The Making of Europe, An Introduction To the History of European Unity

Works of Christopher Dawson

by Christopher Henry Dawson

In this seminal work, described by the "Times Literary Supplement" as "impressive alike by the authority of its learning and the originality of its argument," Christopher Dawson concludes that the period of the fourth to the eleventh centuries commonly known as the Dark Ages is not a barren prelude to the creative energy of the medieval world. Instead, he argues that it is better described as "ages of dawn," for it is in this rich and confused period that the complex and creative interaction of the Roman empire, the Christian Church, the classical tradition, and barbarous societies provided the foundation for a vital, unified European culture.In an age of fragmentation and the emergence of new nationalist forces, Dawson argued that if "our civilization is to survive, it is essential that it should develop a common European consciousness and sense of historic and organic unity." But he was clear that this unity required sources deeper and more complex than the political and economic movements on which so many had come to depend, and he insisted, prophetically, that Europe would need to recover its Christian roots if it was to survive.Glenn Olsen has noted that Dawson’s point "was that the spread and history of Christianity had provided the narrative which had formed Europe and taken out of this narrative, Europe could hardly be spoken of as existing." In a time of cultural and political ambiguity, "The Making of Europe" is an indispensable work for understanding not only the rich sources but also the contemporary implications of the very idea of Europe.

Genres: History, European History, Medieval, Religion, Nonfiction, Catholic, Medieval History

Paperback

First published January 1, 1945

About the author

Christopher Henry Dawson (12 October 1889, Hay Castle – 25 May 1970, Budleigh Salterton) was a British independent scholar, who wrote many books on cultural history and Christendom. Christopher H. Dawson has been called "the greatest English-speaking Catholic historian of the twentieth century".

Reviews

[Mayim de Vries · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you would like to understand why the current project of European unification (aka the European Union) is fatally flawed if not doomed to failure, all you need to do is reading this book.

PS Please note, the book was originally published in 1932 and so it is not a work of some Eurosceptic. On the contrary, I do not know many more writers who are so profoundly European. Rémi Brague is one of the last.

[Ben House · Rating 5 out of 5]

Too often I make reference to how good a historian Christopher Dawson is. Too rarely I read one of his books. It is then that I discover that I was right all along. The man was an incredible scholar with a depth and breadth to his understanding.
I hope to read this book every time I set out to teach European history that deals with the early Church, the early Medieval period, and the impact of Christianity on Western Civilization. This is one of those books where you cannot decide whether you are learning more than you imagined or are just learning how much you didn't know.

[Samuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dawsonovo Zrodenie Európy prináša jednoduchú tézu, a síce, že kresťanstvo je duchovnou silou, ktorá zabezpečila jednotu západnej civilizácie a ktorá v stredoveku dokázala zjednotiť nespočetné, neustále bojujúce barbarské kmene pod jednu strechu. V závere knižky naznačuje, čo je zrejmé aj z iných jeho diel, že „jednota našej civilizácie nespočíva len na svetskej kultúre a hmotnom pokroku posledných štyroch/piatich storočí. Európa má hlbšiu tradíciu, než toto. Musíme ísť pred humanizmus a povrchný triumf modernej civilizácie, ak chceme objaviť fundamentálne spoločenstvo a duchovné sily, ktoré pomohli sformovať Európu.“ Vyvracia tiež starú tézu o Dark Ages, teda období temna od pádu Rímskej ríše po vrchol stredoveku a napĺňa toto obdobie svetlom.

O KNIHE
Doplním.

O AUTOROVI
Veľmi dobré zhrnutie Dawsonovych myšlienok nájdete tu.

MOJE HODNOTENIE
Ak si o rannom stredoveku môžete vo svojom živote prečítať len jednu knižku, vôbec by nevadilo, keby to bola táto. Ide o krásne zhrnutie základných, toto obdobie formujúcich udalostí, napísané zrozumiteľným a zábavným jazykom. V mnohom provokuje, nedovolí čitateľovi len pasívne prevracať strany, núti premýšľať a pýtať sa, zaznačovať si a dávať si pauzy na premyslenie. V momente, keď už máte pocit, že „tak toto si prehnal, kamoš“ a začnete googliť, zistíte, že nie - že to tak naozaj bolo. Keď som sa pýtal môjho profesora stredoveku, že či mám siahnuť po Dawsonovi, povedal mi „radšej nie“, ale ja to neľutujem.

