History is an account, mostly false, of events, mostly unimportant, which are brought about by rulers, mostly knaves, and soldiers, mostly fools.

- Ambrose Bierce
 

What is history but a fable agreed upon?

- Napoléon Bonaparte
 

Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.

- Benjamin Disraeli
 

This is mainly European history (and sometimes includes a bit about the countries Europe owned, deeply affected - or was deeply affected by).  This account also only really begins in the last quarter of the 18th century.  Through the end of the Cold War ("The Sinatra Doctrine" below) some of these pages are based on notes taken during a History of Modern Europe class (and probably they read as such, but I will continue to work on making them more conversational).  I enjoyed the class more than I had expected to.  There is something to be said for knowing a tiny bit about how things got to be the way they are...

Up to and Including the 18th Century

The Plot Thus Far - An excruciatingly high-level overview - from the Holy Roman Empire to the Renaissance - including some morbid details on the Black Death...

Everyone Has a Theory - Some problems were starting to get solved but more kept cropping up to take their places...

Humans Can Be So Revolting - The American Revolution and the decline of the French Old Order

Romanticism and Revolution - the French Revolution, Robespierre, and the eventual rise of Napoléon.

Timing Can Be Everything - The Napoléonic Wars and the follow-on War of 1812...

March of the Machine - The Industrial Revolution and its effects, both good and bad.

Turmoil and Transformation - Mid to late 19th century Europe, including more about the Bonaparte family than you probably ever wanted to know...

The Dawn of the 20th Century - The sinking of the Titanic, cultural trends in evidence (including women's suffrage) and the outbreak of the Great War...

The World at War - The Great War, from the "Plan for Quick Victory" to the Treaty at Versailles...

From Stone to Steel - The Bolshevik Revolution: Stolypin to Stalin.

Talents and Flaws - Germany, Hitler, the rise of Nazism and the road to war...

The War in Europe Begins - Freedom is seldom free.  When push comes to shove, the ultimate protectors of liberty are those in the armed forces because throughout history, it is they who answer the call with their bravery and sacrifice...

America Enters the War - Unfortunately, the conclusion was something less than satisfactory...

Yalta Notes - Did Roosevelt really believe that he could charm Stalin out of the tree?  As Walter Lippmann suggested, he was too cynical for that: "He distrusted everybody.  What he thought he could do was outwit Stalin, which is quite a different thing"...

Tailings - A few items related to WWII (like Hitler's childhood, Stalin's wife, a photograph of Hiroshima minutes after the bomb...)

Communism versus Capitalism - The Cold War Part One: it's always about money, isn't it?

The Sinatra Doctrine - The Cold War Part Two: The Curtain falls, sure - but at least they did it their way...

The End of the Millennium - Enemies, Friends and the Internet...

Terrorism - Afghanistan, Iraq and -?-

North Korea, Russia, China, India, Brazil, Space - What does the future hold?  What should it hold?

Where Lies the Future? - Maybe it's best not to know for sure?

History is a pack of lies about events that never happened told by people who weren't there.

- George Santayana
 

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