'Professor Kitchen is altogether a shrewd, clear, balanced and often witty guide.'

The Times Educational Supplement

'This is a splendid up-to-date overview of the political, international and economic history of Europe between the wars. It will be of invaluable use to both students and scholars alike. Its strengths lie in the breadth of coverage, the clarity of the narrative and the ease with which the authors interlards his story with analysis… This remains an admirable study which students will positively welcome for its clarity, breadth of content and overall good sense.'

Professor Nicholas Atkin, University of Reading, UK

This is a splendid up-to-date overview of the political, international and economic history of Europe between the wars. It will be of invaluable use to both students and scholars alike. Its strengths lie in the breadth of coverage, the clarity of the narrative and the ease with which the authors interlards his story with analysis… This remains an admirable study which students will positively welcome for its clarity, breadth of content and overall good sense.

Professor Nicholas Atkin, University of Reading

Praise for the first edition:

This is an excellent, well-balanced exposition, giving a useful perspective on the between-war years.

Academic Library book review.

Kitchen’s book is not only enjoyable reading but can be read for professional benefit. I have no hesitation in recommending it.

History reviews of new books. Eric A Arnold, Jr. University of Denver.

The First World War left Europe traumatised and perplexed. It spawned Soviet Communism, Fascism and Nazism, strained democracies to the limit and contributed to the collapse of the world economy. The unthinkable became inevitable and a mere twenty-one years after “the war to end all wars”, Europewas once again in flames.

How did this happen? Martin Kitchen’s compelling account of Europe between the wars sets the twenty-year crisis within the context of the profound sense of cultural malaise shared by many philosophers and artists, the economic crises that plagued a Europe ruined by war and the social upheavals caused by widespread unemployment and grinding poverty amid a noticeable improvement of living standards.

This thoroughly revised edition, with completely new sections on intellectual, cultural and social history is richly illustrated with contemporary photographs. It is an up-to-date and lively account of a critical period of European history when the old world collapsed, the dictators offered seemingly exciting alternatives, and democracies were put to the supreme test.

Martin Kitchen is Professor Emeritus of history at Simon Fraser University, Canada. He is author of numerous books on European history, including The German Offensives of 1918 (2001), The Cambridge Illustrated History of Germany (2000) and Nazi Germany: A Critical Introduction (2004).