- Summary
- "In 1945, Europe lay in ruins. Some fifty million people were dead, cities were reduced to rubble, and large swaths of the continent languished in physical and moral defeat. Law and order had collapsed, refugees were everywhere, and outside powers were in control. In Ruin and Renewal, Oxford historian Paul Betts presents a sweeping new account of Europe after World War II, showing how the idea of civilization emerged from the wreckage as a powerful device to bestow positive meaning on the daunting task of reconstruction. Previously, civilization had been understood as a rationale for European supremacy and associated with imperialist 'civilizing missions.' But after 1945, it was transformed into a peaceful notion of inheritance, part of a shared duty to preserve intellectual and cultural traditions. In this magisterial account, Betts describes how the mission to re-civilize Europe played out in relief efforts, in the international prosecution of crimes against humanity, in a resurgence of the Catholic Church, and through cultural initiatives like UNESCO's effort to broker a new conception of 'world civilization.' Authoritative, eye-opening, and sweeping in scope, Ruin and Renewal is essential reading for anyone hoping to understand how Europe became whole again after the violence and destruction of World War II"-- Provided by publisher.
- Variant Title
- Civilizing Europe after World War ll
- Format
- Book
- Author/Creator
- Betts, Paul, 1963- author.
- Published
- New York : Basic Books, 2020
- Locale
- Europe
- Edition
- First edition
- Contents
-
Old world made new
Call to alms
Punishment and pity
Faith and frontiers
Science, shelter, and civility
Empire reclaimed
Decolonization and African civilization : Ghana, Algeria, and Senegal
World civilization
Socialism's civilizing mission in Africa
Religion, race, and multiculturalism
New Iron Curtains.
- Notes
-
Includes bibliographical references (pages 463-520) and index.
Old world made new -- Call to alms -- Punishment and pity -- Faith and frontiers -- Science, shelter, and civility -- Empire reclaimed -- Decolonization and African civilization : Ghana, Algeria, and Senegal -- World civilization -- Socialism's civilizing mission in Africa -- Religion, race, and multiculturalism -- New Iron Curtains.
