In this lively and ambitious book, James Sheehan charts what is perhaps the most radical shift in Europes defining narrative, affecting every aspec...
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reviews
Jan 18, 2009
El
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This is a rather concise history of Europe's changing views on war over the years. What Sheehan attempts to do here is show that at one time Europe was particularly power hungry and would do whatever it took to become quite the world superpower, but now, after the First and Second World Wars and the end of the Cold War, they're just like, not that interested anymore. He brought up interesting points and his information is certainly fascinating. However, his arguments are rather flat. He atte
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May 07, 2010
Krista
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Sheehan, a Modern Germanist, describes Europe's 20th century as a creation of a "civilian state," in which great social weight is placed on economic power and diminished prestige, power, and money are invested in military affairs. He traces the development of the civilian state through the usual road markers of the 20th century--WWI, WWII, Cold War, 1990s. The book that resulted from this investigation is a fairly brief monograph that might be used as an addition to a 300-level Euro co
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May 27, 2010
Hotavio
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Where Have All the Soldiers Gone? deals with the change of militaristic imperial Europe to a peaceful economy driven post World War Europe. The book is relatively to the point, which makes for a painless read for those who are looking for general information on the topic.
I found the most fascinating aspects of the book to be the exploration of turn of the century militarism. Some of the sentiments of the time where quite shocking. It makes for an especially interesting contrast More...
I found the most fascinating aspects of the book to be the exploration of turn of the century militarism. Some of the sentiments of the time where quite shocking. It makes for an especially interesting contrast More...
Jan 16, 2011
Denae
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This book chronicles the move Europe made over the last century from being an overwhelmingly militaristic place, to its current state of primarily civilian life and composition. Sheehan does an excellent job of chronicling the forces that have made this possible, as well as the complex, and often difficult, relationship the US has with its European partners. Fascinating, well-written, and highly informative.
Apr 03, 2008
Nick
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This short (just over 200 pages) history of European warfare since the mid-19th century fascinated me. Sheehan points out the remarkably rapid evolution of states like Britain, France and Germany from militarized, mass conscript army nations to what he terms the civilian state, where the rational for statehood is the welfare of citizens and where armies are professional and small rather than large and conscripted. I don't agree with everything Sheehan says but this is the first popular book I
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Aug 05, 2011
D.
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A little heavy for summer reading but this book was great. A fantastic overview of the transformation of Europe over the course of the 20th century. A broad understanding of Modern European history is a plus . . . otherwise this book will point you in many worthwhile directions.
Jul 24, 2008
Andrew
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It might have deserved 3.5 stars... but I didn't think it deserved 4 stars. Some parts of the book were more engaging than others. I didn't think this book was an easy read... but it wasn't too difficult or a terrible bore either. It covered a wide range of time and issues and did a pretty good job of keeping the reader (me) engaged, I thought.
Feb 10, 2008
Marked as to-read because of very promising reviews, for example in the NYT.
Aug 17, 2008
Patrick
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Slow at times, but not a bad read if you enjoy the subject of post-war European politics.
May 16, 2011
Caroline
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A succinct and compelling analysis of Europe before, during, and after WWII. So good.
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