A Concise History of Modern Europe

Liberty, Equality, Solidarity

De: David S. Mason

Narrado por: Charles Henderson Norman

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

Reseñas de la Crítica

"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)

Solid survey, decent but slow narration

This is a decent short survey of modern European history, good for helping one absorb the general flow of trends and events and the big ideas. The narration is very listenable but perhaps too slow in pacing. However, by speeding up the reading just a little, I found the flow to be more enjoyable.

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.

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."

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.

Detailed Content

Lots of detailed content! Learned a lot and enjoyed it! Was easy to follow and understand.