To Hell and Back (Kershaw book)
Preceded by | The Pursuit of Power: Europe 1815–1914, by Richard J. Evans |
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Followed by | The Global Age: Europe 1950–2017, by Ian Kershaw |
To Hell and Back: Europe 1914–1949 is a book on the history of Europe, written by Ian Kershaw. An installment in The Penguin History of Europe series, it spans the period from the outbreak of World War I until the aftermath of World War II and the beginning of the Cold War. Kershaw refers to the 35-year period as "Europe's era of self-destruction".
Content
The book begins with the end of the
Kershaw argues that four key factors were the driving forces behind the instability of the era:
- Nationalism based around ethnicity or race
- "Bitter and irreconcilable" demands for territory
- Class conflict
- Severe economic crisis (the Great Depression)
These factors were generally more prevalent in Eastern Europe and to a lesser extent Southern Europe. Not one country in those regions had a functioning democracy on the eve of World War II. The factors were less prevalent in the northwest, where countries had a longer history of industrialisation, nationhood and parliamentary institutions. Kershaw describes Germany as the continent's "pivotal centre", due to its large population and central location.
The four factors had existed before World War I, but were seen in exacerbated forms afterwards. The collapse of the German, Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman and Russian monarchies led to large swathes of Central and Eastern Europe being subject to conflicting territorial claims. Kershaw argues that the rise of the Soviet Union deepened class conflicts and their associated political struggles. It split the European left between revolutionary communism and democratic socialism while galvanising their right-wing opposition.
Kershaw differentiates
Reception
Writing in The Guardian, Tim Bouverie wrote that Kershaw "has achieved the remarkable feat of drawing together and comparing the histories of the entire continent, during its most turbulent years, into one highly readable volume. His thoughtful and comprehensive history is likely to become a classic."[1] In The Sunday Times, Dominic Sandbrook wrote "Other historians' books on the same period may be flashier or more provocative. But to read Kershaw on Europe's bloody century is to be driven through a ravaged landscape in the sleek, smooth comfort of a Rolls-Royce..."[2] Joanna Bourke, a professor of history at the Birkbeck, University of London writing in Prospect, said "Kershaw leads his readers through this complex history in a clear and compelling manner."[3] Kirkus Reviews described the book as "An ambitious, dense, sometimes-difficult treatment of a vast topic" although it felt that his coverage of the aftermath of World War II was "less successful".[4]
References
- ^ Bouverie, Tim (25 October 2015). "To Hell and Back review: Ian Kershaw's expert view of the 20th-century apocalypse". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
- ^ "To Hell and Back: Europe 1914 1949 by Ian Kershaw". The Times. 20 September 2015. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
- ^ "Book review: To Hell and Back: Europe 1914-1949 by Ian Kershaw". TProspect. 20 August 2015. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
- ^ "To Hell and Back". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 24 March 2022.