The Pursuit of Glory: The Five Revolutions that Made Modern Europe: 1648-1815 (Penguin History of Europe)
by Tim Blanning
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Book Summary Information
Author: Tim BlanningEditor: David Cannadine
Edition: Paperback
Published: 2008-05-27
ISBN: 0143113895
Number of pages: 736
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Book Reviews of The Pursuit of Glory: The Five Revolutions that Made Modern Europe: 1648-1815 (Penguin History of Europe)
Book Review: History at its best
Summary: 5 Stars
The period discussed by this book starts in the reign of Louis the XIV King of France then the most powerful country in Europe. Louis was famous for saying that "he was the state" and that his aim was the pursuit of glory the title of the book. By the end of the period Kings no longer ruled alone and rather than the state being their own personal possession they were its servant.
Rather than being a straight narrative the book looks at a number of "revolutions" or changes which changed forever the European framework. In 1645 France was by far the strongest European power. Its main rival had previously been a dynastic amalgam called the Hapsburg Empire. What happened was a gradual shift to the North of Europe. Austria slowly evolved into a major power by the reconquest of Hungary and the Balkans. Prussia emerged as perhaps the first nation and Britain became an immensely rich commercial empire. In the East Muscovy expanded to become the Russian Empire.
There was no uniform reason for the changes that occurred. Certainly the agricultural revolution allowed states to become richer as greater agricultural surpluses were available to create larger towns and more complex economies. There was the development of a body of ideas which led to secularism but each state had its own path. Britain saw with its Glorious Revolution of 1688 the development of a government which shared authority between King and Parliament. It allowed for a more flexible approach to changing societal institutions and to creating a bigger tax base and a more efficient administration. However the changes in Prussia were due to the talents of two of its Kings, Frederick the Great and his father. They developed a militaristic culture which saw a partnership of the nobility and the monarchy ruling a secular and tolerant state. Russia was an absolute Monarchy but it faced two opponents who were both in a state of decay and faced overwhelming coalitions of enemies Poland and Turkey.
The book was it seems written as part of Penguins history series. Despite this the book was very well received getting rapturous reviews. One can see why on reading it. The writing is easy and it is as close to a page turner you get with historical works. The clarity of its observations is such that one feels a real insight into the complex changes both in the structure of life in Europe and the political and social map.
Summary of The Pursuit of Glory: The Five Revolutions that Made Modern Europe: 1648-1815 (Penguin History of Europe)
In 1648, Europe was essentially a medieval society. By 1815, it was the powerhouse of the modern world. In exuberant prose, Tim Blanning investigates ?the very hinge of European history? (The New York Times) between the end of the Thirty Y ears? War and the Battle of Waterloo that witnessed five of the modern world?s great revolutions: scientific, industrial, American, French, and romantic. Blanning renders this vast subject digestible and absorbing by making fresh connections between the most mundane details of life and the major cultural, political, and technological transformations that birthed the modern age.Europe Books
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