He deals with the restoration of Western Europe and the demise of Eastern Europe following WWII along ideological lines, noting how one rose at the expense of the other. He deals with the inevitable conflicts that arose and provides good summaries of the World Wars. He takes in Russian history, with special attention to its Slavic roots. In fact one might say that Davies has made the case to rethink European history along Eastern European lines, which is the logical extension of his earlier two-volume history of Poland. His strength lies in his understanding of Eastern Europe, and in particular Poland, expanding the breadth of the continent beyond its usual eastern borders. Davies has a tremendous command of the events which shaped Europe. The narrative is divided into a set of 12 chapters that cover broad periods of time starting with the environment and prehistory of the contintnet to the Cold War era. Lastly, he provides a massive set of appendices that cover everything from royal lines to WWII death tolls.
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He intersperses the narrative with an extensive series of "Capsules" that take in special events and interesting asides in the development of a European identity. He provides a richly flowing narrative that covers the story of Europe much like an epic novel. Davies has done a marvelous job of condensing a tremendous amount of history into one volume.
I wished I had bought the hardback, given the wear and tear on it over the 6 years I have had it. This book has proven to be one of my most valuable desk references.
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Full coverage of Eastern Europe-100 maps and diagrams, 72 black-and-white plates.All told, Davies’'s Europe represents one of the most important and illuminating histories to be published in recent years. 12 -snapshots offer a panoramic look at all of Europe at a particular moment in history.
It also takes an innovative approach, combining traditional narrative with unique features that help bring history alive: 299 time capsules scattered through the narrative capture telling aspects of an era. This is the first major history of Europe to give equal weight to both East and West, and it shines light on fascinating minority communities, from heretics and lepers to Gypsies, Jews, and Muslims. Norman Davies captures it all-the rise and fall of Rome, the sweeping invasions of Alaric and Atilla, the Norman Conquests, the Papal struggles for power, the Renaissance and the Reformation, the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars, Europe's rise to become the powerhouse of the world, and its eclipse in our own century, following two devastating World Wars. Here is a masterpiece of historical narrative that stretches from the Ice Age to the Atomic Age, as it tells the story of Europe, East and West.
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