This is for the 1948 second edition: An excellent reference book that I have been glad to have at hand especially to review my knowledge of an era. For example, taking a summer English department class offered at CSLA examing the fairy tale, for some reason I chose one from Japan. Checking Langer to refresh my knowledge of 17th C. Japan, I lucked into the very event the tale dealt with. English classes are not my forte, but the professor was impressed when I nailed it.
Dr. Langer obtained contributions from fifteen other academics but wrote most of this book himself. It follows on earlier 19th C. efforts that proved helpful to students, starting in Germany and expanded for Americans. Political events are best covered but there is considerable effort made to survey the arts. The emphasis is on Europe and the United States, i.e. there is more detail. A special strength in this edition is the recounting of the military and political events of WWI.
Entries are made by country, by year and then by date, with a sentence or two of detail. Bold face type is used for easier searching. For example (chosen by me randomly), the era of the last kings of France, the Second Republic, Napoleon III, and the Third Republic are covered, ending with the page number where France will again be taken up. A few hundred pages later the Interwar Era is covered, the intervening pages dealing with other areas of the world. There are four entries for 1926: June 10 Treaty with Romania (no detail), July 15 Fall of the Briand Ministry (four succinct sentences about insufficient tax revenue, high debt, and the deficits), July 28 the National Union Ministries of Poincare (four sentences about their composition), and August 10 "The two chambers, sitting as a national assembly, incorporated sinking-fund measure in the constitution. Income from the tobacco monopoly and from inheritance taxes was to be used to redeem part of the national debt." The next entry is for 1927.
Dr. Langer likely was not in good odor when most history professors moved to the left in the 1960s and ever since, but I still find the book useful, although it is light on Asian and African history. The first chair in African History in the UK was established in 1948, when this revised edition was published.
Maps and Index. 1270pp.
Dr. Langer obtained contributions from fifteen other academics but wrote most of this book himself. It follows on earlier 19th C. efforts that proved helpful to students, starting in Germany and expanded for Americans. Political events are best covered but there is considerable effort made to survey the arts. The emphasis is on Europe and the United States, i.e. there is more detail. A special strength in this edition is the recounting of the military and political events of WWI.
Entries are made by country, by year and then by date, with a sentence or two of detail. Bold face type is used for easier searching. For example (chosen by me randomly), the era of the last kings of France, the Second Republic, Napoleon III, and the Third Republic are covered, ending with the page number where France will again be taken up. A few hundred pages later the Interwar Era is covered, the intervening pages dealing with other areas of the world. There are four entries for 1926: June 10 Treaty with Romania (no detail), July 15 Fall of the Briand Ministry (four succinct sentences about insufficient tax revenue, high debt, and the deficits), July 28 the National Union Ministries of Poincare (four sentences about their composition), and August 10 "The two chambers, sitting as a national assembly, incorporated sinking-fund measure in the constitution. Income from the tobacco monopoly and from inheritance taxes was to be used to redeem part of the national debt." The next entry is for 1927.
Dr. Langer likely was not in good odor when most history professors moved to the left in the 1960s and ever since, but I still find the book useful, although it is light on Asian and African history. The first chair in African History in the UK was established in 1948, when this revised edition was published.
Maps and Index. 1270pp.
