To Hell and Back

Europe 1914-1949

By: Ian Kershaw

Narrated by: John Curless

The Penguin History of Europe series reaches the 20th century with acclaimed scholar Ian Kershaw's long-anticipated analysis of the pivotal years of World War I and World War II.

The European catastrophe, the long, continuous period from 1914 to1949, was unprecedented in human history - an extraordinarily dramatic, often traumatic, and endlessly fascinating period of upheaval and transformation. This new volume in the Penguin History of Europe series offers comprehensive coverage of this tumultuous era. Beginning with the outbreak of World War I through the rise of Hitler and the aftermath of the Second World War, award-winning British historian Ian Kershaw combines his characteristic original scholarship and gripping prose as he profiles the key decision makers and the violent shocks of war as they affected the entire European continent and radically altered the course of European history. Kershaw identifies four major causes for this catastrophe: an explosion of ethnic-racist nationalism, bitter and irreconcilable demands for territorial revisionism, acute class conflict given concrete focus through the Bolshevik Revolution, and a protracted crisis of capitalism.

Incisive, brilliantly written, and filled with penetrating insights, To Hell and Back offers an indispensable study of a period in European history whose effects are still being felt today.

©2015 Ian Kershaw (P)2015 Recorded Books

Absolutely excellent!

This is a long, detailed, and insightful work of scholarship. It is well worth hearing.

comprehensive review of modern European history

great performance. engaging but due to its thoroughness, this book is not to be listened casually

A good thumbnail sketch an eventful piece of history

I’ve read more detailed accounts of shorter periods during the wars, but this was a very good synopsis of A large period of time. Just enough information to wet your appetite on many geo political subjects. The narrator did a great job with the material. My only negative observation would be that the Author gave me the impression of a left-of-center socialist and it definitely colored his depiction and in interpretation of some of the history.

Nice Overview

Ian Kershaw's book is more less a fly over of Europe's decent from 1914-1949. To say that the continent went through a chaotic nightmare is an understatement. Fascism was the definition of the era. And right on time, history is rapidly repeating itself as fascism reemerges and clamps its jackboots back down on citizens across the world. History always repeats itself regardless of the efforts of those issuing dire warnings. And this book reiterates that fact. The only issue with this book is it is not linear and somewhat difficult to follow. The discussion could be on the end of WWII and then skip back to some time pre-war without warning. And with all the countries east and west to cover it makes it that much more difficult. But given the enormous task of this assignment, it's an excellent work.

Excellent, unique analysis

Narration: slightly sing-songish but otherwise good.

Content: insightful, unique analysis of the psychological, cultural, sociological reasons why Germans steadfastly resisted surrender right up to the end of the war. Not only did they resist surrender when all hope was lost; they also until the very end ruthlessly continued to embrace nazism and enact its brutal, prescribe, inhumane policies.

Highly recommended.

Complementary audios include:
Childers’ World War Two: a military and social history. This audio complements the concluding chapters of Childers’ Great Courses audio.
Masters of the Air is a history of the air war in Europe and adumbrates descriptions and evaluation of the 7th air forces role in bombing the heck out of Germany. Kershaw poignantly describes the effects of these raids.
A Woman in Berlin recounts the cruel indignities inflicted on Berliners especially women, during their East Prussia-to-Berlin. Included, of course, is Russian subjugation during the oppupation.

Great listen for a WWII history buff.

A very thorough and comprehensive look at the myriad forces at play which plunged Europe into its second war in less than a generation. Well done.

Wonderful historical overview

Kershaw continues to be one of my favorite historians and he covers the period of the 2 world wars masterfully. There is a good combination of research that reads like the telling of a story. If you like this period of history you will like this.

Armchair Historian with a Well-Endowed Armchair

I classify this type of history 'Armchair History' (the armchair perhaps situated in an academic Ivory Tower), which I would normally sneer at derisively, but this armchair historian can get away with writing a book from pure memory-based narration (or so the narration seems) because the results were in-depth. I call it 'armchair' since the author did not have to do any 'footwork' - traipsing around the world conducting first-hand interviews and researching previously unresearched primary sources and making first-hand conclusions and recreations.

For me, the most valuable part of the book was the coverage between the two World War's, where I was personally weakest. Now I can patch it all together - the First World War was the demise of monarchies, the period between the wars was absolute chaos and experimentation, with the rise of authoritarian regimes - some OK, some the Banes of the Century. The book ends at the end of the Second World War, but touches on the beginnings of the Cold War.

So it was a very knowledgable armchair presentation, and a good performance by the narrator,

Astounding Hisory

Very well read.
The overall story is engaging and a thought provoking eye opener for anyone not fully familiar with European history and the build up to the world wars.
The book does get overladen with statistics at times so can feel a bit clinical. The numbers however can be gut wrenching.
Overall, I loved this book.
~m

Well Rounded War and Politics

Wars receive treatment in the context of Europe as a whole, but this is not necessarily a WW I or II book.
The political and social undercurrents are addressed in detail and lend an excellent perspective I did not previously have. Reader was excellent