Politics in Europe

In this masterful, stylish, and authoritative book, Michael Burleigh gives us an epic history of the battles over religion in modern Europe. Examining the ways in which politics and religion have influenced each other over the last two hundred years, he reveals that throughout history the two realms have interacted in complex and sometimes lethal ways – just as they still do today. The overall effect was a widespread increase in secularism and a demystification of the power of politics.

Providing fresh insights into the interaction between politics and business in twentieth-century Europe, this book indicates the complexity of the relationship–particularly in the environment of the 1920s and 1930s–when fascism was at its height.

Politics in Europe has proven to be a friendly, yet rigorous introduction to the region. The authors follow a consistent thematic structure in their country sections–Where is the power? Who has the power? How is the power used?–students not only get a firm grounding in the major actors, institutions and policies of each country, but are able to make meaningful cross-national comparisons.