The Pursuit of Power Europe 1815-1914

AnEconomistBestBookoftheYear?Sweeping...anambitioussynthesis...[Evans]writeswithadmirablenarrativepowerandpossessesawonderfuleyeforlocalcolor...Fascinating.??StephenSchuker,TheWallStreetJournalFromthebestsellingauthorofTheThirdReichatWar,amasterlyaccountofEuropeintheageofitsglobalhegemony;thelatestvolumeinthePenguinHistoryofEuropeseriesRichardJ.Evans,bestsellinghistorianofNaziGermany,returnswithamonumentalnewadditiontotheacclaimedPenguinHistoryofEuropeseries,coveringtheperiodfromthefallofNapoleontotheoutbreakofWorldWarI.Evans?sgrippingnarrativerangesacrossacenturyofsocialandnationalconflicts,fromtherevolutionsof1830and1848totheunificationofbothGermanyandItaly,fromtheRusso-TurkishwarstotheBalkanupheavalsthatbroughtthiseraofrelativepeaceandgrowingprosperitytoanend.Amongthegreatthemesitdiscussesarethedeclineofreligiousbeliefandtheriseofsecularscienceandmedicine,thejourneyofart,music,andliteraturefromRomanticismtoModernism,thereplacementofold-regimepunishmentsbythemodernprison,theendofaristocraticdominationandtheemergenceofindustrialsociety,andthedramaticstruggleoffeministsforwomen?sequalityandemancipation.Unitingtheera?sbroad-rangingtransformationswasthepursuitofpowerinallsegmentsoflife,fromthebankerstrivingforeconomicpowertotheserfseekingtoescapethepowerofhislandlord,fromtheengineerassertingsociety?spowerovertheenvironmenttothepsychiatristattemptingtoexertscience?spoweroverhumannatureitself.?????Thefirstsingle-volumehistoryofthecentury,thiscomprehensiveandsweepingaccountgivesthereaderamagnificentlyhumanpictureofEuropeintheagewhenitdominatedtherestoftheglobe.,