The Struggle for Europe: The Turbulent History of a Divided Continent 1945 to the Present

by William I. Hitchcock

Book Overview

From the ashes of World War II to the conflict over Iraq, William Hitchcock examines the miraculous transformation of Europe from a deeply fractured land to a continent striving for stability,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385497997
• ISBN13: 9780385497992
• Release Date: February 2004
• Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
• Length: 560 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.3" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

A Very Readable History of Modern Europe

Hitchcock's The Struggle for Europe achieves exactly what it sets out to do: provide a clear and easy-to-read synopsis of the events of the last 60 years of European History. The book opens with a detailed analysis of the postwar period with Britain totally broke, much of Germany destroyed, France & Italy in chaos and Eastern Europe falling into Stalinist control. Hitchock shows the importance that a few key descisions in the late 1940s had on the development of both Western and Eastern Europe for the rest of the century. The economic boom in the West, continued repression in the E, social change, immigration, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the collapse of Yugoslavia, and the European Union all receive a chapter in this, mostly chronological, narrative. Hitchcock does a very good job weaving these disparate events together and providing the reader with a perspective on the forces behind them. Hitchcock spends most of his time focusing on Germany, Britain, and France. Although Eastern Europe (essentially limited to Poland, Hungery and Czechoslovakia) features in a few chapters and there is a chapter on Spain and Portugal, the book is structures around events in Western Europe. Scandinavia is hardly mentionned and Romania first appears in 1989! If you are looking to learn about the modern history of Austria, Bulgaria, Sweden, Holland, Greece, etc. you will need to look elsewhere! However, if you are looking for a good survey of European history since the Second World War, The Struggle for Europe delivers with a clear and concise narrative.

Excellent General Overview in <500 pages

If you are looking for a solid overview of Europe since 1945 in less than 500 pages, this is it. Sure, in other books you can find more detail about each event or with all points of view presented, but I haven't seen any books so balanced and so concise. I wish I could find other important topics covered in a similar fashion (e.g. WWI and WWII).Regarding style, Hitchcock keeps things interesting. Organizationally, each of the 12 or so chapters covers a particular aspect of European history and in the beginning of each chapter he sents forth his themes, which is very helpful. At the end, you feel that not only do you understand the events, but the underlying themes and how they are manifested in current events. Overall, excellent and very enjoyable as an introduction to the period. If you are more of an expert, this is not for you.

Terrific book!

Well written, thorough and really easy to absorb.

A Triumph

"An excellent book! A thorough, lively interpretation of how Europe got to where it is today and the struggles Europeans had to overcome, sometimes with US help but often in defiance of the USA. In addition to being well-researched, Hitchcock illuminates his themes with very telling details from everyday life and biographies of overlooked historical figures that inform his thesis. A brisk, well-informed counter to the usual Europe-bashing in today's media. Highly recommended."

Europe Mastered

This fascinating book covers a much neglected topic with both style and substance. For too long, the history of the postwar period has been written with eyes on the superpowers, alone. What Hitchcock masterfully does is bring Europe back to the center of the story. He's made good use of the existing historiography, and has asked new questions of previously examined data. And, most importantly, the book is a good read--accessible, engaging and thought provoking. For anyone interested in the history of the Cold War and the post-Cold War, this book is essential reading.