Celebrated historian John Hirst draws from his own lectures to deliver this ultra-accessible master class on the making of modern Europe, from Ancient Greece through World War II. With over 600,000 copies sold worldwide, this brief history is a global sensation propelled by a thesis of astonishing simplicity: Just three elements--German warfare, Greek and Roman culture, and Christianity--come together to explain everything else, from the Crusades to the Industrial Revolution. Hirst's razor-sharp grasp of cause and effect helps us see with sparkling clarity how the history of Europe--the crucible of liberal democracy--shapes the way we live today.

The Shortest History books deliver thousands of years of history in one riveting, fast-paced read.