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lindsirae's review against another edition
2.0
Too much Eurocentric chauvinism imo, has a couple interesting sections about the nature of civil war though.
reneoro's review against another edition
5.0
Delante del espectáculo de una civilización que transformó la técnica moderna en una gigantesca fuerza destructiva, el único sentimiento posible es la vergüenza.
lucasmiller's review against another edition
5.0
Really blown away by this book. Had my school librarian purchase it almost on a whim. It had popped up in a promotional email and I noticed the subtitle. A colleague of mine (who seems to be as old as the school I work at) has used the term "European Civil War" to describe the first half of the 20th century before and it always hit me the wrong way, sounded very imperialist. But as is often the case, that was largely my American perspective on the Second World War.
The way Americans have come to view World War II has really done a disservice to that conflicts scope and tragedy. The Saving Private Ryan, Greatest Generation, pop historiography really isolates it as a triumphal moment of American exceptionalism. Traverso is a much needed rejoinder to this view.
It is a thrill and challenge to read a book whose footnotes are equally spread between English, French, German, Spanish, and Italian language sources. My notes quickly devolved into a litany of books to read, re-read, or people to look up. So much of this book brings together strands of things I've been thinking about lately.
It is a heady ride, and a theory heavy view of a historical era that feels so well-trod as to be cliche, but the use of social and cultural history coupled with political theory provided me, at least, with a challenging, nuanced, and extremely fresh perspective on the era of 1914-1945. This book felt like the beginning of a long term project. Definitely a book I will return to.
The way Americans have come to view World War II has really done a disservice to that conflicts scope and tragedy. The Saving Private Ryan, Greatest Generation, pop historiography really isolates it as a triumphal moment of American exceptionalism. Traverso is a much needed rejoinder to this view.
It is a thrill and challenge to read a book whose footnotes are equally spread between English, French, German, Spanish, and Italian language sources. My notes quickly devolved into a litany of books to read, re-read, or people to look up. So much of this book brings together strands of things I've been thinking about lately.
It is a heady ride, and a theory heavy view of a historical era that feels so well-trod as to be cliche, but the use of social and cultural history coupled with political theory provided me, at least, with a challenging, nuanced, and extremely fresh perspective on the era of 1914-1945. This book felt like the beginning of a long term project. Definitely a book I will return to.
olleolleolle's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
Generously footnoted, referencing many sources.
pierreikonnikov's review against another edition
4.0
A little too theoretical and quite obviously a product of contemporary intellectualism with all its faults, this is a decent enough history with an interesting and well-argued theory that 1914-1945 in Europe should be taken as a single, coherent civil war. The book at times feels a little like a box-ticking exercise for modern historians, veering into cultural and gender history with no real need, but there is a lot to be drawn from here. It is very well researched and, despite its obvious political stance, is worth a read for anyone well-versed in the time period.
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