Synopses & Reviews
A concise look at European history between 1914 and 1945,
Twisted Paths: Europe 1914-1945 offers a new and alternative introduction to the period. Featuring a series of succinct interpretations by expert contributors, this volume covers historical developments in all areas within Europe's natural borders--from the Atlantic to the Arctic Ocean, from the Bosporus to the Urals and the Mediterranean. Moving beyond the view that the history of this period can only be understood in terms of catastrophe, it argues for a more balanced perspective, suggesting that both "darker" and "lighter" elements in Europe's history were capable of evolving simultaneously. Without neglecting the more familiar stories of war, genocide, and economic depression, each chapter demonstrates that political stability and regime collapse, social progress and mass poverty, and the crisis of European civilization and remarkable cultural achievements, existed alongside each other.
Emphasizing the histories of the smaller states--and the multifaceted nature of the period--Twisted Paths illuminates the diversity of Europe's experiences in the first half of the twentieth century.
Table of Contents
Introduction,
Robert GerwarthScandinavia, Mary Hilson
Great Britain, Ross McKibbin
The Two Irelands, Alvin Jackson
Belgium and the Netherlands, Martin Conway and Peter Romijn
France, Joan Tumblety
Iberia, Frances Lannon
Italy, R. J. B. Bosworth
Germany, Stefan Berger
The Successor States, R. J. W. Evans
The Balkans, Richard J. Crampton
Finland and the Baltic States, Kristina Spohr Readman
Russia, Hubertus F. Jahn
Europe and the League of Nations, Patricia Clavin
Europe and the Wider World, Nicholas Doumanis
Select Chronology