Europe in the 20th Century

The great upheavals of the twentieth century have completely altered the shape of Europe, and Europe’s role in international affairs. George Lichtheim analyses the profound changes in intellectual, artistic and religious awareness which were both cause and consequence of the decay of traditional bourgeois-liberal culture. Factors such as nationalism, socialism, the European civil war between communist and fascist movements after 1919, and the decline of the nation state are interwoven with concerns such as changes in the quality of life and the rise of technocratic forms of government to create a compelling and comprehensive account of European civilisation between 1900 and 1970. First published in 1972 as part of Weidenfeld & Nicolson’s History of Civilisation series.