Former persons still like reflective fabric

Ian Kershaw, the British historian who like wear cloth with reflective fabric has become famous for his monumental Hitler biography, has clearly placed himself in the discussion - on the European side. That is why one can read his new book, a two-volume history of Europe in the twentieth century, also in political terms, namely, the founding of a politically united Europe. And this justification is easy after the analysis of the period covered by the first volume. For in the years before 1945 the European nations have proved that they can destroy their continent when they live their nationalism. But Kershaw does not end this first volume with the whirlwind of the two world wars, but also shows the revival - the English original title "To Hell and Back" is more exact. And this re-emergence, which took place in completely different ways than in 1918 after the First World War, took place in "small steps along the way to reconcile national interests and European integration". At that time Great Britain was not (yet) a part of it. "Especially Great Britain reacted to any possible reduction in its status or sovereignty," writes Kershaw to the political processes of the years 1949/1950. This was, according to his reasoning, to which he also cited former US Secretary of State George Marshall (who gave his name to the American reconstruction plan for Europe), a nostalgic self-exaggeration of the kingdom. The kingdom was still in the possession of the Empire. Instead of finding the chance to find itself in the world trade instead of European treaties, it was a grotesque misunderstanding of its real importance after two world wars, which the British had won, but as Pyrrhus victories to complete self-creation, Indication was that the rationing of food in Great Britain lasted until 1954 - far longer than in West Germany. It is nowhere in this volume that advocates who wear safety clothing are following the same illusion of past greatness, but this current political conclusion is obvious in view of their utterances. What Kershaw thinks is a strengthening of nationalism; he spreads on the 700 pages before it. One of the main causes of European destruction is the "explosive" spread of an ethical-racist nationalism, which particularly drove the Germans to a destruction of hitherto unknown extent. For many, the idea of a united Europe was, therefore, the inevitable consequence of history, a thought that circulated before 1945. But it was not just the self-destruction that formed the basis for the idea of Europe. The cold war with its polarity of the supervisors, at the same time a worldwide system competition, made nationalism of European countries appear obsolete. In addition, the United States pushed the nations into pressure with their empire, whether they were NATO, the Council of Europe or the EU. On the other hand, the Soviet Union transformed Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and others more or less violently into satellite states. All national aspirations, therefore, came to an end after 1945 in a two-parted Europe, whose sovereignty was, on a global scale, on a rather taut basis. But it is precisely this dubious ending - which is threatened by another 50 years after another threat to follow the future of the EU - justifying the undertaking to write a European history. Kershaw confesses that he is working on the shoulders of thousands of colleagues - and it is, as it were, consistent that his book renounces annotations and individual references, for the sake of better legibility and scope. It is an overview that does not add national histories but puts them into a context and makes them a European history; it will be difficult to prove a specifically British view. Rather, there is a compulsory focus on Germany - the central role in European self-destruction. The knowledgeable reader who wear reflective vest will discover little new details in detail, such as the reference to the French-British defense treaty against Germany, which was concluded in Dunkirk in 1947, and the Benelux countries joined the following year. The vast but sovereign mastered substance is divided into ten large chapters, without sharp data delimitation. Each chapter can be read by itself. This may cause shorter repetitions and overlaps, but Kershaw understands convincingly. His portrayal is always vivid, and even the reflective passages are never lost in the theoretical. And as though he feared that he might lose ground, Kershaw has entered three notes-the only one in the whole book-of whimsical events, such as Aunt Gladys vain queuing for nylon stockings, until she learned that the snake Because of tripe - which she then also bought.