As a student in the US my introduction to European history began with a line. The continent of Europe lay stretched out over a blackboard; the lecturer drew an imaginary line down the centre. Empires shifted, he explained, but this line had remained the same. To the west of it lay the Roman Empire, the Holy Roman Empire, the “progressive” great powers, and what we learned during the cold war to call “the west.” To the east lay barbarism, feudal states, Russia and Austro-Hungary, and what was then known as “the communist bloc.”
The lecturer explained that the division of Europe was nothing new: it had its origins in deep cultural and political differences, land use patterns, the absence of capitalism in the east, the scientific revolution in the west. In all cases and at all times, the peoples to the west of the imaginary line had been more sophisticated, more progressive, more advanced. The peoples to the east were slower to develop, less democratic, less “European.” Those to the west would, therefore, be the object of the next nine months of study.
It only takes a few brief sentences early on in this monumental book for Norman Davies to dispense with that sort of history. After all, he notes, there are many dividing lines which shaped the history of Europe. Some of the most important-in terms of climate, culture, family structure-divide north from south rather than east from west. Some of the most permanent-such as that which separates catholic and orthodox Christianity-have nothing to do with who is and who is not now in Nato, or who was or was not in the Holy Roman Empire.
If you are a subscriber, please log in »
This article is available to subscribers only
Subscribing to Prospect is the most reliable and convenient way to receive the magazine every month, and offers the best value.Subscription Types:
Online
An online subscription offers you complete and unlimited access to the entire website, including our searchable archive of every back issue of Prospect, and a PDF edition of each new issue: all this for just £20 per year. Purchase an online subscription »Renewal
Renew an existing subscription »Institutional access
If you are a library, business organisation or any other large institution that needs a multi-user licence, you can obtain institutional access.
Share
Subscribe to post comments
Print
