Tony Judt – Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945 (2005)
History – 850 pages – my copy (paperback; 2010) bought from Plymouth Waterstone’s, March 2011
- 5 nods out of 5 -
History books are odd things. They attempt to make coherent a large span of time, processing decades into pages. Tony Judt’s book covers seventy years, as well as a continent of peoples, ideas and beliefs. A hefty challenge, indeed!
Postwar does what it says on the tin, a history of Europe since 1945. The author splits this period into four sections: Post-War 1945-1953, Prosperity and Its Discontents 1953-1971, Recessional 1971-1989, ending on After the Fall 1989-2005. As these titles illustrate, post war Europe has had its share of ups and downs, towing back and forth between east and west, between capitalism and communism, between the pursuit of richness and the continuing poor masses.
Out of the ruins of the Second World War, Europe rediscovers itself. This continent of differences and contrasts becomes closer in alliance and union, creating vast wealth in the process. Yet it is also the continent of the Cold War, of poverty in the east and of racial hatred in the Balkans. The defining ideologies of the first half of the twentieth century gives way to post war aspirations: all conquering consumerism. Perhaps the conclusion to such aspirations is being played out in 2011, with the lurching credit crisis no closer to resolution.
Such an array of ideas, events and conflicts could easily throw many a historian into despair. Thankfully for the reader, Judt is just the person to tackle the job. Confident and in control, Judt is never afraid to add his own personal opinion on topics ranging from soviet politics to modern architecture to pop music. The author keeps the book ticking nicely, with perfect selection of the major events. The central divide in the book, that of the eastern bloc, gives way to a centralising European theme by the end; though Judt refrains from endorsing a happy European future by pointing out the vast differences between all those who dwell on the continent.
Judt’s Postwar has set the bar as a premier read on modern European history written in the English language. Understandably, it is a large book – fitting in such a wealth of history, it has to be – and like all memorable journeys, it is worth the read.
