A People’s History of Modern Europe

1. "The King's in His Castle ... All's Right with the World": The Collapse of the Middle Ages -- 2. "The Other Reformation": Martin Luther, Religious Dogma and the Common People -- 3. "The World Turned Upside Down": The Crisis of the Seventeenth Century and the English Revolution, 1640-49 -- 4. The Rise of the Third Estate: The French People Revolt -- 5. Becoming an Appendage to the Machine: The Revolution in Production -- 6. From the Revolutions of 1848-49 to the First People's Democracy: The Paris Commune -- 7. The Rise of the Working Classes: Trade Unions and Socialism -- 8. Protest and Mutiny Confront Mass Slaughter: Europeans and World War I -- 9. War Leads to Revolution: Russia (1917), Central Europe (1918-19) -- 10. Economic Collapse and the Rise of Fascism, 1920-33 -- 11. Against Fascist Terror: War and Genocide, 1933-45 -- 12. A New Europe? 1945-48 -- 13. Europeans in the Cold War: Between Moscow and Washington -- 14. From the Berlin Wall to the Prague Spring: A New Generation of Europeans -- 15. Fighting for Peace in an Atomic Age, 1969-89 -- 16. Europe Falls into the Twenty-First Century.;"From the monarchical terror of the Middle Ages to the mangled Europe of the twenty-first century, A People's History of Modern Europe tracks the history of the continent through the deeds of those whom mainstream history tries to forget. Europe provided the perfect conditions for a great number of political revolutions from below. The German peasant wars of Thomas Müntzer, the bourgeois revolutions of the eighteenth century, the rise of the industrial worker in England, the turbulent journey of the Russian Soviets, the role of the European working class throughout the Cold War, student protests in 1968 and through to the present day, when we continue to fight to forge an alternative to the barbaric economic system. With sections focusing on the role of women, this history sweeps away the tired platitudes of the privileged upon which our current understanding is based, and provides an opportunity to see our history differently"--Résumé de l'éditeur. An Accessible History For Anyone Interested In Discovering The Alternative Story Of Modern Europe. This Title Was Made Open Access By Libraries From Around The World Through Knowledge Unlatched. From The Monarchical Terror Of The Middle Ages To The Mangled Europe Of The Twenty-first Century, A People's History Of Modern Europe Tracks The History Of The Continent Through The Deeds Of Those Whom Mainstream History Tries To Forget. Europe Provided The Perfect Conditions For A Great Number Of Political Revolutions From Below. The German Peasant Wars Of Thomas Müntzer, The Bourgeoisie Revolutions Of The Eighteenth Century Through To The Rise Of The Industrial Worker In England And The Turbulent Journey Of The Russian Soviets, The Role Of The European Working Class Throughout The Cold War, Students In 1968 And Through To The Present Day, Where We Continue To Fight To Forge An Alternative To The Barbaric Economic System. With Sections Focusing On The Role Of Women, This History Sweeps Away The Tired Platitudes Of The Privileged Which Our Current Understanding Is Based Upon, And Provides An Opportunity To See Our History Differently. 1. The King's In His Castle...all's Right With The World: The Collapse Of The Middle Ages -- 2. The Other Reformation: Martin Luther, Religious Dogma And The Common People -- 3. The World Turned Upside Down: The Crisis Of The Seventeenth Century And The English Revolution, 1640-49 -- 4. The Rise Of The Third Estate: The French People Revolt -- 5. Becoming An Appendage To The Machine: The Revolution In Production -- 6. From The Revolutions Of 1848-49 To The First People's Democracy: The Paris Commune -- 7. The Rise Of The Working Classes: Trade Unions And Socialism -- 8. Protest And Mutiny Confront Mass Slaughter: Europeans And World War I -- 9. War Leads To Revolution: Russia (1917), Central Europe (1918-19) -- 10. Economic Collapse And The Rise Of Fascism, 1920-33 -- 11. Against Fascist Terror: War And Genocide, 1933-45 -- 12. A New Europe? 1945-48 -- 13. Europeans In The Cold War: Between Moscow And Washington -- 14. From The Berlin Wall To The Prague Spring: A New Generation Of Europeans -- 15. Fighting For Peace In An Atomic Age, 1969-89 -- 16. Europe Falls Into The Twenty-first Century. William A. Pelz. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. The origin of capitalism and modern industrialismand, not unrelated, the birthplace of Marxismmodern Europe provided the perfect conditions for a great number of political revolutions from below. From the monarchical terror of the Middle Ages to the mangled Europe of the twenty-first century, A Peoples History of Modern Europe tracks the history of the continent through the deeds of those whom mainstream history tries to forget. Along the way, William A. Pelz examines the German peasant wars of Thomas Mntzer, the bourgeoisie revolutions of the eighteenth century, the rise of the industrial worker in England, the turbulent journey of the Russian Soviets, the role of the European working class throughout the Cold War, and the revolutionary students in 1968. He then brings his story to the present day, where we continue to fight to forge an alternative to a heartless and often barbaric economic system. As Germany and Greece argue over who owes what, with the very idea of Europe crumbling around them, Pelzs accessible, provocative history could not be timelier. Sure to resonate with fans of books like Howard Zinns A Peoples History of the United States , this peoples history sweeps away the tired platitudes of the privileged and provides an opportunity to understand the story of Europe from the ground up. The origin of capitalism and modern industrialism—and, not unrelated, the birthplace of Marxism—modern Europe provided the perfect conditions for a great number of political revolutions. From the monarchical terror of the Middle Ages to the mangled Europe of the twenty-first century, A People’s History of Modern Europe tracks the history of the continent through the deeds of those whom mainstream history tries to forget. Along the way, William A. Pelz examines the German peasant wars of Thomas Müntzer, the bourgeoisie revolutions of the eighteenth century, the rise of the industrial worker in England, the turbulent journey of the Russian Soviets, the role of the European working class throughout the Cold War, and the revolutionary students in 1968. He then brings his story to the present day, where we continue to fight to forge an alternative to a heartless and often barbaric economic system. As Germany and Greece argue over who owes what, with the very idea of Europe crumbling around them, Pelz’s accessible, provocative history could not be timelier. Sure to resonate with fans of books like Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States, this people’s history sweeps away the tired platitudes of the privileged and provides an opportunity to understand the story of Europe from the ground up. Cover 1 Contents 6 Acknowledgements 8 Introduction 9 1. "The King's in His Castle ... All's Right with the World": The Collapse of the Middle Ages 16 2. "The Other Reformation": Martin Luther, Religious Dogma and the Common People 33 3. "The World Turned Upside Down": The Crisis of the Seventeenth Century and the English Revolution, 1640-49 45 4. The Rise of the Third Estate: The French People Revolt 55 5. Becoming an Appendage to the Machine: The Revolution in Production 67 6. From the Revolutions of 1848-49 to the First People's Democracy: The Paris Commune 79 7. The Rise of the Working Classes: Trade Unions and Socialism, 1871-1914 98 8. Protest and Mutiny Confront Mass Slaughter: Europeans in World War I 118 9. War Leads to Revolution: Russia (1917), Central Europe (1918-19) 130 10. Economic Collapse and the Rise of Fascism, 1920-33 142 11. Against Fascist Terror: War and Genocide, 1933-45 157 12. A New Europe? 1945-48 172 13. Europeans in the Cold War: Between Moscow and Washington 186 14. From the Berlin Wall to the Prague Spring: A New Generation of Europeans 198 15. Fighting for Peace in an Atomic Age, 1969-89 212 16. Europe Falls into the Twenty-First Century 225 Notes 233 Index 276 From the monarchical terror of the Middle Ages to the mangled Europe of the twenty-first century, A People's History of Modern Europe tells the history of the continent through the deeds of those whom mainstream history tries to forget.

