A Concise History of Modern Europe

By: David S. Mason

Narrated by: Charles Henderson Norman

Length: 8 hrs

Publisher's Summary

Highlighting the key events, ideas, and individuals that have shaped modern Europe, this fresh and lively book provides a concise history of the continent from the Enlightenment to the present. Drawing on the enduring theme of revolution, David S. Mason explores the political, economic, and scientific causes and consequences of revolution; the development of human rights and democracy; and issues of European identity and integration. He deliberately avoids a detailed chronology of every country and time period by emphasizing the most crucial events that have shaped Europe.

Fourteen focused chapters address such topical issues as the Enlightenment; the French Revolution and Napoleon; the Industrial Revolution; the theories and impact of Marx and Darwin; the revolutions of 1848, 1917, and 1989; the unifications of Germany and Italy; European imperialism; the two world wars; the Cold War; the evolution and expansion of the European Union; and current challenges confronting Europe.

©2013 Rowman & Littlefield (P)2016 Redwood Audiobooks

Critic Reviews

"Lucid and well written, this text offers a straightforward and accessible introduction to late-modern European history." (K. Steven Vincent, North Carolina State University)

"Mason's book is a gem: it's well-written, succinct, and does exactly what I need it to do." (Alan Cafruny, Hamilton College)

"David Mason's account of European history from the Enlightenment to the present offers an authoritative synthesis of major developments in this diverse and complex period. Written in a lucid and engaging style, clearly structured and concise, this survey is both comprehensive and readable." (Jolanta T. Pekacz, Dalhousie University)

A Nice Textbook Review of 200 Yrs of European Hist

What did you love best about A Concise History of Modern Europe?

Good overview of the period and most of the players in the subject. I liked the narrator's style which was most appropriate for the tome. Engagingly professorial without being preachy.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I almost did as I listened to it on a long trip by car. Chapter breaks were good though as moved to different national/time-frame focus.

Any additional comments?

Good general text. Helped me refresh my remembrances of the subject so I could better help my HS daughter with her history. Perhaps a bit light for use as a full course textbook but could make for beneficial supplementary reading. All kidding aside, it really was a concise overview. Seemed a bit Northern Euro-centric though. Spain was largely left out of the flow.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

If you like history, this is a great listen!

I've always been a big fan of history in just about any form. I really liked listening to this book. Make no mistake, this isn't a story about history, it's essentially a textbook you might find in high school or college. It covers most of the major events in European history within about a 225 year span from 1789 almost to the present. I was most interested in the very beginning as the book went thoroughly through the French Revolution. I've always been interested in that event and learned quite a bit that I didn't already know.

I was a little worried at first and didn't think I would be able to get into this book. However, the narrator did a great job reading it, and the author did a good job of making his points without drowning you in too many menial details. Most of the major points came across well.

Having said that, you definitely need to be a history buff to enjoy this book. It won't hold onto a short attention span for long.

For me, this was a great book, and I learned quite a few things along the way.

I received a free copy of this audio book for an honest review.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

History

Any additional comments?

This rational history of Europe includes enough background of major events and individuals to make the overview helpful. I found the inclusion of foremost artists of the time of the events very interesting. Concise is appropriate in the title, so don’t expect detailed history or chronology; but as an introduction and foundation for further reading, it was helpful. The narrator was excellent, thus listening to the book was a pleasure.
This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

ok

Okay.

"I was provided this audibook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast dot com. "

19 of 24 people found this review helpful

History in Twelve Chapters

If you could sum up A Concise History of Modern Europe in three words, what would they be?

concise, lol, ... interesting...

What other book might you compare A Concise History of Modern Europe to and why?

In some ways Zinn's A People's History. Not politically but in the manner each event is presented. In a positive sense.

What about Charles Henderson Norman’s performance did you like?

It took a little bit of time, but I enjoyed his narration.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

This audiobook is 8 hours long and with a few breaks, I did listen to it in one sitting.

Any additional comments?

I think this would be good as a freshman textbook either college or high school. And it was enjoyable to listen to.
"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com."

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

A very interesting overview

In general, this book covers happenings in Europe from 1789 (the French Revolution) through 1989 (the fall of Communism). There’s a little bit after that on the formation of the European Union and what current hurdles Europe as a whole faces. The book doesn’t focus overly on one country or another, rather covering significant events and people who shaped Europe for better or worse.

Having been raised in the American public school system, there were bits and pieces of European history that I knew some little about, but this book does a great job of putting them into perspective. I’m really glad I gave this book a listen because it makes me feel smarter for it. What follows here in my review are some of the little interesting nuggets I took from this book.

