The Shortest History of Europe: How Conquest, Culture, and Religion Forged a Continent - A Retelling for Our Times

by John Hirst, Filip Slaveski (Afterword)

Overview

Uncover the decisive moments that shaped a world-changing continent. The Shortest History books deliver thousands of years of history in one riveting, fast-paced read.

Celebrated historian John Hirst draws from his own lectures to deliver this ultra-accessible master class on the making of modern Europe, from Ancient Greece through World War II. With over 600,000 copies sold worldwide, this brief history is a global sensation propelled by a thesis of astonishing simplicity: Just three elements—German warfare, Greek and Roman culture, and Christianity—come together to explain everything else, from the Crusades to the Industrial Revolution. Hirst’s razor-sharp grasp of cause and effect helps us see with sparkling clarity how the history of Europe—the crucible of liberal democracy—shapes the way we live today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781615199143
Publisher:	The Experiment, LLC
Publication date:	11/08/2022
Series:	The Shortest History Series
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	128,910
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

John Hirst (1942–2016) was a celebrated historian and social commentator whose notable history books include Australian History in Seven Questions and The Australians. A history professor at La Trobe University for almost 40 years, he lived in Melbourne, Australia.

Table of Contents

Contents:
 
Introduction
               Shortest History
               Chapter 1: Europe Classical and Medieval
               Chapter 2: Europe Modern
Interlude: The Classic Feeling
               Longer History
               Chapter 3: Invasions and Conquests
               Chapter 4: Forms of Government I
               Chapter 5: Forms of Government II
               Chapter 6 -: Emperors and Popes
               Chapter 7: Languages
               Chapter 8: The Common People
Interlude: What Is It About Europe?
               Destructive Forces
               Chapter 9: Industrialization and Revolution
               Chapter 10: Two World Wars
List of Maps & List of Images
 

What People are Saying About This

Australian Book Review

Crisp, lucid and evocative.

The Age

An entertaining, learned piece of historical compression.

The Sydney Morning Herald

A wise, illuminating little book.

Interviews

Beautifully and sparely constructed, yet rich in fact, feeling and detail, sweeping, challenging and funny.

Editorial Reviews

"Crisp, lucid, and evocative."

Australian Book Review

"Great stuff, the book as a whole is constantly thought-provoking."

Courier Mail

"An entertaining, learned piece of historical compression."

The Age

"Underwrite an overview of a complicated topic with one of these new short-and-sweet distillations . . . with maps, charts, sidebars, and illustrations to bring it alive."

Morgan Stanley Mosaic

"Written in easily approachable style and resonating like the lectures of a beloved and provocative undergraduate history professor, this summary of European history holds broad appeal. . . . Simple, clever graphics clarify Hirst’s theses and make them memorable."

starred review Booklist

"A wise, illuminating little book."

The Sydney Morning Herald

"Beautifully and sparely constructed, yet rich in fact, feeling and detail, sweeping, challenging and funny."

James Button

Written in easily approachable style and resonating like the lectures of a beloved and provocative undergraduate history professor, this summary of European history holds broad appeal. . . . Simple, clever graphics clarify Hirst's theses and make them memorable.”—Booklist, starred review

“Crisp, lucid, and evocative.”—Australian Book Review
 
“A wise, illuminating little book.”—The Sydney Morning Herald
 
“An entertaining, learned piece of historical compression.”—The Age
 
“Beautifully and sparely constructed, yet rich in fact, feeling and detail, sweeping, challenging and funny.”—James Button, journalist and editor
 
“Great stuff, the book as a whole is constantly thought-provoking.”—Courier Mail

“Underwrite an overview of a complicated topic with one of these new short-and-sweet distillations. . . with maps, charts, sidebars, and illustrations to bring it alive.”—Mosaic, Morgan Stanley

From the Publisher

11/01/2022

HighSchool—Imagine covering the history of democracy, or war, or Europe in just a few hundred pages; that is what this series promises. The development from assembly democracies to today's governments, the growth of war from skirmishes among hunter-gatherers to nuclear bombs and cyber terrorism, and the slow emergence of modern Europe from ancient civilizations - condensed into books that could be read in a day. This is dense material due to its subject matter and the way it has been distilled. The democracy and Europe titles both have timelines and all three books have images (diagrams, maps, artwork, photos) to support the text. That text is written by content specialists who draw parallels with current events as well as explaining what has gone before. VERDICT A useful reference set, or a possible classroom purchase for Honors or A.P. courses.

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