Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945

By: Tony Judt

Narrated by: Ralph Cosham

Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize • Winner of the Council on Foreign Relations Arthur Ross Book Award • One of the New York Times’ Ten Best Books of the Year

“Impressive . . . Mr. Judt writes with enormous authority.” —The Wall Street Journal

“Magisterial . . . It is, without a doubt, the most comprehensive, authoritative, and yes, readable postwar history.” —The Boston Globe

Almost a decade in the making, this much-anticipated grand history of postwar Europe from one of the world’s most esteemed historians and intellectuals is a singular achievement. Postwar is the first modern history that covers all of Europe, both east and west, drawing on research in six languages to sweep listeners through thirty-four nations and sixty years of political and cultural change—all in one integrated, enthralling narrative. The book incorporates international relations, domestic politics, ideas, social change, economic development, and culture—high and low. Every country has its chance to play the lead, and although the big themes are superbly handled—including the cold war, the love/hate relationship with America, cultural and economic malaise and rebirth, and the myth and reality of unification—none of them is allowed to overshadow the rich pageant that is the whole. Vividly and clearly written for the general listener, witty, opinionated, and full of fresh and surprising stories and asides, Postwar is a movable feast for lovers of history and lovers of Europe alike.

Both intellectually ambitious and compelling, thrilling in its scope and delightful in its small details, Postwar is a rare joy.

©2005 Tony Judt (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“A book that has the pace of a thriller and the scope of an encyclopedia…A very considerable achievement…Brilliant." ( New York Review of Books)

“Remarkable…. The writing is vivid; the coverage—of little countries as well as of great ones—is virtually superhuman.” ( The New Yorker)

“Massive, kaleidoscopic, and thoroughly readable…[Judt’s] book now becomes the definitive account of Europe’s rise from the ashes and its takeoff into an uncertain future.” ( Time)

Long book, does not get old

I am not sure why I bought this book. The history of western Europe after the war does not exactly seem the most fun to hear portion of human history; in fact, one would expect a lot of economic numbers about what Europe rebuild while all of the interesting historical stuff was happening in Russia, the US or in Asia.

Certainly true, western Europe is not just economic growth but there was a lot going on at the time. First, these were the times were the foundations of the European Union were put into place. As a French, I always took that as a given and view the Germans as some of the friendliest in Europe (certainly more than the French). Nothing like that post-war, I did not know that, even in the fifties and sixties, the German government acted to stop the prosecution of known nazis or that a third of Germans had favorable views of Hitler (of course, that's very different now!). Second, I did not realize the general cultural boom all across Europe, specially given the current constant hammering of American pop culture in modern Europe. Third, there is a lot of dark history to be learnt from eastern Europe and its complete abandonment by the western countries.

The greatness of the book is the material is delivered in a very lively manner, in a way that is very accessible to a history layman. The only possible cost of this is that the economic history has certainly taken the back seat, and (while this is just my opinion) it seems that most of western history is due to politicians rather than the evermore inter-connected business world.

remarkable achievement

it is often hard to follow such complicated history in general, let alone in an audiobook. it was gripping and moves like a novel even though it has over 800 pages to it. it's also fairly easy if you want to skip some sections since it's well organized by country with certain themes the focus of certain chapters. it's also clear that there is a bit of an agenda in the book in the best way, trying to make an argument about social democracy.

Monumental book, worth listening to more than once

Yes, it's a very long book - 43 hours - but you shouldn't loose interest while listening to it. It keeps mind engaged and inspires to reflect. I'm listening to the book for the second time and may return to it at again at some point in the future. A lot of material to digest! A lot to think about. It is not centered solely on principal countries of Western Europe, as is often the case, but also sheds light on events in smaller and more peripheral countries. It helped me correct some of my misconceptions. Narration is very good.

History as I never understood or knew it before

Long, very long, and comprehensive. Incredibly detailed, but mostly incredibly wise and insightful, the wisdom of the insider and the outsider at once in one massive, indispensable narrative. I will listen again some time fairly soon.

A thorough recounting of a critical period

This book gives a comprehensive summary of every aspect of the postwar period in Europe. I can’t imagine anything that could provide more detail and a better overview.