[Manuel Alfonseca · Rating 4 out of 5]

ENGLISH: An excellent summary of the Early Middle Ages (also called Dark Ages) and the making of the European civilization as the mixture of three different elements: the Catholic Church, which provided the spiritual unity; the Roman Empire, which gave it organization and law; and the Nordic barbarian peoples, who contributed their warrior culture. This mixture became so strong, that even after religious unity was lost four centuries later, the unity of civilization was conserved.

ESPAÑOL: Un excelente resumen de la Alta Edad Media (también llamada Edad Oscura) y la creación de la civilización europea, como mezcla de tres elementos diferentes: la Iglesia Católica, que proporcionó la unidad espiritual; el imperio romano, que le dio organización y leyes; y los pueblos bárbaros nórdicos, que contribuyeron con su cultura guerrera. Esta mezcla se hizo tan fuerte, que incluso después de la pérdida de la unidad religiosa, cuatro siglos después, se conservó la unidad de la civilización.

[Jesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good overview of Europe. Lots of good insights into the formation of Medieval Europe. A good resource.

[Monica Perez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a 60,000 foot overview of Europe - I wish I knew enough to really appreciate the genius of his broad brushstrokes. I did fully comprehend his book, Dynamics of World History. Highly recommend. Will re-read this after I get a little better educated on the patterns of history.

[Irine]

Pp. 187-283

[Rudyard L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible book. Easily the best on the topic

[Erik]

Recommended by James Schall in Another Sort of Learning, Intro to Part 2, as one of Seven Books by Christopher Dawson.

Recommended by James Schall in Another Sort of Learning, Intro to Part Three, as one of Schall's Unlikely List of Books to Keep Sane By---Selected for Those to Whom Making Sense Is a Prior Consideration, but a Minority Opinion.

[Tom Kopff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christopher Dawson always enlightens me. The depth of his erudition and his broad view of the development of cultures, especially focused on the role of religion. and especially Catholicism, provides insight rarely found in anyone else. A classic.

[Elizabeth]

I feel weird giving this book a star rating, mostly because I feel unqualified to do so. This book is written like an essay, and while it can definitely be attempted for people with an entry-level knowledge of history, after a certain point I felt stranded amongst all the names and events that I had no familiarity with.

And I don't think that's an issue! Some academic texts are going to be harder than others, and it was really interesting to read a historical analysis of Europe that had been written pre-WWII. Not everything is going to be accessible for the beginner, and reading this definitely reminded me of my place lmao :D

I did enjoy it, and I think now I have new names to reference in my head (if I can keep them there, that is) for future historical readings. This is definitely something I would like to revisit, once I have educated myself more on the Roman Empire, the rise of Christianity throughout Europe and Asia, the rise of Islam, and the various other empires that arise up to the eleventh century. I also think that a background in Hellenistic culture wouldn't go amiss, because that is something that he makes a lot of reference to and likes to bring into conflict with Christianity.

(I will say, it made me feel good whenever I could recognize a historical figure or a time period, however few and far between that did happen.)

My brain is officially fried. history go brrr

dear goodreads: WHY is it so unnecessarily ridiculously complex to change the edition of a book in your read-shelf, if the edition you want to change it to is in your to-read shelf. Why.

[Rob Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Making of Europe is a remarkably insightful and deeply learned exploration of how European identity was forged not through quick political events, but through centuries of cultural blending, spiritual influence, and historical upheaval. Christopher Dawson strips away the misconception of the “Dark Ages” as a period of cultural emptiness and instead illuminates it as a vibrant, formative era that shaped the foundations of the European world.

What makes this book stand out is Dawson’s ability to weave together the interactions between the fading Roman Empire, the rise of Christian thought, and the integration of various so-called “barbarian” societies. His argument that these centuries were an “age of dawn” rather than an age of decline is both refreshing and convincing.

Dawson also doesn’t shy away from the more profound cultural questions. His insistence that Europe’s unity and identity are rooted deeply in the Christian tradition feels especially relevant today, as debates about cultural cohesion, nationalism, and shared identity continue to echo across the continent. Whether readers agree with his conclusions or not, his perspective adds meaningful depth to the conversation.

Richly sourced, elegantly argued, and still strikingly timely, The Making of Europe is essential reading for anyone interested in European history, cultural development, or the deeper forces that bind civilizations together. It's a book that leaves you thinking long after the last page.

