A Companion to Europe, 1900 - 1945 (Blackwell Companions to European History)

"A Companion to Europe 1900-1945" brings together a distinguished group of international scholars to discuss the major debates in the study of early twentieth-century Europe. The volume outlines the great political and social upheavals of the period and the great changes in culture and the economy. The topics include imperial rivalries, the devastation of the First World War, the challenges of recovery, the rise of fascism and communism, and the horrors of World War II and the Holocaust. It offers helpful introductions to these tumultuous developments, provides an overview of current scholarly thinking, and illuminates perennial themes as well as new areas of inquiry. The companion opens with a section on "continuity and change" addressing overarching themes and movements. The remaining five parts are organised chronologically, each one focusing on a particular period in time. In each of these chronological sections, scholars consider a range of social, economic, cultural, and political issues, paying particular attention to those questions which have attracted most debate.; The approach throughout is pan-European, highlighting similarities and differences across nations and regions A COMPANION TO EUROPE 1900–1945......Page 1 Contents......Page 3 Notes on Contributors......Page 6 Preface......Page 11 Maps......Page 12 Introduction: Europe in Agony, 1900–1945......Page 19 Part I Continuity and Change; Forces and Movements......Page 29 1 Urbanization, Poverty, and Crime......Page 30 2 The Revolution in Science......Page 46 3 Feminism: Women, Work, and Politics......Page 62 4 Modernism......Page 77 5 The Cult of Youth......Page 93 6 Sexuality and the Psyche......Page 109 7 The Economy......Page 125 Part II Before the Deluge......Page 144 8 Europe’s World: Power, Empire, and Colonialism......Page 145 9 Social Reform or Social Revolution?......Page 161 10 Modernity: Approaching the Twentieth Century......Page 176 11 Politics: The Past and the Future......Page 191 12 The Coming of War, 1914......Page 206 Part III World War I......Page 221 13 August 1914: Public Opinion and the Crisis......Page 222 14 The War in the Trenches......Page 238 15 The War from Above: Aims, Strategy, and Diplomacy......Page 253 16 The War and Revolution......Page 268 Part IV The Aftermath of War......Page 284 17 Peacemaking after World War I......Page 285 18 Demobilization and Discontent......Page 301 19 The Socialist Experiment......Page 316 20 The Fascist Challenge......Page 333 21 Revisionism......Page 350 Part V The New Age......Page 365 22 The Jazz Age......Page 366 23 The Nazi New Society......Page 382 24 The Popular Front......Page 398 25 The Strategic Revolution......Page 414 26 Hitler and the Origins of World War II......Page 430 Part VI World War II......Page 446 27 Grand Strategy and Summit Diplomacy......Page 447 28 The Real War......Page 463 29 The Home Fronts: Europe at War, 1939–1945......Page 478 30 The Holocaust......Page 494 31 Memories of World War II and the Holocaust in Europe......Page 509 Bibliography......Page 526 Index......Page 560 This Companion to Europe 1900-1945 brings together a distinguished group of international scholars to discuss the major debates in the study of early twentieth-century Europe. The volume outlines the great political and social upheavals of the period and great changes in culture and the economy. Topics include imperial rivalries, the devastation of the First World War, the challenges of recovery, the rise of fascism and communism, and the horrors of World War II and the Holocaust. It offers helpful introductions to these tumultuous developments, provides an overview of current scholarly thinking, and illuminates perennial themes as well as new areas of inquiry. --From cover This volume brings together a distinguished group of international scholars to discuss the major debates in the study of early twentieth-century Europe. Brings together contributions from a distinguished group of international scholars. Provides an overview of current thinking on the period. Traces the great political, social and economic upheavals of the time. Illuminates perennial themes, as well as new areas of enquiry. Takes a pan-European approach, highlighting similarities and differences across nations and regions. Discusses the major debates in the study of early 20th-century Europe. This title outlines the great political and social upheavals of the period and the great changes in culture and the economy. It covers such topics as imperial rivalries, the devastation of the WW I, the challenges of recovery, and the horrors of World War II and the Holocaust. Discusses the major debates in the study of early twentieth-century Europe. In a pan-European approach, this volume outlines the political and social upheavals of the period and the changes in culture and the economy. It focuses on the imperial rivalries, the devastation of the First World War, the challenges of recovery, and more It is relatively easy to construct a portrait of Europe during the first half of the twentieth century as intrinsically "modern."