A Companion to Nineteenth-Century Europe: 1789-1914

This Companion provides an overview of European history during the “long” nineteenth century, from 1789 to 1914. Consisting of 32 chapters written by leading international scholars, it balances coverage of political, diplomatic, and international history with discussion of economic, social, and cultural concerns. The volume is divided into six parts, exploring the idea of “Europeanness” and the construction of European identity; the transition from an agricultural society to one based on industrial production and international trade; political developments, including the “age of revolution,” labor movements, and the role of state and nation; intellectual history, for example the new ideologies of liberalism and socialism; themes in cultural history, such as literacy, science, policing, and sexuality; and the development of the international system of great powers, and the related questions of war, empire, and colonialism.

Throughout, the contributors cover both Eastern and Western European states, including Britain, and pay considerable attention to smaller countries as well as to the great powers. They also explicitly compare particular phenomena and developments across Europe as a whole.