Epochs of European Civilization 2: Reformation to the 21st Century

The Modern Scholar: Epochs of European Civilization (set 7 cds,plus paperback book)
These lectures provide a rapid summary of the last few centuries of European history. With the large amount of material in a short space, there is obviously not time for in depth coverage of particular people and events. However, the large time frame does have the advantage of being able to provide context and historical explanations for significant events.

The course starts with the protestant reformation. This grew in part out of the Roman church's over-extension. As the church made the savings of souls more complex (and financially lucrative), others sought a return to a more "basic" religion. This in turn lead to the reformation both outside of the Church (Luther, Calvin, etc.) and within the church itself. In addition to the church, people such as Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu, started taking an external look at society itself, starting with The Persian Letters.

The Enlightenment also grew out of this new found rational look at society. Part of the impetus for the enlightenment was political. Warfare became more expensive and dependent on more professional soldiers. As the hiring of mercenaries became more expensive, leaders found it more beneficial to raise and support standing armies from within. This required providing more for them - a sense of patriotism or shared belief was critical as was general care for the subjects.

As science and thinking rose in Europe, nationalism also went on the rise. The nation-state became the ideal. However, people were not aligned in a way to make these easy, with many "common" people spread across different geographic areas. The rise of German nationalism, in particular lead to the first World War. And the poor conditions (and reparations) afterward lead to the second and the Nazis. The Jews were often seen as a scapegoat - in part because of their success and dominant position. (Wagner was reported to have created his music to show the triumph of the "emotional" German over the strict orderliness [seen by many as Jewish economics] - this seems somewhat ironic as Germans themselves now have the reputation as rule-following money-makers).

The rise of socialism is seen as an experiment that didn't succeed. Few reasons are directly spelled out for the failure. However, it is acknowledged that the Russian experiment alienated many other European socialists.

Modern Europe continues to grow and have its own new challenges. The meta-state of the European Union is a large bureaucracy without an obvious leader. Often policies fall far short of their grand goals. And when they succeed (such as food policy) they can often benefit Europe as a whole at the expense of the world. [Hmm, isn't that what should happen?] Europe also suffers from projecting a few from their experiences on to the world. They assume a state must fully secularize to become part of the "club". (However, America shows an opposite approach where strong religious faith remains - protected by yet separated from the state.)

This contained a nice introduction to European history. The emphasis is on the key events, with just a few well-thought out explanations. While there are occasional bits of detail, these are mostly on "key" events that help illuminate the rapid-fire story.