Reviews for Europe 1890-1945

The average rating for Europe 1890-1945 based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2013-06-07 00:00:00 Cassandra Morrell This is a relatively famous tract on how war has affected European history since the Middle Ages. It was first published in 1976, but republished in 2009 with an added epilogue by the author. But you should take the author's advice at the beginning of his epilogue: "This book is about 'War in European History'; not 'The History of War,' so the reader should not expect a survey of warfare...". In other words, don't be looking for lengthy tales of great battles or detailed biographies of military figures. This book takes a very evolutionary approach to the study of warfare in Europe, showing how the ideals and tactics changed over time. And because of this, it can be a little boring at times, particularly in the first four chapters as the strategies and tactics of warfare were so different that Mr. Howard's admittedly lucid storytelling does not help explain. But when Mr. Howard reaches the Revolutionary era and has the colossal figure of Napoleon to wrap his narrative around (side note: Mr. Howard does a great job of showing how Napoleon's military genius changed the nature of warfare in Europe). This is where Mr. Howard begins to shine as warfare takes on a more familiar form and some of the more recognizable military figures in history begin to appear. As a whole, this is a book that is barely passable as an introduction to warfare in Europe, but is great at conveying how warfare shaped European history. It may be esoteric in its subject, but it may be worth the read for those who are interested in European history.

Review # 2 was written on 2014-01-03 00:00:00 John Baker excellent, and well worth reading.