The first four chapters of Mark Mazower\u2019s Dark Continent<\/i> cover a vast range of topics pertaining to democracy, and general forms of leadership throughout the inter-war years.\u00a0 Several countries struggled to reform their own government, while simultaneously attempting to find a system that would work for the entire continent.\u00a0 According to Mazower, the inter-war period in Europe was a time of great instability, and a constant struggle between democracy and absolutism, and each country has its own specific history that ultimately impacted the continent as a whole.<\/p>\n
Each chapter of Dark Continent<\/i> has a broader theme, then Mazower provides a brief introduction, and goes on to divide the topic into sub-categories.\u00a0 At the end of each chapter, he concludes the topic neatly and concisely.\u00a0 This is a very useful method of depicting different events in history, because the reader is able to view the progression of a certain phenomenon while reading, and easily locate that information later.\u00a0 For example, the first chapter describes the rise and fall of democracy.\u00a0 Mazower takes the reader through the history middle-class reforms, the Soviet system, facism, political polarization and the eventual downfall of democracy.\u00a0 Though each specific story is incredibly specific, and somewhat circuitous, Mazower manages to present the information in such a way that allows the reader to understand several different angles of one overarching topic.<\/p>\n
Mazower also succeeds in producing a book that discusses a rare period of history in Europe: the inter-war era.\u00a0 Many sources describing European history throughout the early- to mid-1900 are focus primarily on the first and second World Wars.\u00a0 However, Mazower provides an invaluable glimpse into European history between the wars.\u00a0 For example, instead of writing about Hitler\u2019s Germany within the context of World War II, he described Hitlerism\u2019s antagonistic relationship with the League of Nations, and how this impacted Europe as a whole.\u00a0 The comparison between Hitlerism and the League of Nations, and many other crucial elements of European history, are not often discussed because they tend to be overshadowed by the two World Wars.<\/p>\n
I would recommend Dark Continent<\/i> to any undergraduate, graduate student, or anybody who is interested in learning about this fascinating era following World War I.\u00a0 Mazower succeeds in presenting his ideas in an organized, concise and entertaining way.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The first four chapters of Mark Mazower\u2019s Dark Continent cover a vast range of topics pertaining to democracy, and general forms of leadership throughout the inter-war years.\u00a0 Several countries struggled to reform their own government, while simultaneously attempting to find … Continue reading