Europe

Whether as a battleground or a cradle of civilisations, Europe has left an enduring imprint on the history of the world for over two millennia.

From megalithic civilisations through classical antiquity, Renaissance, Reformation, imperial expansion, Industrial Revolution, the rise of nationalism, two world wars, the Cold War and beyond, this book looks beyond a series of distinct national histories to offer the history of Europe as an often-shared experience across one continent.

When it was first published in 1990, Jean-Baptiste Duroselle’s Europe broke new ground by portraying this dramatic story from a common European perspective. This new edition not only reproduces the best of his original text but charts the key developments in Europe since the late twentieth century, following the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Featuring brand-new chapters from Anthony Teasdale, Europe: The History of a Continent traces the evolution of Europe over recent decades, from the collapse of Communism through the Iraq War, global financial crisis, Brexit, pandemic and the shock of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Exploring Europe’s successes and failures in handling recent crises, it asks what will be necessary for the continent to remain a power-player in the future.

Read a sample here