A concise textbook on the history of Europe viewed through the lens of economy, technology, information politics and war.

History of Europe helps students, teachers and enthusiasts of history to gain an understanding of the genesis of modern Europe. The book has been structured in an unconventional yet logical manner, keeping in mind the difficulty students face while relating facts and time periods in history. It is segregated into four modules, which bring in multiple angles to provide an all-encompassing perspective of European history along with a parallel understanding of world history, thus establishing a holistic framework of the events. The modules cover Renaissance to pre-Napoleonic era, holocausts to consolidation of global sustainability, Cold War era, and the conflict and culture in European globalization since 1989.

Thorough integration maps, illustrations and special vignettes make the textbook interactive, informative and illustrative for students to easily internalize and recollect the major events and their causes and consequences.

Key Features:

• A unique learning experience of history through extensive chronological detailing and multiple parallels of events

• Includes forty-one maps, which act as visual guides to the geography of politics, campaigns, battles and expansion of empires

• Commentary sections summarizing the key themes and examining global and comparative developments going beyond the geographic framework

• First-hand notes and commentaries of the First and Second World Wars and eyewitness accounts

• Extensive source citations along with weblinks and suggestions for further reading
 

Table of Contents:
To My students: How I Look at European History Acknowledgements CHRONOLOGY: 55 AD TO 1788 MODULE I: THE EUROPEAN EXPANSION AND WAR POLITICS: RENAISSANCE TO PRE-NAPOLEON Introduction Background I: Towards the Christian Consolidation Background II: The Genesis of Modern Europe Background III: The Islamic–Christian Detachment: Sacred Battles and Sacrileges and Turks Background IV: The Renaissance: Baptistery of Florence Cathedral to High Renaissance First Parallel: Explorations, Wars and Capitalistic Society: 1490s to 1789 Theme 1. Renaissance Reformation and Sciences Theme 2. Reforming War Technology: Battle for Supremacy Theme 3. The Renaissance of Global Militarization Eurasian Expansion (1500–1750) Theme 4. The Ottoman Empire (1453–1699) Theme 5. Warfare in Africa (1415–1570) Theme 6. The Final Frontiers of the European Renaissance Empires: Southeast Asia and India Theme 7. The Thirty Years War (1618–1648) Theme 8. The Capitalistic Wars, Commerce and Deconsolidation in Europe Theme 9. American Revolution and Europe’s De-centralization of Power Second Parallel: Renaissance of the Dominion States: Growth of Information Matrix till Napoleon Theme 1. Technological and Informational Dominion in the West Theme 2. The Hundred Years’ War in Europe and After Theme 3. Rise of Information Highway in Europe Theme 4. Scientific Secularism and the Italian Parallel Theme 5. The Matrix of Informational Growth in Post Naval Expansion Third Parallel: The French Dominion on European States: Renaissance to Pre-Napoleon Politico-Social Orders Suprématie Française Theme 1. The Sanctuary of European Dominion Theme 2. Hugh Capet and French Dynastic Power Theme 3. French–British Fragility and Disasters Theme 4. The Renaissance and the Rise of the Monarchy Theme 5. The Wars of Religion and Collaterals Theme 6. The Age of Absolutism Theme 7. The 17th-Century French Politics Theme 8. French Monarchial Regression during the 18th Century Theme 9. Eighteenth-Century Foreign Policy: France, England, Europe Theme 10. Influence to Precipice Fourth Parallel: War of Ideas: European Enlightenment Theme 1. The Race for Intellectual Superiority Theme 2. Intellectualism and Knowledge Theorists Theme 3. The Enlightened Monarchs Theme 4. The English Enlightenment Theme 5. Science in the Age of Reason Theme 6. The Russian Enlightenment Theme 7. The German Enlightenment Theme 8. Voltaire’s Enlightenment: The French Controversies Theme 9. Italy Reborn Theme 10. Coffeehouses and Salons Theme 11. The Printed Word Theme 12. Societies Theme 13. A Woman’s Place in Academic Revolution Theme 14. Enlightening the Arts Theme 15. Music in the Enlightenment Theme 16. The Post-Enlightenment World Fifth Parallel: War of Ideas: American Enlightenment Theme 1. Americanization of European Ideas Theme 2. Benjamin Franklin/ Theme 3. Thomas Jefferson CHRONOLOGY 1788 TO 1945 MODULE II: HOLOCAUSTS TO CONSOLIDATION TO GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITY Sixth Parallel: Révolution Française Theme 1. The Estates General vs Louis XVI Theme 2. The Reign of Terror Seventh Parallel: Le Général Entrepreneur to Führer The Political Deconstruction of Europe for Global Conflict Theme 1. The Era of Napoléon Bonaparte Theme 2. The July Monarchy Theme 3. The Second Republic Theme 4. The Second Empire Theme 5. Social, Economic, and Foreign Policy of Second Empire Theme 6. The ‘Iron Chancellor’ and Franco-Prussian Policies Theme 7. The Third Republic Theme 8. International Relations—1871 to 1914: First World War Eighth Parallel: Le Général Entrepreneur to The Business of Wars Section A. Napoleon to Global Conflicts: The Build-up to Second