Europe provided the perfect conditions for a great number of political revolutions from below. The German peasant wars of Thomas Müntzer, the bourgeois revolutions of the eighteenth century, the rise of the industrial worker in England, the turbulent journey of the Russian Soviets, the role of the European working class throughout the Cold War, student protests in 1968 and through to the present day, when we continue to fight to forge an alternative to the barbaric economic system.

By focusing on the role of women, trade unions and students, this history sweeps away the tired platitudes of the privileged upon which our current understanding is based, providing an opportunity to see our history differently.
"From the monarchical terror of the Middle Ages to the mangled Europe of the twenty-first century, A People's History of Modern Europe tracks the history of the continent through the deeds of those whom mainstream history tries to forget. Europe provided the perfect conditions for a great number of political revolutions from below. The German peasant wars of Thomas Müntzer, the bourgeois revolutions of the eighteenth century, the rise of the industrial worker in England, the turbulent journey of the Russian Soviets, the role of the European working class throughout the Cold War, student protests in 1968 and through to the present day, when we continue to fight to forge an alternative to the barbaric economic system. With sections focusing on the role of women, this history sweeps away the tired platitudes of the privileged upon which our current understanding is based, and provides an opportunity to see our history differently"--Provided by publisher From the monarchical terror of the Middle Ages to the mangled Europe of the twenty-first century, A People's History of Modern Europe tracks the history of the continent through the deeds of those whom mainstream history tries to forget. Europe provided the perfect conditions for a great number of political revolutions from below. The German peasant wars of Thomas Muntzer, the bourgeois revolutions of the eighteenth century, the rise of the industrial worker in England, the turbulent journey of the Russian Soviets, the role of the European working class throughout the Cold War, student protests in 1968 and through to the present day, when we continue to fight to forge an alternative to the barbaric economic system. With sections focusing on the role of women, this history sweeps away the tired platitudes of the privileged upon which our current understanding is based, and provides an opportunity to see our history differently.