a description of historical literature concerning europe in the twentieth century

8/18/2019 A Description of Historical Literature Concerning Europe in the Twentieth Century

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A Description of Historical Literature Concerning Europe in the Twentieth Century

Introduction

The twentieth century is dominated by the rise of “-isms.” Communism, fascism,

capitalism—all impact the century in one way or another. The ideals of monarchy are replaced

with those of democracy. The shadow of Adolf Hitler looms over the last half of the century lie

a titan. !ut what is the true centerpiece of the century" #s there a country that is involved and

achieves a towerin$ hei$ht only to be fall, all within the space of a hundred years"

The Great War

The %ther !attle$round& The Home 'ronts( !ritain, 'rance, )ermany, *+*-*+* by

ohn /illiams 0*+123 e4amines the reaction of the civilian population to the outbrea of

hostilities in *+*. #t is his contention that the actual be$innin$ of hostilities too the Allies by

surprise even thou$h tensions had been buildin$ throu$hout the summer followin$ the

assassination of Archdue 'erdinand of Austria. An interestin$ subtopic in his wor concerns the

activities of women in all three countries. )ermany had to wor to $et women in the factories

for employment as such use of them was outside the traditional female role in )ermany. The

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'rench women were motivated to wor by both a fervent patriotism and memories of the 'ranco-

5russian /ar. #n !ritain, women had been fi$htin$ for suffra$e, but the $overnment was not

ea$er to put women to wor. However, advance were made& for instance, wa$es were increased

for women worin$ in factories as the war pro$ressed, fir instance.

#n her social history Home 'ires !urnin$( 'ood, 5olitics, and 6veryday 7ife in /orld

/ar # !erlin 028883, !elinda 9avis asserts that, contrary to popular belief, civilians did play a

role in chan$in$ the domestic policies of the )erman $overnment in !erlin durin$ /orld /ar #.

#n fact, the $overnment in !erlin on several occasions responded favorably to civilian protests.

:ost of these protests concerned food shorta$es that served as a catalyst to unify the people,

especially poor women, to protest for policy chan$e to help the people survive better in the face

of war-induced shorta$es.

A /hole 6mpire /alin$( ;efu$ees in ;ussia 9urin$ /orld /ar # by 5eter )atrell

0*+++3 loos at the refu$ee problems caused in ;ussia by the advent of the 'irst /orld /ar.

)atrell e4amines what caused the problem& who the refu$ees were& and how the $overnment,

people, and refu$ees themselves responded to the crisis. )atrell blames the problem on the

“scorched earth” employed by the ;ussians to slow down the )erman advance.


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They 'ou$ht for the :otherland by 7aurie


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or the ne$ative treatment of apan in re$ards to human ri$hts issues 0the racial euality clause

that apan wanted the 7ea$ue of Dations charter.

The 6conomic Conseuences of the 5eace by ohn Eeynes 0*+283 was a protest wor

written by a !ritish dele$ate of the conference who left after havin$ disa$reement with his

$overnment over the amount of reparations for which )ermany was responsible. Eeynes felt that

such outra$eous reparations would cripple )ermany for over a century and lead to even $reater

instability on the continent. He ultimately felt that reparations should force )ermany to wor

to$ether with 'rance.

A :emoir of the 5aris 5eace Conference, *+*+ by ames Headlam-:orley 0*+123 is

actually a compilation of his letters and diaries as published by his dau$hter A$nes. #t is an

interestin$ loo into the mind of one of the ma=or dele$ates to the conference, but is incomplete

in several ways. 'or instance, we only have his letters to read in the wor& there is no mention

specifically as to what he is respondin$ to in his letters. #t is as if one were listenin$ to one side

of a telephone conversation. There is thus no frame of reference in several instances.

The Russian Reolution and Its !a"ers

The ;ussian ;evolution, *+*1-*+>2 by 2. 'itpatric sees this as the fulfillment of the ;evolution& by

this time, the


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coup not supported by the mass of the 5eople.


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accelerated into an industrial period without havin$ to $o throu$h the development of a

bour$eois revolution a$ainst the traditional aristocracy and instead started with a proletarian

revolution.

#talin$ The !an and His Ti%es


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#n the 3 discusses the many small fascist $roups

that arose in !ritain between the /orld /ars and how they were prevented from achievin$ any

type of success in the BE. The infamous “!attle of Cable ? occurred when the

!ritish Bnion of 'ascists held a rally in Hyde 5ar and were opposed by ews and communists

who set up roadblocs in an attempt to stop the march and then went on to fi$ht with the police.