World War Theme 1. Contexts for War Theme 2. Political Contexts Theme 3. Social Contexts Theme 4. Economic Contexts Theme 5. Ideological Contexts Section B. The Industrial Expansion and Mass Production of Armies Theme 1. Commerce, Industry and War Theme 2. Armies and Mass Society: Industry, War and the Nation-State Section C. Warfare in Europe, 1815–1914 Theme 1: The Crimean War, 1853–1856 Theme 2. Italian Unification, 1848–1860 Theme 3. Prussia and German Unification, 1864–1871 Theme 4. The Austro-Prussian Conflict, 1866 Theme 5. The Franco-Prussian Conflict, 1870–1871 Theme 6. Conflict in the Balkans, 1876–1878 Theme 7. Copying Germany till 1914 Ninth Parallel: Informational Science and Utilitarianism Section A. Informational Utilitarianism: The New Definitions of Humankind Section B. Utilitarianism and Progressive Apathy of Scientific Growth Section C. Bureaucracy Religion and Science Theme 1. Waning Religion and Evolutionary Science and Information Theme 2. Telecommunication and Capitalistic Domination Theme 3. The World is not Enough for Science Fiction Tenth Parallel: Bureaucratic Politics, Treatise and Criminal Psychology of Pre-First World War Theme 1. The Public and the Press Eleventh Parallel: The War away from Battlefields: Global Revolutions —1905 to Second World War Theme 1. The Russian Context Theme 2. Bipolar Russia and the Economic–Military Crisis till WWI Theme 3. 1905 Russian Revolution and Its European Consequences Theme 4. The February Revolution Theme 5. The July Days Twelfth Parallel: First World War: The Birth of Global Conflict The Beginning of the Holocaust: The Cauldron Section A. General Commentary: 1700–1914 Theme 1. Industry and Nationalism Theme 2. Corollaries: Warfare Theme 3. Corollaries: Military Histories Theme 4. First World War: Memory Themes Section B. Background Extents: A note Why Did the War Happen?—Analysis of Events Section C. First World War: Land Campaigns Theme 1. The Opening Campaigns Theme 2. The Western Front Theme 3. Other European Fronts Theme 4. The Non-European War Section D. First World War: Sea Campaigns Theme 1. Warfare on Water Theme 2. Submarines and Changing Face of War Section E. First World War: Air Campaigns Section F. The Total War and Homefront Section G. The War Endings Theme 1. Formative Years of Adolf Hitler Theme 2. Rise of Winston Churchill to World Politics Theme 3. The Importance of Mesopotamia Theme 4. Role of Women Theme 5. The Spring Offensive of 1918 and Wilfred Owen Theme 6. The Raid on Zeebrugge Theme 7. The Coalition War Theme 8. Waking the Sleeping Lion Part 1: The American War Cause Theme 9. The Final 100 Days Theme 10. The Armistice Thirteenth Parallel: The Inter-War Machinations: Chaos Build-up, 1918–1939 Section A. Challenges Theme 1. Sustaining Imperial Control Theme 2. Peace? No Peace: Fighting Civil Wars Theme 3. When the Stock Markets Bled Theme 4. Italian and German Definition of Fascism Fourteenth Parallel: Second World War to Global Europe The Fallen Greatness and Total War and the Soldiers of Fortune Section A. Blitzkrieg in France Section B. Grand Strategy and Resources Theme 1. Ideology Theme 2. The Eastern Front: Operation Barbarossa Section C. The Soviet Defense through Offensive Section D. The Mediterranean Section E. America in Europe The Land War in Asia Section A. Japan and China Theme 1. Forces and Grand Strategies Section B. Jungle Warfare: ‘Monkeys in the Forest’ Section C. The Pacific Domination Theme 1. Grand Strategy Theme 2. Opening Moves Theme 3. The American-Led Offensive Second World War at Sea Section A. Surface Warfare Section B. Submarine Warfare Theme 1. The Battle of the Atlantic Theme 2. Submarines in the Pacific Section C. Air and Sea Theme 1. Carriers and Combat at Sea Theme 2. The Amphibians in War: ‘Island Hopping’ in the Pacific Theme 3. Amphibians at War in Europe The Battle of Midway, June 4–7, 1942: Special Note The Arial Expeditions Section A. Tactical Airpower Section B. Strategic Bombing in Europe Section C. The Endgame and Birth of Nuclear Cold War Perspectives of Second World War Section A. The Home Fronts Theme 1. War and Society Theme 2. War and Ideology Theme 3. Success and Morale Section B. Military Lessons Theme 1. Historiography Theme 2. Resources, Industrial Capacity and Military Skill Theme 3. Leadership, Production and Changing Capabilities CHRONOLOGY 1946: PRESENT GLOBALIZATION/ MODULE III: COLD WAR: 1945–1989 Section A. Post-Second World War Global Context Theme 1. The American Stand Theme 2. Origins of the Cold War and the ICBMs ‘Who Was to Blame for the Cold War?’: Special Note Theme 3. Mutual Assured Destruction: MAD and Arms Race Section B. Decolonization Section C. Decolonization Meets Cold War: Vietnam, 1954–74, American Mistake Author’s Note: What the Cold War Did MODULE IV: CONFLICT AND CULTURE EUROPEAN GLOBALIZATION SINCE 1989 Section A. Political Contexts Theme 1. Postcolonial Coloniality Theme 2. The End of the Cold War Section B. Economic Contexts Theme 1. Global Inequalities and Resources Theme 2. Drug Economies Theme 3. The Global Arms Trade Section C. Cultural Contexts Theme 1. The Conflict Architype Theme 2. Identerest Conflict Theme 3. Lopsided History History to Be Continued … Appendix: Suggested Questions by Themes of European History Select Bibliography Index