Europe in the Era of Two World Wars: From Militarism and Genocide to Civil Society, 1900-1950

(Paperback)

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How and why did Europe spawn dictatorships and violence in the first half of the 20th century, and then, after 1945 in the west and after 1989 in the east, create successful civilian societies This book explains the rise and fall of the men of violence whose wars and civil wars twice devastated large areas of the European continent and Russia.

Reviews

"This is a most thought-provoking and penetrating study, based on superb scholarship and written by a masterly mind."--Stanley Hoffman, Foreign Affairs "[Berghahn] writes essentially and succinctly about what he characterizes as the 'men of violence' and the horrors they wrought upon the world. Focusing on German leaders and military and their conduct in wars and civil strife, Berghahn argues powerfully for German responsibility in WWI as well as WWII."--Choice "In an insightful discussion, [Berghahn] makes direct connections between German brutalities in Africa (against the Hereros, for example) and aggressive, social Darwinist modes of thought that produced the Schlieffen Plan and other indications of the increasing European propensity to resort to violence... Berghahn's spare and gripping account of these events incorporates much recent historical literature."--Hunt Toohey, Independent Review "An outstanding ... thoughtful, highly stimulating ... [and] convincing essay about the long epoch of violence during the past century."--Hartmut Kaelble, H-Soz-u-Kult "Berghahn's book is well worth reading. It will also function well in university courses on modern Europe as a short, well-argued and provocative supplement to traditional textbooks. Being very clearly plotted as the narrative of a struggle between good and evil, it might even serve to illustrate a few of Hayden White's points about the use of literary conventions by historians."--Nils Arne Sorensen, European History Quarterly

Author Bio

Volker R. Berghahn is Seth Low Professor of History at Columbia University. He is the author of numerous books on modern German and European history and on European-American relations in the twentieth century including, most recently, "America and the Intellectual Cold Wars in Europe" (Princeton).