The Assassination of Europe, 1918–1942
A Political History
The two epic wars of the twentieth century were separated by twenty-odd years of European despondency, impoverishment, and simmering, unresolved hatreds. The 1920s and ’30s witnessed a devastating series of murders against the political leaders of several countries, extremists gained power, and fascism took possession of the cultured, ancient peoples of Germany and Italy.
In his meticulously researched, highly engaging The Assassination of Europe 1918–1942, Howard Sachar details an astounding number of plots and intrigues—German, Italian, Russian, French, and those of several Eastern European nations—and bloodletting. Hitler and Mussolini receive microscopic attention, and Sachar leaves no doubt that both men fully earned their leadership positions (Mussolini was the most popular man in Europe for many years) but also experienced extraordinary good luck at fateful times.
History at its best, Sachar spins the web of European connections in unprecedented ways.
Reviewed by
Matt Sutherland
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