A wise, illuminating little book' Sydney Morning Herald 'An entertaining, learned piece of historical compression' The Age 'Great stuff . . . the book as a whole is constantly thought-provoking' Courier Mail 'Beautifully and sparely constructed, yet rich in fact, feeling and detail – sweeping, challenging and funny' James Button 'The balance of analysis and description, generalisation and specific instance, is beautifully maintained' ABR Describing the birth of European civilisation from an unlikely mixture of three elements - classical learning, Christianity and German warrior culture - The Shortest History of Europe begins with a rapid historical overview from the ancient Greeks to the dawn of the modern era. In each later chapter, the author returns to explore in more detail one aspect of Europe's remarkable history: its political evolution; its linguistic boundaries and their defining influence; the crucial role played by power struggles between Pope and Emperor; and...
Description:
A wise, illuminating little book' Sydney Morning Herald 'An entertaining, learned piece of historical compression' The Age 'Great stuff . . . the book as a whole is constantly thought-provoking' Courier Mail 'Beautifully and sparely constructed, yet rich in fact, feeling and detail – sweeping, challenging and funny' James Button 'The balance of analysis and description, generalisation and specific instance, is beautifully maintained' ABR Describing the birth of European civilisation from an unlikely mixture of three elements - classical learning, Christianity and German warrior culture - The Shortest History of Europe begins with a rapid historical overview from the ancient Greeks to the dawn of the modern era. In each later chapter, the author returns to explore in more detail one aspect of Europe's remarkable history: its political evolution; its linguistic boundaries and their defining influence; the crucial role played by power struggles between Pope and Emperor; and...