Barricades and Borders: Europe 1800-1914 (Short Oxford History of the Modern World)

Rating:
Summary: Very Good Book
Review: I used this book for my class on Nineteenth Century Europe. We started in 1815 following the fall of Napoleon and ended on the verge of World War I. This is a very good book and it covers all the information on this very critical time period in European History. The Nineteenth Century came after the French Revolution and before the First World War and was much different from both the 18th and 20th centuries. Robert Gildea gives equal space to all countries including those which are often overlooked, including the Low Countries. The social, intellectual, and cultural history of Europe between 1800-1914 is presented in a very well written format. The information contained on Germany and France is very informative and easy to understand. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Modern European history.

Rating:
Summary: lots of facts
Review: I'm using this book for a graduate seminar and while it is certainly comprehensive it is overwhelming in its detail and very disappointing in interpretation and analysis. There are pages in which each sentence decribes a different country and there is no effort made to reach any conclusion or interpretation of what all those sentences are supposed to mean. Writing European history which is inclusive is very difficult and Gildea has certainly tried to include all nations not just the major powers but the result will leave most readers bewildered.