A History of Modern Europe, Volume Two: From the French Revolution to the Present [Paperback]

John Merriman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1996 | ISBN-10: 0393969282 | ISBN-13: 978-0393969283

This work, the first of a two-volume set, covers the history of Europe since the Renaissance. It emphasizes not only cultural and social history, but also examines important political and diplomatic events.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John Merriman is the Charles Seymour Professor of History at Yale University. A specialist in nineteenth century French history, Merriman earned his Ph. D at the University of Michigan. He is the author of many books, including The Margins of City Life: Explorations on the French Urban Frontier, 1815–1851; Red City: Limoges and the French Nineteenth Century; The Agony of the Republic: The Repression of the Left in Revolutionary France, 1848–1851; and, most recently, The Stones of Balazuc: A French Village in Time (Norton, 2002). He regularly teaches the survey of modern European history at Yale. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 1018 pages
• Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company (March 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393969282
• ISBN-13: 978-0393969283
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,015,917 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Despite the perfectly reasonable objections below . . ., April 23, 2006

By 

Allen Smalling "Constant Reader," (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A History of Modern Europe, Second Edition: From the French Revolution to the Present (Volume 2) (Paperback)

. . . I am giving John Merriman's A HISTORY OF MODERN EUROPE (Vol. 2, French Revolution to Present) five stars because I think it offers a better survey of the topic than older books on the subject. While this book pretty much operates under a "big-man" theory of history, it does mention social and economic trends, along with a nod, via color plating, to changing trends in art. It would have been nicer to have more of the kind of history that doesn't fall under military/diplomatic lines, but at some point, had Merriman tried to discuss everything, we'd have left a comprehensive history and begun a multi-volume encyclopedia!

I also appreciated Merriman's well-measured and friendly prose style, which is discursive without being digressive. Contemporary political cartoons and made objects are pictured in A HISTORY OF MODERN EUROPE, as well as the maps and portraits we would expect.

If you can find a better comprehensive history, buy it. I myself can find none better.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An ambitious and comprehensive project, March 1, 2005

By 

Dowell B (Queens, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A History of Modern Europe, Volume Two: From the French Revolution to the Present (Paperback)

Merriman, who is the author of several lucid histories on early modern France, has taken on the entire landscape of modern Europe. His treatment of industrial and imperialist developments in Western and Central Europe is especially noteworthy. (Volume I of his work covers the Renaissance to Napoleon.) I would have liked to see attention given to southern and eastern European social issues. But overall, the text is well done and well organized.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A History of Modern History: From the French Revolution to the Present, May 28, 2009

By 

John F. Grobe "Big John" (Minnetonka, MN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A History of Modern Europe, Volume Two: From the French Revolution to the Present (Paperback)

This is the second volume of a two volume set on the history of Western Europe. After reading the first book I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one. Mr. Merriman has a way of making history come alive and relevent. I found myself making comparisons to America's present challenges to those of Europe in the 19th through 21st century. I highly recommend both volumes to anyone interested in learning where we have been and where we might be headed.