Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945
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It escapes from the stale paradigms of the Cold War, places the European Union in perspective, and has fresh and provocative things to say about every aspect that it touches. Times Literary Supplement, 'Books of the Year' Judt's brilliant study of Europe after the Second World War is unlikely to be surpassed... Tony Judt has written the standard reference work on European post-war history. Irish Times A masterly survey of how today's Europe rose from the ashes and exhaustion of 1945. New Statesman, 'Books of the Year' For me, the most impressive books of the year were two weighty historical tomes. Postwar, Tony Judt's magnificent history of Europe after The Second World War, covers vast tracts of ground with extraordinary skill, weaving together the stories of West and East in a single, compelling narrative. Evening Standard, 'Books of the Year' A superb work of synthesis, analysis and reflection. Times Literary Supplement, 'Books of the Year' With Postwar... Judt moves up into the ranks of the grand simplificateurs. He dares to expound the sum total of Europe since 1945 in a seamless narrative... This is history-writing with a human face, as well as with brainpower... It is most unlikely that Judt's achievement will be superseded soon. Guardian
New York Review of Books
A book that has the pace of a thriller and the scope of an encyclopaedia...a very considerable achievement
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
32 of 32 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I was motivated to write this review by looking at the average rating and seeing only three and a half stars; that is absurdly low for a book that is already becoming a classic. Don't be put off by the negative reviews on here which are mainly written by people with specific hobby horses or concerned about a few insignificant factual errors - but those are inevitable in a work with such breathtaking scope. If the most serious error in a book that covers the contemporary history of the whole continent is about the date of the first eurovision song contest, then that tells you that Judt gets a lot of things right.
Those who write that the first chapters are the strongest are more on the money (but then, name me a historian who can analyse the present as well as s/he can the past). And those opening chapters are simply awesome. If you don't learn to look at the second world war and its legacy in a new light, if you don't think again about the rebuilding of Europe, about the implementation of Stalinism in eastern europe and the attitudes of western intellectuals, or how the intellectual and cultural movements of western europe in the 60s and 70s interacted with the times they sprang from, then you are probably already an excellent historian in your own right and I would like to read your books as well.
You might not agree with all of his conclusions, but the fact that the book is so (in his word) opinionated is a good thing - it challenges you to work out what you yourself think and why. It avoids repeating the received wisdom, and challenges it on a great many subjects. It demands that you engage with a lot of still-live topics (cumulateively, the book adds up to a powerful argument in favour of rational social democracy). It makes cogs turn in your mind. You thought you had a picture of postwar europe in your mind's eye - Judt shows you that it was only a thumbnail. There is a lot to discover, and to contemplate.
Those who write that the first chapters are the strongest are more on the money (but then, name me a historian who can analyse the present as well as s/he can the past). And those opening chapters are simply awesome. If you don't learn to look at the second world war and its legacy in a new light, if you don't think again about the rebuilding of Europe, about the implementation of Stalinism in eastern europe and the attitudes of western intellectuals, or how the intellectual and cultural movements of western europe in the 60s and 70s interacted with the times they sprang from, then you are probably already an excellent historian in your own right and I would like to read your books as well.
You might not agree with all of his conclusions, but the fact that the book is so (in his word) opinionated is a good thing - it challenges you to work out what you yourself think and why. It avoids repeating the received wisdom, and challenges it on a great many subjects. It demands that you engage with a lot of still-live topics (cumulateively, the book adds up to a powerful argument in favour of rational social democracy). It makes cogs turn in your mind. You thought you had a picture of postwar europe in your mind's eye - Judt shows you that it was only a thumbnail. There is a lot to discover, and to contemplate.
40 of 43 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a huge piece of work. It took me more than two years to finish the entire book, and I took long breaks resting from it. Nevertheless, it was worth the effort. This volume is now one of the most important works in my collection of history books.
Three things impressed me in "Postwar".
1. English. In the globalized world where everybody seems to speak English it is quite easy to loose good taste for language, especially in the academic literature. We read books on history and science without any expectations of their language having the richness of a fictional literary work. Tony Judt certainly breaks this rule - he writes in a beautiful language, cleverly formulated sentences, and carefully constructed paragraphs. One often forgets one is reading a book on history. Thus, it was a huge pleasure to read "Postwar".
2. Broadness. The depth and broadness of topics covered is impressive. Each country, small and big, each important aspect of social life, is covered. For people mostly familiar with the history of their own country, like myself, this book will provide a lot of valuable information and a lot of insight about what was happening in other countries in Europe after 1945. Whether you would like to know about national conflicts in Belgium or the origins of the Hungarian revolution, this book is the book to look at, at least to get the most important information.
