A Social History of Twentieth-Century Europe [Paperback]

A Social History of Twentieth-Century Europeoffers a systematic overview on major aspects of social life, including population, family and households, social inequalities and mobility, the welfare state, work, consumption and leisure, social cleavages in politics, urbanization as well as education, religion and culture. It also addresses major debates and diverging interpretations of historical and social research regarding the history of European societies in the past one hundred years.

Organized in ten thematic chapters, this book takes an interdisciplinary approach, making use of the methods and results of not only history, but also sociology, demography, economics and political science. B?la Tomka presents both the diversity and the commonalities of European societies looking not just to Western European countries, but Eastern, Central and Southern European countries as well. A perfect introduction for all students of European history.

Preface. 1. Introduction 2. Population 3. Families and households 4. Social stratification and social mobility 5. The welfare state 6. Work, consumption and leisure 7. Politics and society 8. Urbanization 9. Education, religion and culture 10. Conclusions: the societies of Europe and Europe as a society in the 20^thcentury. Selected bibliography

Over the years I have seen many studies on the social history of twentieth-century Europe, but this one clearly stands out. B?la Tomkas is, to my knowledge, the first serious attempt to fully integrate all the continents regions, while strongly relying on comparisons. This sophisticated and multifaceted synthesis is a magnum opuswhich deserves a very wide readership. - Marcel van der Linden, International Institute of Social History, The Netherlands

B?la Tomka has produced a very convincing and impressive social historical l#7