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The end result was the passa$e by 5arliament of the 5ublic %rder Act of *+>? that forbade the

wearin$ of military uniforms durin$ political rallies. This had the effect of “de-fan$in$” the

fascists and ruinin$ any possible credibility that they mi$ht have had in the public eye.

'ascism, Anti-'ascism, and !ritain in the *+8s by 9ave ;enton 028883 is an

e4amination of the attempted rise and fall of a post /orld /ar ## fascist movement in !ritain

and presents five ar$uments. 'irst, fascism did revive.


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the economic and military stren$th of #taly. #n the end Cassels asserts that #taly became a mere

satellite state of the true fascist power in 6urope, Hitler@s )ermany.

The #panish Ciil War

The


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style in that they put thou$hts in the actors heads and e4trapolate the narrative in similar fashion

throu$hout the wor.

;eform and ;eaction( The 5olitico-;eli$ious !ac$round of the


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ohn Toland@s two volume wor, Adolf Hitler 0*+1?3, is still considered one of the

definitive wors on the dictator. #n his first volume, Toland e4amines Hitler@s rise to power and

also the personality that propelled him. He e4amines Hitler@s attitudes toward women and ews

and points out his childhood with a domineerin$ father and a mother who he adored.


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The %ri$ins of the


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part of the western democracies and a firm military intervention early on in the crisis could have

averted the tra$edy to come. :osley paints a portrait of Chamberlain as a typical politician more

concerned with his own power rather than as a statesman desirin$ peace. The title “%n !orrowed

Time” refers to the idea that appeasement merely delayed the inevitable military crisis and that

peace was never possible with a ruthless dictator lie Hitler.

To What E+tent did 'a,is% Penetrate Traditional Ger%an Institutions)

>-*+ by 9avid /elch 0*+>3 is a doctoral

dissertation that e4amines the use of film in Dai propa$anda. osef )oebbels felt that film was

best used as a subtle tool to brin$ Dai ideolo$y to the masses throu$h the propa$anda a$ent of

film. #deals lie comradeship and heroism were e4tolled too the youn$er $eneration in an effort

to $ain more recruits for the military. :artyrdom for the Reich and the Volk were also positively

portrayed. )enerational stru$$les between parents and offsprin$ were used to brin$ the youth

into the party and also showed the need for every person to be suspicious of everyone, even


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family members. Daturally, anti-


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Dai obsession with anti->, effectively used traditional )erman ideals of

patriotism and family to spread its own culture throu$hout the land. This culture was desi$ned

to control every aspect of the citienry@s life.

Life on the European Ho%e &ront

Backs to the Wall: The Heroic Story of the People of London During World War by

7eonard :osley 0*+1*3 was written to e4plore the life of the !ritish people durin$ the war and

how they dealt with the problem. The !ritish had not thou$ht war was possible, therefore when it

did come, they were cau$ht unprepared for the reality.


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#nto the Arms of


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hand and resistance to the )erman occupation was primarily literary in nature. The resistance

continued after the soviets too control of 7ithuania away from the )ermans until *+2.

The 'rench A$ainst the 'rench by :ilton 9an 0*+13 e4amines the period from the

)erman occupation in *+8 until the early *+8@s startin$ with the Jichy $overnment under

5Ltain. 5Ltain declared that 'rance had fallen, but )eneral 9e )aulle countered with a call for

'rench resistance. /hen the Allies be$an the liberation of 'rance in *+, )ermany too over

the Jichy $overnment. After the war, 5Ltain was tried for treason and ultimately e4iled from

'rance.

;esistance by :ichael ;. 9. 'oot 0*+113 e4amines the role of resistance fi$hters in all

countries invaded by the A4is in the


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The Holocaust

!ystanders( Conscience and Complicity 9urin$ the Holocaust by Jictoria . !arnett.

028883 e4amines the role of the ordinary people in the Holocaust. !arnett does not e4cuse the

ordinary )erman but what to see why and how they could stand by and allow the Holocaust to

happen. The primary reason she finds is that in a totalitarian society the burden of $uilt is shared

by the collective consciousness& there is less of a personal feel to all the problems that one

encounters. :ost individuals are concerned with their own personal well-bein$ andGor respect

the $overnment even if they do not a$ree with its actions. This wor is typical of a new trend in

the field to loo at moral uestions and issues.

