This book is intended for all students of modern European history. It aims to be both an essential reference for undergraduates working on their own, and to form a valuable basis for courses in the subject. The book's sixteen thematic chapters - each written by a leading scholar in the field - cover social and economic change, as well as the rise and fall of all the major political movements and the immense changes generated by war and international diplomacy across Europe in this period. Designed to act as a bridge between introductory surveys and the mass of specialized literature, the book offers both analysis and information. Throughout, the reader is introduced to the range of competing interpretations of themes and events in the period, and is encouraged to develop a critical framework for study. The chapters are supported by concise biographies of all the major figures, an up-to-date guide to further reading, a chronology of the main events, and numerous maps and tables.