Robert Bideleux

This is a big book – 720 pages of tight type - covering all of Central and Eastern Europe from the Roman times to the present. It’s not a satisfying book. Most of the book is not original with the authors presenting the views of a leading historian on the particular country or region and adding a few comments of their own. Despite the time span only a sparse few pages are devoted to the times before the Ottoman period as the authors point to the lack of primary sources on the times and some coverage of it in the 1st edition. Given the wide coverage of the work only major themes of the countries are covered.

But there are some good sections.

The description of the Ottoman system was excellent and very in-depth, portraying a sophisticated culture that maintained the ruling powers for centuries, adapting the earlier Byzantine structure and surprisingly allowing a degree of freedom for the component peoples, provided they paid due respect to the Ottoman’s and Islam primary position. The religious-based millet system was quite different to the basis of social life elsewhere in Europe and was a major factor in preventing a home-grown nation-state concept of developing. After the defeat at Vienna the crusading zeal was replaced with economic exploitation, and combined with the growing Enlightenment in the rest of Europe, spurred resentment to the Ottomans which laid the groundwork for new political alignments.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire was re-analyzed in terms of its multi-ethic fabric in a way I had not encountered before. It showed the Hapsburgs as consummate political masters to construct a singular state system from so many disparate elements that were evolving in so many different directions.

Finally the inter-war period was given an excellent treatment showing how the western-centric Versailles Treaty ensured that Central Europe would become Germany’s economic sphere of interest that would allow it to return to its former economic and political strength in a very short time. It also highlighted how the early nationalist movements in Central Europe, deprived of supportive relations with the major Western European nations, would in general become more totalitarian than democratic.… (mais)