[Barbora Jirincova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Historici by měli psát syntézy. Ano, musí vyslovit své interpretace a jít daleko za bezpečné meze ověřených faktů. Ano, odkopou se, protože do díla musí vložit kus sebe, bez osobního názoru není žádná syntéza nic platná. Ale měli by to dělat, alespoň ti nejlepší z nich. Protože to je to, co laiky k historii přitáhne, výklad dějin, kdy čtenář jednoduše drží palce hlavnímu hrdinovi, i když to je abstraktní pojem (národ, stát, myšlenka), ve který vlastně ani třeba nevěří (jako společná Evropa v tomto konkrétním případě pro mě). Každý to asi ale nenapíše tak dobře jako Christopher Dawson. A ano, je znát, že to psal ve 30. letech, kdy žádná evropská jednota svou politickou realizace neměla (v úvodu si takto posteskl - vždy, když něco podobného čtu, říkám si, zda by se ta konkrétní realizace, kterou žijeme, autorům líbila, nebo ne...). A taky nelze souhlasit se vším, poctivá fakta prokládá svými interpretacemi, ale právě proto se to tak hezky čte. A doporučil bych to všem, také (možná především) nehistorikům.

[Sarah Cain · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't say enough good things about this book, or of the author himself. It's a work that will at once inform you in a little-discussed area, and also teach how little you truly know. If I had not already done some courses that encompassed some of the history of the Catholic Church, I would have had a lot more trouble following this book. The Making of Europe taught me a lot, and was a thrill to read. I didn't know just how important the Carolingian period was in creating the unification of Europe. I plan to read much more about it. The continuity of education for over a thousand years, that was at a certain point ceased, leading to so many of our modern problems, was a point that was presented masterfully.

I fell in love with this work, and I plan to read much more of Dawson.

[Matthew Dambro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant synthesis of scholarship and ability to write. Dr. Dawson was the dean of what used to be called the Catholic school of medieval history. The volume was produced in 1945, so some of it is out of date. The overarching theme is that Europe is a mixture of Classical tradition, Catholicism and the invading tribes from the East. I have studied medieval history for almost forty years and would be hard pressed to come up with a better analysis. Even Dr. Norman Cantor acknowledged its importance in our seminars.

[Javier Flowers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aparte del matiz ideológico de la obra (el cristianismo y la cultura clásica como elementos vertebradores de Europa), me ha interesado puesto que indaga en la Edad Media, de la que me considero ciertamente ignorante.
En el debe, uno se pierde a veces con tantos nombres y algunos fallos de traducción

[David Haines · Rating 5 out of 5]

What to say about this book. Dawson is a top-notch historian, a wordsmith, an excellent storyteller, a great scholar, and has a piercing intellect. All of this go together, in this book, to tell the story of the birth of European Unity, as well as its struggles and birth pains. A must read.

[Martinez Claudio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible compendium of Western Civilization. The last chapters are the writing of a Master. Astounding.

[Simon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Learned, remarkable, and flawed. Dawson is brilliant and his prose is superb.

[Aaron Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The ultimate foundation of our culture is not the national state, but the European unity.”

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Covers material found in many such overviews of this period but I think interesting above all in stressing the essential mix of higher Greco-Roman culture (represented by the Catholic Church after Rome's fall) and barbaric hero culture in constituting Western Europe. For a brief period these properly cohere under Charlemagne but the roots don't take hold firmly enough and tribal/feudal power groups assert themselves. Yet the ideal created under Charlemagne persists and will eventually bear political fruit after the Barbarian waves of the 10th century recede.

[Jeanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

First off, I'd like to say it wasn't the content that made me put down the book, nor was it the author's opinion of the content. Both of them were the reason I made it as far as I did, as well as my personal interest in the area.

But this book was just so dreadfully boring. It very quickly became a chore to finish even a 20 page chapter, and even then I put ample time between the chapters. I think the real problem was, was that the content was incredibly dense and if you missed a sentence it's likely you missed something extremely important.

I've read dense non-fiction books before but never before did I find myself getting distracted and having to read a page twice every so often. In my opinion, I think this stems from the fact that so much has to be talked about in the book even with the divided chapters. With the amount of information presented this book could have easily been twice the size, and I might have finished it if that was the case.

Unfortunately I couldn't continue on any longer, especially with other books calling to me, so when I found myself drifting off I knew I was done.

[Tee Nicolette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very difficult read unless one is familiar with the time period already. I found that by reading other history books dealing with the same time period it became more accessible. Particularly, the books by Dr. Warren Carroll and Diane Moczar. I also underlined and wrote marginal notes extensively so as not to have to re-read entire chapters after leaving the book alone for several months at a time. Why was it worth all the trouble? Few understand the middle ages and it's significance like Christopher Dawson. Another historian may have been easier to read, but much less worthwhile.

[Jon]

Not a textbook, dealing mostly with the importance of Europe's medieval period. Cool.

[Joel Zartman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential