European History 1815-1914
Next week I’m starting a new subject, European History 1815-1914, so I will share the reading list I was given. This is the minimum reading list. I will receive a complete one by the end of this week. I will share reviews on my blog for all the books I’m reading cover-to-cover from this period. Of course, I will check all books from the list, but I will not read all of them, as it will depend on what topics I choose for the essays and which books appeal to me the most. So far I’ve read one of those books, last month. As I was still busy with British History, I did not have time to read more from the list.
Course text is Europe’s Uncertain Path 1814-1914 by R.S Alexander – 5 stars.
European History 1815-1914.
Other books to read:
1. Barricades and Borders, Europe 1800-1914 by R. Gildea
2. The Ascendancy of Europe 1815-1914 by Matthew Anderson – 5 stars. Good book as an introduction to the 19th century.
3. Europe Since Napoleon by D. Thomson
4. The Age of Revolution by E. Hobsbawm
5. The Age of Capital by E. Hobsbawm
6. The Age of Empire by E. Hobsbawm
7. Cambridge Illustrated History – Germany by Martin Kitchen
8. Cambridge Illustrated History – France (ed. Colin Jones)
9. Cambridge Illustrated History – Warfare (ed. Geoffrey Parker)
10. The Fontana History of Germany, 1780-1918 by D. Blackbourn
11. France, 1814-1914 by E. R. Tombs
12. Russia in the Age of reaction and Reform, 1801-1881 by F. D. Saunders
13. Spain in the Liberal Age, 1808-1939 by C. Esdaile
From this list, I would focus on the relevant chapters, for example for the books about specific countries. For as much as I would like to read all the books, I just don’t have enough time to finish all of them. As I did with British History, I will link to all the books I’m reviewing.
Other books, chosen by me or recommended by my tutor, read cover to cover:
1. The French Revolution by Stephen Clarke – 5 stars. A fun book, written in his witty style.
2. The French Revolution by William Doyle – 2.5 stars. Some assumptions were not really great. I give examples in the review.
3. The Napoleonic Empire by Geoffrey James Ellis – 5 stars. Really good book, very clear.
4. Josephine by Kate Williams – 4 stars. An interesting biography, worth reading even if you are not interested in the history of the period.
5. The Revolutions in Europe by Robert Evans – 4 stars. A good introduction to the 1848 revolutions.
6. Europe Under Napoleon by Michael Broers – 5 stars. It is a good book and lovely to read too, not dry at all.
7. Concise History of Romania by Keith Hitchins – 5 stars. A fascinating book about the last 2,000 years of Romanian history, viewed in a holistic way. A must read.
8. Brunel by Steven Brindle – 5 stars. A biography which touches on industrial revolution, on the experience of two engineers in developing new ideas and bringing them to fruition.
9. Peaceful Conquest by Sidney Pollard – 5 stars. It looks at the industrialization process from in Europe from 1760 to 1970.
10. The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith – 5 stars. Very important primary source.
11. How to Be a Victorian by Ruth Goodman – 5 stars. Fascinating description of everyday life in Victorian England.
12. The medical detective by Sandra Hempel – 4 stars. An account of cholera pandemic in 19th century England. It shows a comprehensive account of what people believed and how the government reacted.
13. Modernity and Bourgeois Life by Jerrold E. Seigel – 5 stars. A long and well balanced view on modernity in the long 19th century.
14. The Domestic Revolution by Ruth Goodman – 5 stars. A fascinating insight in how domestic life changed with the change in fuel. From Elizabeth to Victoria.
15. The Making of Modern Woman by Lynn Abrams – 2.5 stars. Not impressed with this one.
16. Dirty Bertie by Stephen Clarke – 4 stars. A fun, but good biography.
17. British Prime Ministers by Robert Parker – 5 stars. It talks about all PMs from 1720s to present day.
18. Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management – 5 stars. It is an important primary source to understand better the middle classes in the nineteenth century.
I don’t know a lot about this time period and doubt I’ll put any of these on my wish list, but never say never! One of your reviews might convince me.
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