A Short History of Europe: From Pericles to Putin

Simon Jenkins writes wonderful history: tongue-in-cheek, observant and very well written. I have many of his books and continue to enjoy re-reading all of them.

Sorry. I ended up throwing this book away. Seems like the author started with an earnest effort, but towards the middle of the book, everything was simply names, facts and dates about wars. I stopped reading halfway through.I understand that Europe was a bunch of competing Royal families that ended up marrying or fighting each other.The book fails to go much deeper than that. Sorry. I found this book boring.

Well written for everybody to be able to know that period in history

Simon Jenkins' book covers many centuries. At times the pace is bewildering and, inevitably, there are gaps and several major events are covered in very few pages. Britain gets more than its fair share in the story, and there are some annoying mistakes which betray a less than thorough research - for example, Lepanto is not a few miles off Corinth, Navarino is nowhere near it, Hitler did not have 5.000 tanks in his eastern armies when he invaded Soviet Union in 1941, the Greek junta that fell in 1974 was not in place since before World War II like those of Portugal and Spain, and so on. The general reader, however, should find the book full of interest. There is useful for synthesis but little new analysis. I surmise the book didn't take very long to write. Jenkins has aimed at describing how a group of states, interacting with each other over time, developed a continental consciousness. The role of geography is rightly stressed, as it is so often forgotten. There are 23 chapters, an epilogue, 12 maps, about 50 illustrations, a timeline, and a short guide to further reading, but there are no footnotes at all.

I must preface this review by saying that I received a review copy of this book from NetGalley.A Short History of Europe: From Pericles to Putin is a capable single-volume history of the geopolitical entity of Europe. It is relative short and to the point. And it is relatively novel in that it eschews the history of the states of Europe. In his introduction, Simon Jenkins—a notable journalist and writer on history, politics, and architecture—makes the reader well aware that Jenkins is also aware of the shortcomings of the book. And he encourages the reader to go deeper on their own, and provides the roadmap to do so. This gives the volume a lot of utility for the general public.Jenkins writes that he is writing a conventional history, meaning that he has divided the work into periods defined by Great Men and Great Powers. This political approach can be problematic in that it removes all other narratives, which Jenkins repeats are absolutely as important. They’re just outside his scope. And given the small page count, understanding how to control scope is important. The work is also quite unconventional. Jenkins is generally uninterested in the life and times of states. Those Great Men in his history are those who have transcended the nation and the state and affect a “continental consciousness”.As such, he begins with Greece. People existed before, a long line of European polities began long before we have names for the states and instead refer to the civilizations by their artifacts. But Greece not only introduced the concept of a Europe, but formed the basis of European identity through Hellenistic and Roman inheritance. From here, we move very swiftly through time. Important figures and population movements are the meat of the first third of the book. It’s this from which we have modern European states, which rose from Germanic kingdoms in France, Italy, and Spain on the ashes of Rome and the flourishing Roman Catholic religion.From there we delve more into the development of the modern state itself. In some ways, this may seem like it goes against the introduction’s insistence that individual states are not the focus, but if we view these vignettes as case studies which are representative of the growth of the state from a personal domain to a bureaucratic entity, from enslaved peoples to citizens with a social contract, it makes perfect sense.The last third looks at how these states interacted, writ large: Napoleonic Wars, the Peace of Metternich, two World Wars, and then the Cold War. It ends with a bit of a contradiction. On one hand, the European political system is seeming to unify into an ever-stronger federal system in the EU. Yet on the other, seeds of doubt are planted by a rebirth of nationalism and a Russia which seeks to profit from chaos if that EU breaks. The book ends on a bit of a down note, questioning the future of the relative peace and prosperity brought by these four thousand years of European existence.This is a good book for the layperson, who may not be terribly aware of European history or one seeking a history which goes beyond being a collection of national histories. The review copy I received does not have illustrations present, but it does include a considerable list which are to be included in the final version. Aside from that, it is well formatted and well edited. In the back is a list of works referenced, in lieu of citations; which is sufficient for the intended audience (who, frankly, probably aren’t interested in obscure scholarly works). Overall, this book is worth looking at.

Very good narrative. But it totally omits the history of the Balkans. Yes, it's a short history of Europe but 1 ot 2 pages would add the solidity it needs to explain the forces at work

If you have no knowledge of Europe this is a useful book. If you are educated and have read other books on European history then you will be bored witless. Reads like a school textbook, no synthesis of ideas, no consideration of the topography of Europe and the effect on the people and culture. Ditto the religious tension. I heard a podcast about this book and generally admire Simon Jenkins hence ordering the book. Disappointing. I rather thought I might be getting something along the lines of the superb Germany:Memories of a Nation by Neil MacGregor. Instead a boring inelegantly written linear slog. I just couldn’t be bothered to keep reading after page ten.

Simon Jenkins has written several very readable books. This one is no exception. If you are an expert in European history this may not be for you, but for the majority of us who have a fairly good understanding of the subject but no more this book builds upon that knowledge in a chronological and logical way. I see that some commentators here have, bewilderingly, criticised it for not being more detailed - and consequently given it a low rating - but the whole point of the book is set out in the title ie the word 'short'. It should not be underestimated how much research is required to begin such a venture, ditto the time required to synthesise this massive subject into a brief and understandable text of just ca 300 pages. Congratulations to SJ.

This contains much of the history of Europe from the early Greeks to the modern day. Good scholarship and yet easy to read, it leads to the exploration of whatever period particularly interests the reader. As an overview of the history of our often fractious continent, it would be difficult to better.

This book is fair enough for a galloping overview but is not going to be too interesting to anybody who has a more than basic knowledge of european history

A stunning overview, providing an authoritative account of people, places and events. I have found this a compulsive read. It adds details, fills gaps and explains the sequence of related events in a way that has answered my questions and extended my understanding. The narrative is thorough, clear, concise and very enjoyable.