Medieval Europe: A Short History

Title : Medieval Europe: A Short History

Writer : C. Warren Hollister

Year : 1975 (3^rd Edition)

Language : English

The history of medieval Europe may not give us correct or precise explanation of the emergence of the Europe itself, since the emergence will be relevant with the history of early Europe. However, the medieval Europe is one of the most important European starting points in building the Western civilization.

This book tries to reveal much information of the medieval Europe around 300s A.D to the early of 1400s A.D. The writer of the book delivers particular information about the church (its emergence, significance, culture, and power), monarchies, kings, conquerors, tribes, conquered territories, division of the territories, economic system, the rise of agriculture, etc.

It is interesting to see how early European tribes were conquering each other to seize the land of the Europe, started from Latin (Roman) people who wanted to save their dominance both in monarchy and church, the German who spread their threat not only to England, but also to the Roman territory (Italy), France, and Spain, to the Vikings, Slavs, and Arabs who did the same thing across the Europe. It is also interesting to see how Spain was truly conquered by the Arabs and altered into Islamic land as a whole, before it was conquered by the Christian monarchy back again then, and became a Christian kingdom again. However, for me, the most interesting thing in the book is the fact that France was actually the conquered land of the German tribe, the Franks. Well, we cannot escape from the very fact that the land of Europe was conquered by many tribes in turn so that it made the civilization unfixed and changing over time.

On one side, this is a good book in case of giving abundant information that everyone may need of medieval Europe, but on the other side it is really bad in case of arrangement. The writer did not make it easy to read. In one chapter, he can put a certain elaboration of history in certain year, yet it is not complete. Then, in other chapter, the writer, instead of moving forward, put other information of the same year revealed in the previous chapter. It is such a mess for reading a history book. Overall, it is an informative yet not so good history book.

Rating: 2.5

The Great Dictators

Title : The Dictators, Fascist, Communist, Despots, and Tyrants – The Biographies of the Great Dictators of the Modern World

Writer : Jules Archer

Year : 1967

Language : English (translated into Indonesian)

Just like what I’ve written in the previous review, behind any good or bad thing, there are always reasons or a certain background. This book doesn’t only talk about dictators and their regimes, how they conducted their countries and their government, but it also talks about why and how they became dictators and how they fell down from their regimes.

The writer doesn’t put all of the dictators in the world for certain reasons (which I don’t know), but he does put the greatest dictators of the world, just like mentioned in the title. From Lenin and Stalin (the most crucial, I think), to Fransisco Franco and also the former president of my own country, Soekarno. As stated in the title, the book talks much about the life of the greatest dictators: from their childhoods, families, love lives, political lives, their emergence in the dictatorship, their regimes, and of course, their deaths. All dictatorships showed in the book seemed to come up from mostly the childhood memories of the dictators. Their poor lives, sufferings, failures… All those agonies brought the coming-dictators to the understanding of the cruel world. Therefore, they learned Marxism (mostly) and other “wrongly-accepted” theories to be applied in their political lives.

However, being dictators is not always being cruel. Antonio de Oliveira Salazar (from Portugal) and Fidel Castro (Cuba) are the two “good” dictators. They were actually good men with good visions, but they just didn’t want to be disturbed. They “just” didn’t want to surrender their position to other people or opponents.

The writer cleverly and objectively put so many perspectives and points of view in writing the history and mysteries behind it. I really like when he wrote about the World War I and the fact behind that. Even though he eventually praises America as the most democratic country in the world, which can apply democracy very well among other, he can still write and reveal the bad side and the faults of America back in the history. I won’t say that he is very objective (because I don’t know him), but I can say that this book indeed has opened my eyes about the history.

Rating: 3.5

America Now

Title : America Now

Writer : Marvin Harris

Year : 1981

Language : English

Well, America today is struggling in dealing with the higher fuel oil price, higher living costs, and still, Iraq War. Well, if you’re asking why they happen, then the answer is easy, they make it so. To make it clear, their government makes it so. This book is not the provider of the correct answer of America’s economic crisis today, but from this book, we can see the history of why American people and, of course, government always make their own crisis.

America Now written by Marvin Harris is a ‘why’ book. The writer wrote it not to give such a solution or something, but to show the readers why America is the way America today. It was indeed published in 1981. Nevertheless, it can be still related to America’s problems in this era.

Shortly, the book tells us why the dollars was shrinking, why many women got out of home and worked outside, why there are many terrors on the streets, why the gay community finally showed themselves, and why it emerged many new cults. Those things had change America, and also maybe…have changed America. One of the most interesting things revealed in the book is the writer’s explanation of why feminism came out and roared more loudly there in America, in late 1970s and 1980s. Let me try to explain. American feminism had emerged in late 1800s but it was still quiet. Later on, feminism became something which burst out and stronger. Why?? The writer reveals that it might have a close relation with the inflation at that time. The bad American economic condition at that time forced women to get jobs outside home to gain more money. Even their wages were still lower than the men’s, but they could use the money to cover the high living costs. By this work-outside-movement, women were yelling for their other rights, such as not having babies, being lesbian, so on. And…how could the American economic condition be bad at that time?? You should really read the book by yourself.

The writer indeed has revealed so many interesting analyses that they shocked me! I never ever thought that American condition in late 1900s could be that way, and might be caused by those amazing and unbelievable things. People may not agree with the writer. For some points, I do not agree too. However, the book is still interesting to study about America and why there are so many unbelievable things happen to them, happen in their land.

Rating : 3

The Precarious Balance

Title : The Precarious Balance

Writer : Ludwig Dehio

Year : 1965

Language : German (translated into English)

Ludwig Dehio is well-known as a German historian. He tried to depict European history by writing this book. The history of the governmental system applied in the previous Europe and how it was then collapse.

It is good to know how the European kingdoms ran back to the past. By reading the book, I come to the knowledge about Italian kingdom, and how its insular successful Venice gave a very important influence to the other European kingdoms. I never thought that Venice was very successful at the 1700s or 1800s, and even more successful then the Italy itself. I can also see that Spain was very big with its navy, and she kept trying to build a huge Catholic kingdom. The Great Britain had also a hot hostility with Holland, since they competed in naval strength. When Britain reached America, Holland tried to conquer West Indies, and I assume that it was my country, Indonesia. Oh, by this book also I get the answer of my own question about Portugal and Spain whether they were one kingdom or not. They were apparently two different kingdoms, Spain took over Portugal for not more than 100 years, and then Portugal separated themselves again and got their independence.

The book also talks about the hostility between England and France, the hostility that never dies until now I guess. It also talks a lot about the France revolution, Napoleon, and his heritage. At last, the book provides me with the history of Germany, especially Adolf Hitler. All those histories then lead me to the First and Second World War.

The book is good enough to read. It gives me more knowledge about the interesting European history. It seems to tell me how the previous united Europe was then collapse because of their competition and fight to gain a bigger power and to rule the Europe alone. But the bad thing about the book is that the writer depicts Islam as a horrible religion with its horrible community.

Rating : 2.5