9enyin$ the Holocaust by 9eborah 7ipstadt 0*++>3 loos at the Holocaust denial

movement. 7ipstadt feels one should not validate deniers by en$a$in$ them in debate. #t is

better, she feels, to i$nore them. The deniers are traced initially to 'irst /orld /ar revisionists

who wanted to show that )ermany did not pursue war but were forced into it by 6n$land and

'rance.


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Holocaust survivors did not tal about it at all. His trial connected 6uropean ews in /orld /ar

## to #sraeli ews. The third person is %scar


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bravery that 5oles committed to help the ews and the fact that they felt they had to act because

they were nei$hbors and 5oles as well.

The Holocaust in History by :ichael ;. :arrus 0*+13 is a landmar wor in the field

and collects the entire viewpoint and historio$raphy of the period 0up to *+13. :arrus

cate$ories the different viewpoints on the Holocaust. There are the intentionalists who claim

that e4termination was Hitler@s plan from the be$innin$ and it was systematically carried out.

The opposin$ viewpoint is that of the funcionalists who feel that there was no lon$-term plan and

that thin$s =ust fell into Hitlers& provided with an opportunity, he acted.

The Holocaust by 9onald 7 Diewy 0*++13 is part of the 5roblems of 6uropean History

series and is an essay collection that deals with the problem of the holocaust be$innin$ with the

history and development of anti-


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reaction of the Allied $overnments durin$ the war. #t is interestin$ to note that 7aueur also

focuses on the time period from the invasion of the B


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Conference only the “!i$ Three” 0BE, B3 is a comprehensive account of the

Durember$ trials divided into five parts. 'lashbacs are used to shows the event showcased at


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the trial in a very effective manner. The wor does not add anythin$ in the way of commentary

but merely presents the scene of the trial of the most important members of the Dai hierarchy.

The Crime and 5unishment of #. ). 'arben by oseph !orin 0*+13 is a mono$raph

focusin$ on the war crimes trial of the #. ). 'arben corporation for slavery, mass murder, and

plunder and spoliation. #. ). 'arben was found $uilty of usin$ slave labor to turn profits and also

of the manufacture of the poison $as used to ill Holocaust inmates. The uestion that the wor

e4amines is whether a company can refuse to aid the $overnment on moral $rounds.

Post World War II Europe

CafL 6uropa( 7ife After Communism by


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5aris after the 7iberation, *+-*++ by Antony !eevor 02883 show show 5aris after the

end of /orld /ar ## set the sta$e for the modern view of 'rance. #t is a tale of two countries and

!eevor hi$hli$hts the difference between 5Ltain and 9e )aulle. #n many ways, 5aris was a city

of contrasts. #t was li$ht-hearted and $ay in some aspects, but others were sin$ art and the lie to

pursue a political a$enda.

The Cold War

#nterpreters and Critics of the Cold /ar by Eenneth Thompson 0*+13 shows the three

different view of the Cold /ar. The first view is the Traditionalist.


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pro$ress, and end of the Cold /ar. )addis e4amines the cultural differences that led to the start

of the war and then loos at the nuclear arms race. He then focuses on the economic problems

that brou$ht the downfall of the Communist bloc.

The 'ifty Fear /ar( Conflict and


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The ;ebirth of History( 6astern 6urope in the A$e of 9emocracy by :isha )lenny

0*++83 is another =ournalistic account of the chan$es in eastern 6urope. A ma=or undercurrent in

the boo is nationalism, somethin$ that arises as the communist ideal breas down& most of the

revolt is caused by nationalistic tensions in his opinion. At the end of the boo, )lenny states

three security concerns for eastern 6urope. The first is a fear of a unified )ermany& will it

become e4pansionist a$ain" The second is fear a resur$ent, powerful ;ussia. Third, he points out

the possibility of re$ional instability and points out that a $ood fi4 would be the establishment of

a collective military or$aniation in the re$ion.

;evolutions in 6astern 6urope( The ;eli$ious ;oots by Diel Dielsen 0*++*3 proposes

that reli$ion was a crucial factor in openin$ the doors in 6astern 6urope without violence. #t was

an ideolo$y that prompted chan$e. ;eli$ion provided a stabiliin$ influence and reli$ious

or$aniations were a shelter for dissidents who $ained leadership e4perience that would prove

useful when the $overnments of eastern 6urope fell into chaos.

After the 'all( The 5ursuit of 9emocracy in Central 6urope by effery C. )oldfarb

0*++23 e4amines the possibilities of chan$e in central 6urope ri$ht after the collapse of

communism in the B


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Collapse of the #oiet 2nion

/hy 9id the


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entered into five decades of tension with the B

a description of historical literature concerning europe in the twentieth century

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