Europa: How Europe Shaped the Modern World

(Paperback)

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Description

European history is deeply embedded in the global civilization that has emerged in the twenty-first century. More than two thirds of todays nations were once European colonies or protectorates. Europes legacy is evident in the trajectory of the United States and has influenced aspiring hegemonic powers like China. For centuries, Europe was the heart and soul of the West, and European powers enjoyed unprecedented global hegemony, not only by military and economic means, but also through their influence on politics and culture. The rise and fall of the European era of world supremacy constitutes one of the most epic histories of all time. Europa reveals the origins of Europes rapid expansion, which was then expanded upon further by millions of Europeans migrants, who spread their culture and values. MacLennan also reveals how statesmen, scientists, inventors, philosophers, writers, and revolutionaries were responsible for transforming the continent into a civilization that inspired universal attraction.

Reviews

An epic narrative exceptional in interpretive breadth. Beginning with the Renaissance, readers contemplate the planet-transforming influence of Europes unprecedented curiosity and ambition, manifested in innovations in art, science, philosophy, and governance, exported through trade and colonization. Even readers resistant to MacLennans Eurocentric perspective will learn much here about a singularly dynamic continent. -- Booklist (starred)
MacLennan traces the influence of European culture through immigration, colonialism in Africa, and intellectual migration and exile after the world wars. A well-supported, wide-ranging history of the Western world. -- Kirkus Reviews
A study of the continents outsized political, socioeconomic, and intellectual influence on the rest of the world. MacLennans book is chock-full of interesting facts and observations. -- Publishers Weekly
Learned, often persuasive, and a tincture for Western cynicism. This broad-strokes, big-claims history will appeal to fans of Jared Diamond. -- Library Journal

Author Bio

Julio MacLennan has been Santander Iberian and European Studies Fellow at St. Antonys College, Oxford, and Prince of Asturias Visiting Professor at Tufts University and Fletcher School of Diplomacy in Boston, among other academic posts in the United States, United Kingdom, and Spain. He is currently the Director of the Cervantes Institute in London.