During and after the French Revolution, women demanded legal rights and some of those rights were granted; however, they were denied the right to education. Alas, then came Napoleon who was very fond of the patriarchal family hierarchy: Women and children were subject to the rule of the man of the house. Oddly, his laws on many things remain a cornerstone to French law, law within parts of Turkey, and law in the state of Louisiana. Ha! That does explain some things….

One of things that helped lead England into the Industrial Revolution was the use of turnips. Yep! Behold the mighty turnip! The English started farming turnips which did two things for them: turnips help add nutrients to the soil, so a field could be used longer; and also turnips can be fed to winter livestock, allowing the English to winterover more of the flocks instead of doing a major slaughter and preserving prior to snows setting in. Alas, boiled turnips did very little to excite Europe over English cuisine.

Karl Marx spent much of his life in poverty (along with his wife and kids) dedicated to his writings and studying so he could make more writings. He had patrons here and there that allowed him to occasionally keep a roof over his family’s head and the kids fed. Karl Marx gave us an interesting piece of political philosophy (The Communist Manifesto), but I think his family would have appreciated him having some kind of steady job instead. Only 11 people attended his funeral.

Darwin’s Theory of Evolution was published and it took some little time for most European countries to accept it. The US was (and perhaps still is) one of the last major world powers to accept the Theory of Evolution. Darwin happily married his first cousin and they had 10 kids together. The Crimean War was the first war covered by journalists and also the first war where women were officially allowed to serve, but only in the Nursing Corps (i.e. Florence Nightingale).

Ethiopia and Liberia avoided colonialism during the rush to claim Africa, though Liberia was primarily a colony for liberated native Africans and remained mostly under US control until they gained their freedom. In Asia, Japan remained free from colonialism while many other Asian countries (in part or in total) were colonized. I’ve always known that the term ‘first world country’ refers to places like western Europe, Canada, the US, while the term ‘third world country’ usually refers to much of South America, Asia, and Africa. However, I didn’t know if there was a ‘second world country’, having never heard the term. Turns out that phrase refers to the communist Soviet block. One of the outcomes of World War I was the League of Nations proposed by US President Wilson. However, the US didn’t join it, nor did Russia. Germany was prohibited from joining it until 1926. So it wasn’t particularly effective.

So those are just the little nuggets of info I pulled out of this book. I am sure there are plenty more that I would pick up on or understand better on a second read through. Mostly, I am grateful for the perspective this book gave me, how one event feeds into another. The author did a great job of providing a few key dates here and there, but not inundating the reader with a ton of dates that will be quickly forgotten. After all, this is an overview of 200+ years of European history, not a blow-by-blow recounting of it.

I received a copy of this book at no cost from the narrator (via Audiobook Boom) in exchange for an honest review.

Narration: Charles Henderson Norman did a great job narrating this. He has a voice somewhere between a news reporter and a story telling uncle. His personal interest, and sometimes even joy, in the subject comes through clearly in his narration.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

A good introductory overview

In "A Concise History of Modern Europe: Liberty, Equality, Solidarity" David Mason has put together a great overview of Europe from the start of the French Revolution (1789) through to now.

He covers each of the major events and changes in the ~200 years including the aforementioned Revolution, the rise and fall of Napoleon, the industrial revolution (focusing on England here), colonial expansion, Marxism, the Russian Revolution, the World Wars, the Cold War and finally the creation and growth of the EU.

Each of these items can (and have) filled many books larger than this one, so there is no way this can go into great detail. But Mason gives enough information to cover the key events and then weaves them together to help give a picture of how one major event came out of the previous. How the actions and thoughts of decades ago can create an effect.

My largest concern would sit with the last section, of post cold war Europe up to 2014. At the time of writing we are too close to these events to truly analyse them in terms of their affects on history. What we see as eventually being the important parts of these last few decades might actually not matter once we get some distance. It is just hard to know. How they fit into the 'weave' is still unclear.


Charles Norman does a good job of reading. Clear and well paced he is easy to listen to and understand.

I was provided this audibook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast dot com.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

What a magnificent surprise

This is a marvel to read, I enjoyed it from beginning to end. Make no mistake it reads like a text book but a very well written and informative text book none the less. I recommend this book to anyone who is high school level or above. It is extremely informative and very enjoyable. I received this book at no charge from the publisher writer or narrator for a honest review.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Nice History Book

This is a good history of the people of Europe and how events shaped the Europe we all know today. From the French Revolution to the Russian Revolution, and World War II this book gives a nice, succinct account of historical events.

I received this audiobook for free in exchange for an honest review.

A little too detailed for me but fascinating stuff

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Yes, it's a comprehensive overview of modern european history with great details.

What does Charles Henderson Norman bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He does bring a part of history to life, that would otherwise be difficult to tell.

Any additional comments?

"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com."