Dark Continent: Europe's Twentieth Century

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Mark Mazower

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Pages: 512 (Paperback)

ISBN: 0140241590

Pub: Penguin Books Ltd

Pub date: 1999-06-24

Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 30881

Reader Reviews:

A fascinating and informative look at post-WWI Europe (13/14 people found this helpful)

In this fascinating history, author Mark Mazower traces this history of Europe from the end of the First World War, through to when the book was written in 1998. This is not a list of dates and battles, but so much more than that. The author traces the evolution of Europe's thought, and as such culture. It begins with the 1920s' embrace of democracy and the rise of the minorities issue, continues with the 1930s' rejection of democracy, the rise and fall of the extreme Right in the 1940s, the evolution of the two halves of divided Europe, and on to Europe's post-Communist development.

I have read many, many history books; most being the standard list of names and dates, battles and elections. But every once in a while I encounter a fascinating book that goes into depth explaining how things developed and why. This book is definitely one of the latter. I especially enjoyed the inter-war period, which explained so much that was unclear to me; things like the development of the race issue, and the reasons behind the ethnic troubles that rocked so many middle and eastern European countries in that era.

This book gave me a lot of food for thought. If you like a book that makes you think, then I highly recommend that you get this one. It is a fascinating and highly informative look at post World War One Europe.

brillaint and thought provoking (3/4 people found this helpful)

this book does lead you to wanting to know and find out more, including economic theories and practices. and yes, it is on the undergraduate reading list.......
the difficulties expressed by some of the reviews in regard to the last 20 years is a problem of these matters being viewed as contempory rather than historical, as they are so very recent. we may need to be further on in time before recent events can be analysed as easily as events at the beginning of last century

Europe painted black (28/32 people found this helpful)

This is an excellent book, well worth the time. On the other hand, it is not a good introduction to 20th C. European history, it is too polemical (my copy has a blurb recommending it as survey reading for undergraduates, something which it definitely is not - the ideal reader should already have a good idea of European history before tackling this).

Bad points:

I nearly took a star off (or even two stars off) for the sentence in chapter 8 which attempts to allocate (at least part of) the blame for the Stalinisation of postwar eastern Europe to the west.

He generally seems to go easy on the excesses of communism, and Stalinism in particular: yes, there is plenty of condemnation, but also a slight impression of omelettes and broken eggs.

The discussion of the post-war west degenerates into a rant in places, where the first half of the book is a much more considered and convincing polemic. Something a little less intemperate would have made a more effective point.

It is difficult to say for certain in a book that attempts to cover so much in 400 pages, but I get the impression that Mazower's grasp of economics and economic history is not on par with his social or political history (that omelette again).

The analytic epilogue is weak.

Good points: the (resolutely pessimistic) argument for most of its course is well argued and provoking.

The discussion of the fall of communism, if isolated from the discussion of the West that came before is very good.

The central argument, which ties up with an analysis of the disaster of the collapse of Yugoslavia (where Mazower is on home ground) as the last working out of WWI is elegant and provoking.

Original, insightful, provacative and easy to read. (6/14 people found this helpful)

Easily the best one-volume history of Europe available: original, insightful, provacative and easy to read.

Masterly Mazower (5/6 people found this helpful)

Mazower's book, looking at the 20th Century in Europe, is a great read. Giving fascinating insights into the development of democracy and the threats that have menaced as well as moulded it into what we see today. The only criticism that I can level at the book is that, after holding my attention vividly throughout the period up to the mid 1970s with his factual style, Mazower's political prejudices get the better of him when discussing the right-wing in the 80s and 90s. If you can get over this minor aberration in his approach then this book will reward you greatly. A must read for anyone interested in politics or recent history.

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