic assumptions about what the facts signify. His aim is to challenge those assumptions whenever possible. Often, he succeeds brilliantly. Vinen moves effortlessly from social and economic issues to politics, from ideology to military history. His geographical range is also impressive. The writing is lively, the enthusiasm infectious and the gift for bold, epigrammic summary genuinely impressive.' Noel Malcolm, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH 'An ambitious, refreshing and thought-provoking work that does what good history should do, namely challenge the assumptions and conclusions of a previous generation of scholars... Vinen writes with elegance and wit.' FINANCIAL TIMES 'A thoughtful and challenging book, often brilliantly perceptive and innovative on subjects where one had thought debate was exhausted.' TLS 'A reflective work that brilliantly analyses numerous aspects of the century.' CATHOLIC HERALD 'What really appeals, however, is that this is not just political history, but a social, economic, moral, spiritual, and political one... this is a first class book... Exciting and refreshing it is too. Let's hope he's got more in the pipeline.' GLASGOW HERALD 'A book that is stimulating and remarkably original.' MAIL ON SUNDAY '"Dark continent", "the age of extremes", "Europe divided"--these are just some of the descriptive labels that historians have attached to the late and unlamented 20th century. And why not One hundred years of European history dominated by war, genocide, unemployment and totalitarianism hardly deserve better epitaphs. But as Richard Vinen perceptively and provocatively suggests in his deft and wry survey, it is partly a matter of perspective. The world wars only took up 10 per cent of the century, inter-war Europe was as violent as anything that came later and, since 1945, economic growth, political consensus, social mobility and the re-integration of Europe have meant Europeans leave the 20th century a much better place than they found it in 1900. Vinen, a specialist in French history and one of an exciting younger generation of modern European historians, has written an intelligent and stylish book, which will upset most received wisdom on the subject. The book has a "French" feel--there is more on demography and sex, culture and religion, than on politics and ideology, and it is spiced with amusing anecdotes, stories and a stunning interlude covering photography. For an engaging argument about the recent European past this is the place to start.' Miles Taylor, AMAZON.CO.UK REVIEW

Author Bio

Richard Vinen is a lecturer in history at King's College, London.