A Diplomatic History of Europe Since the Congress of Vienna

Synopsis

Although published over 35 years ago, this is a wonderful book. The title is somewhat misleading in that this is a global survey rather than one merely of Europe. It is also a general history of power relationships in the modern world, in their diplomatic, political, and military aspects, rather than a narrow history of diplomacy.
At its core, this book tells a tragic saga, the self-immolation of Europe in two devastating world wars and the decline of European power from world dominance to near irrelevance. It also covers the rise of the USA and Russia to the status of twin super powers and, at its end, foresees the emergence of China as a mighty third pole. The bulk of the book covers the period from the Franco-Prussian war to the end of WWII and treats it, as it should, as a single arc of history. The author's command of the material is magisterial, and his tone of ironic detachment lends itself well to this convoluted story of human folly and brutality. [Amazon]

RefTags

Released

1973

Location

Europe

Setting

Congress of Vienna (1814-1815); Franco-Prussian War 1870-1871);