A History of Power in Europe [Hardcover]

Willem Pieter Blockmans (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0810963477 | ISBN-13: 978-0810963474 | Publication Date: September 1, 1997 | Edition: 1ST

From Dust Jacket Notes: Moving from the time when nation-states first appeared in Europe, around A.D. 1000, through the Crusades and the Renaissance, wars, annexations, revolutions, and the rise of new forms of government, this broad and ambitious study offers a provocative and original perspective on the exercise of power and its effects.... Wim Blockmans investigates the exercise of power in European society through detailed analysis of three broad fields; politics, economics, and culture. The more these three areas overlap, he argues, the more absolute is the power. Thus, the movement of populations, the relationship of religions to secular powers, the arts of cities, courts, and villages all fall under his scrutiny. For most of this millennium visual representations have been rulers' and governments' key tools of persuasion. Here, more than 350 illustrations - paintings, engravings, reliquaries, frescoes, illuminated manuscripts, tapestries, genealogical charts, maps, coins, even chess pieces - brilliantly illuminate Blockmans's thesis. Works by artists as diverse as Giorgio Vasari, Rembrandt, Albrecht Durer, El Greco, Edvard Munch, and Paul Gauguin depicting subjects as varied as religious allegories, portraits of the Medici family, witch trials in sixteenth-century Germany, religious extremism in Northern Ireland, Stalinist architecture, naval battles, and more converge to present a complete picture of European power structures and struggles over the last thousand years.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In this absorbing, heavily illustrated, big-picture study, Dutch historian Wim P. Blockmans examines the tendency of Western European states to form eastward-stretching empires that seem fated not to last. The argument is somewhat diffuse, but Blockmans does a fine job of tracing the elaborate networks by which these states both wielded power and distributed it among their citizens (through, among other vehicles, land grants, tax concessions, and war booty). The evolution of these states has led to the present world market economy, he suggests, an adaptive and creative regime that "may be the most enduring form of power in European, and perhaps even in human history."

From Kirkus Reviews

A lavishly illustrated discussion of the factors that have shaped Europe's path to diversity and unity. Europe will enter the 21st century with an unprecedented spirit of integration, though still burdened with bleak reminders of the shattering part played recently and throughout the ages by forces of division and violence (e.g., war in the former Yugoslavia; the breakup of the Soviet Union). Blockmans (Medieval and European History/Univ. of Leyden, the Netherlands) speaks directly to Europe's hopes and anxieties about what the future promises. His work of historiography also addresses the political imagination of our times with insight and alacrity. Blockmans studies the interaction of cultural, economic, and political influences on the Continent, pondering the trends and significance of various configurations of power in Europe's history. Starting with the formation of European kingdoms and frontiers, the author leads us through a millennium of eras with chapters devoted to broad themes, such as ``men and resources,'' ``cut-throat competition,'' and ``the state apparatus.'' In each of his nine chapters, he emphasizes the changing distinctions separating the secular and the religious, high and low culture, and the differing roles assumed over time by members of varied social strata. But it is the cultural dimension that receives his particular attention. Most readers, seduced quickly by this handsome volume's 370 illustrations, ranging from paintings and illuminated manuscripts to sculpture, poster art, and advertisements, will readily understand and appreciate Blockmans's decision to stress the visual means by which rulers have tried to impress their heady authority on society's lower ranks. In conclusion, he notes that Europe's very wealth and attraction lie in its cultural diversity. A history of Europe with a contemporary and political edge, this book also issues a call for diversity across social and political borders. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 402 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams; 1ST edition (September 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810963477
• ISBN-13: 978-0810963474
• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 9.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.9 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,548,688 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.