Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize • Winner of the Council on Foreign Relations Arthur Ross Book Award • One of the New York Times' Ten Best Books of the Year “Impressive . . . Mr. Judt writes with enormous authority.” —The Wall Street Journal “Magisterial . . . It is, without a doubt, the most comprehensive, authoritative, and yes, readable postwar history.” —The Boston Globe Almost a decade in the making, this much-anticipated grand history of postwar Europe from one of the world's most esteemed historians and intellectuals is a singular achievement. Postwar is the first modern history that covers all of Europe, both east and west, drawing on research in six languages to sweep readers through thirty-four nations and sixty years of political and cultural change-all in one integrated, enthralling narrative. Both intellectually ambitious and compelling to read, thrilling in its scope and delightful in its small details, Postwar is a rare joy. Judt's book, Ill Fares the Land, republished in 2021 featuring a new preface by bestselling author of Between the World and Me and The Water Dancer, Ta-Nehisi Coates. |
Contents
1 | |
11 | |
13 | |
Retribution | 41 |
The Rehabilitation of Europe | 63 |
The Impossible Settlement | 100 |
The Coming of the Cold War | 129 |
Into the Whirlwind | 165 |
Recessional 19711989 | 451 |
Diminished Expectations | 453 |
Politics in a New Key | 484 |
A Time of Transition | 504 |
The New Realism | 535 |
The Power of the Powerless | 559 |
The End of the Old Order | 585 |
After the Fall 19892005 | 635 |
Culture Wars | 197 |
CODA The End of Old Europe | 226 |
Prosperity and Its Discontents 19531971 | 239 |
The Politics of Stability | 241 |
Lost Illusions | 278 |
The Age of Affluence | 324 |
The Social Democratic Moment | 360 |
The Spectre of Revolution | 390 |
The End of the Affair | 422 |
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Common terms and phrases
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