The Dark Continent: Europe's Twentieth Century (Borzoi Book) (Hardcover)

by Mark Mazower (Author) "At a "Congress of Dethroned Monarchs" held at Geneva in 192-Europe's erstwhile crowned heads tried to win back their old supporters..." (more)
Key Phrases: Soviet Union, Third Reich, West Germany (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
As the European Union introduces a common currency to world financial markets, Mark Mazower's Dark Continent critically examines the notion of "Europe." The Euro notwithstanding, Mazower argues that the "'Europe' of the European Union may be a promise or a delusion, but it is not a reality." Renouncing the notion of an essential "Europe," Mazower instead explores the conflicts which dominated the continent in the 20th century and the social value systems which informed them.

Mazower orders his examination chronologically, commencing with the collapse of Europe's continental empires following World War I and the initial European experiments in democracy and national self-determination which followed. He continues with analyses of state interventions in family health and the importance of healthy progeny, the financial crisis of the 1920s, the Hitler regime, the transformed democracy that emerged following World War II, the gradual erosion of the social state in the 1980s, and, finally, the collapse of communism. He consistently displays a firm grip of European history, directing his argument to readers with a foundational knowledge of the events that shaped 20th century Europe rather than historical novices unfamiliar with the period. Provocatively insightful, Dark Continent makes a convincing argument for a European 21st century characterized by continuity and harmony through divergence. "If Europeans can give up their desperate desire to find a single, workable definition of themselves," Mazower concludes, "they may come to terms more easily with the diversity and dissension which will be as much their future as their past." --Bertina Loeffler

From Publishers Weekly
Mazower (Inside Hitler's Greece) shapes his well-written history of Europe's 20th century as a struggle among liberal democracy, communism and fascism. Avoiding the pitfalls of Marxist interpretation on the one hand and capitalist triumphalism on the other, he shows how the failure of liberal democracy after WWI led to the experiment with fascism, which was defeated (principally by the Communists) at an enormous cost. In the first half of this century, he writes, between 60 million and 70 million Europeans died violently in wars or civil unrest, but the figure for the period after the defeat of fascism is under one million. Mazower takes this as evidence that the Cold War was a social and economic, rather than a military, conflict. While this may be true of the Cold War in Europe, the assertion fails to take into account the proxy wars fought by the superpowers in Asia, Africa and Latin America. But this omission doesn't detract from the overall excellence of Mazower's work. The defeat of fascism and the fall of communism have left the field to liberal democracy, which is now faced with the problem it failed to solve in the beginning of the century: how to create a workable relationship between capitalism and representative government. Mazower argues that Europeans can best work this out if they realize that their national differences are greater than any common culture and that Europe has enjoyed its greatest period of peace and prosperity precisely during the period in which it has lost its primacy in world affairs. Maps. Tables not seen by PW.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: Knopf; 1 Amer ed edition (January 9, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679438092
• ISBN-13: 978-0679438090
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #890,257 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A disturbing account of the fragility of democracy, November 8, 1999

By	Kirk Gravestock (Ottawa, Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Mazower gives a chilling account of how during this last century in Europe democracy has until only recently been accepted by most states. The popularity of ideas e.g. fascism and communism should not be overlooked despite the received wisdom today that such systems were evil. This account of European history this century is by no means comprehensive. Nevertheless, it does reflect on some of the more unsavoury issues that are conveniently forgotten by today's, and even more so yesterday's, writers of legends. Mazower provides the reader with a historical perspective that has the barbed-wire attached. His book is in no way revisionist it simply shows Europe in all its glory and disgrace. A very stimulating and thought-provoking account.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating and informative look at post-WWI Europe, May 3, 2002

By	Kurt A. Johnson (Marseilles, Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Dark Continent: Europe's Twentieth Century (Paperback)

In this fascinating history, author Mark Mazower traces this history of Europe from the end of the First World War, through to when the book was written in 1998. This is not a list of dates and battles, but so much more than that. The author traces the evolution of Europe's thought, and as such culture. It begins with the 1920s' embrace of democracy and the rise of the minorities issue, continues with the 1930s' rejection of democracy, the rise and fall of the extreme Right in the 1940s, the evolution of the two halves of divided Europe, and on to Europe's post-Communist development.

I have read many, many history books; most being the standard list of names and dates, battles and elections. But every once in a while I encounter a fascinating book that goes into depth explaining how things developed and why. This book is definitely one of the latter. I especially enjoyed the inter-war period, which explained so much that was unclear to me; things like the development of the race issue, and the reasons behind the ethnic troubles that rocked so many middle and eastern European countries in that era.

This book gave me a lot of food for thought. If you like a book that makes you think, then I highly recommend that you get this one. It is a fascinating and highly informative look at post World War One Europe.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A rough and tumble history, July 29, 2004

By	James Ferguson (Vilnius, Lithuania) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Dark Continent: Europe's Twentieth Century (Paperback)

It's not quite as dark as the title implies, but Mazower does take a sharply critical look at Europe from Versailles, 1919, to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Along the way, Mazower shows the tumultuous course of national politics and democracy as they struggled to fight off totalitarian regimes. There is a welcome focus on the Eastern Europe nations, Yugoslavia in particular, and how the battles for statehood resulted in numerous conflicts, chief among them WWII.

He charts the rise of Hitler and Stalin in a broad sense, noting how their regimes arose as a result of the inability of post-WWI democracies to establish their footings. Yet, he takes a more sensitive view of these regimes than one might imagine, noting that Hitler's New Order found early advocates beyond Germany, and the Soviet system brought initial successes with it in Eastern Europe. But, Hitler's racial view of nationalism, and Stalinism's rigid adherence to a centralized economy ultimately brought their downfalls.

Mazower covers a lot of ground, and doesn't present anything new, but he does put the tumultuous 20th century in perspective. He avoids staking out an ideological viewpoint, criticizing Thatcherism with equal vigor as he did Stalinism, as both failed to recognize the will of the people in their attempts at reforming their national economies. In the end, it is social democracy that prevails, albeit of a surprisingly apolitical tone that has taken a detached view to events such as the war in Yugoslavia, and the attempts to create a stronger European Union. As Mazower noted, it is goods not dogma that people want.