3. Objectivity. I am very pleased with the objectivity of the book. In my opinion, Tony Judt does not take any initial opinion on a subject described. The reader is left with sufficient information to have his/her own judgement on each of the topics. In this regard the present book is a pleasant exception.
In summary: a huge work, both in terms of size and in terms of quality. Highly recommended.
Three things impressed me in "Postwar".
1. English. In the globalized world where everybody seems to speak English it is quite easy to loose good taste for language, especially in the academic literature. We read books on history and science without any expectations of their language having the richness of a fictional literary work. Tony Judt certainly breaks this rule - he writes in a beautiful language, cleverly formulated sentences, and carefully constructed paragraphs. One often forgets one is reading a book on history. Thus, it was a huge pleasure to read "Postwar".
2. Broadness. The depth and broadness of topics covered is impressive. Each country, small and big, each important aspect of social life, is covered. For people mostly familiar with the history of their own country, like myself, this book will provide a lot of valuable information and a lot of insight about what was happening in other countries in Europe after 1945. Whether you would like to know about national conflicts in Belgium or the origins of the Hungarian revolution, this book is the book to look at, at least to get the most important information.
3. Objectivity. I am very pleased with the objectivity of the book. In my opinion, Tony Judt does not take any initial opinion on a subject described. The reader is left with sufficient information to have his/her own judgement on each of the topics. In this regard the present book is a pleasant exception.
In summary: a huge work, both in terms of size and in terms of quality. Highly recommended.
71 of 78 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Tony Judt's book is a lively and contentious narrative of Postwar Europe from the effects of WW2 right up to the removal of the last statue of Franco in Madrid on March 17th 2005. The key European events covered in detail: Cold War, formation of the European Union, collapse of Communism, war in the Balkans. Weaved through this is a commanding sense of social and political history from a liberal/left perspective.
It is particular strong on film [and TV] which is used to underscore political and social narratives, with plenty of illustrations from memoirs and satire. The grand theme is Europe's collective guilt over the Holocaust and how the different countries have denied, then acknowledged (or not) their roles. This theme is defining for Judt and it will continue to define Europe's collective persona for future generations. On this latter issue Judt's arguments are well illustrated with examples from literature and Europe's intellectuals - both largely ignored by the politicians.
Europe's future will be tested by whether or not it grow towards something more than just a grand market place for the exchange of goods and services.
My only regret is the lack of a thematic bibliography - bibliographical references are within the text at the bottom of the page only.
This is a big read at 830 pages - but it is engrossing
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Outstanding
This book should be read by anyone with an interest in modern history. Beautifully written, it is more unputdownable than a Swedish thriller.
Published 14 days ago by JR
IDEAL FOR REFERENCE
This a fine book- well-written by Historian standards, if a little verbose.It is largely objective, well researched and massive in its scope. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Trollope
Excellent
It's a real travesty for Amazons ratings system that this book is deemed only 4 star. This is quite simply the most profound history of the last 60 years of Europe imaginable. Read more
Published 4 months ago by ben woods
ONE FOR THE BABY-BOOMERS
This is a book for all European `baby-boomers'. The author was born in 1948, as I was. Anyone born in Europe since 1945 will enjoy it, especially if they have an eye for detail... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Stephen Cooper
A brilliant and balanced history
The grasp of historical complexities and the clarity of the prose are amazing; however, what is truly exceptional is the sense of fairness which comes through each evaluation of a... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Guido Corelli
Easy to Read
I was recommended this book by my Seminar Tutor and it didn't disappoint, I had not done much post 1945 history and found the book easy to read and very instructive. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Jennifer S. Waller
micro print!
I had this book in hardback form on recurring loan from the library and decided to buy the paperback edition - hardcover editions seemed only availble 2nd hand and were a lot more... Read more
Published 13 months ago by tomdickharry
Typeface too small
Only read a few pages so I can not comment on content, but typeface size on the paperback issue too small for enjoyable reading. Am not sure I will continue reading it. Read more
Published 14 months ago by pieral
Unreadable - literally
Judt is a fabulous writer and i bought this paperback with keen anticipation. However it is printed so poorly in type so tiny that I was simply incapable of reading it. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Jonathan Miller
Making sense of Europe
Tony Judt's Postwar is so rich in historical and cultural knowledge and wisdom that it is hard to describe, except to say that if there is one book that can make modern Europe make... Read more
Published 18 months ago by J. Caldecott
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