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A review by thomcat
Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945 by Tony Judt
medium-paced
5.0
Ultra complete history of Europe from the end of World War II through recent times. Chapters are roughly chronological, sections are roughly country specific, but there is an element of personal observation here also. It has a lot of pages, but to cover the subject matter, it also doesn't have quite enough.
Partitions, unifications, resettlement, atrocities, and economic policy are all part of the tale here. I could fill this entire review with the things I learned here, and I read a lot of history. Part of the problem is I was out of college just as the fall of the Soviet Union was happening. I remember people glued to the TV, and my response was "I'll read about the important things they aren't showing us in the history books." Friends, this is that book.
Some of the sentences do run on a bit, and some countries got a lot more ink than others. I seriously doubt anything major was left out, though. The epilogue covers how countries first ignored and now are admitting and dealing with the Holocaust. This is a perfect counterpoint to the immigration and civil wars covered throughout the book, hearkening all the way back to resettlement in Eastern Europe right after the war. Sources are mostly footnotes, though it has an excellent index. Took me more than a month to read, but highly recommended for anyone who loves history, recent history, or for that matter, lives in Europe.
I look forward to reading When the Facts Change: Essays, 1995-2010, published posthumously by his widow (also a historian).
Partitions, unifications, resettlement, atrocities, and economic policy are all part of the tale here. I could fill this entire review with the things I learned here, and I read a lot of history. Part of the problem is I was out of college just as the fall of the Soviet Union was happening. I remember people glued to the TV, and my response was "I'll read about the important things they aren't showing us in the history books." Friends, this is that book.
Some of the sentences do run on a bit, and some countries got a lot more ink than others. I seriously doubt anything major was left out, though. The epilogue covers how countries first ignored and now are admitting and dealing with the Holocaust. This is a perfect counterpoint to the immigration and civil wars covered throughout the book, hearkening all the way back to resettlement in Eastern Europe right after the war. Sources are mostly footnotes, though it has an excellent index. Took me more than a month to read, but highly recommended for anyone who loves history, recent history, or for that matter, lives in Europe.
I look forward to reading When the Facts Change: Essays, 1995-2010, published posthumously by his widow (also a historian).