Europe is portrayed here as the work of a modern historian who is also a journalist, told through a personal lens and shared in vivid, episodic sketches. It maps the continent’s long memory, with testimonies and acts of courage from the Second World War, while tracing the arc of a Europe that continues to shape the present. The narrative opens with a veteran’s experience in Normandy and the hard-won advance into Germany beside Allied forces, a victory that eventually revealed a continent in need of a new political dream. The author remains deeply pro-European, even as his father’s generation carried the weight of skepticism after the war. The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 sparked a surge of popular enthusiasm for reform, a moment of collective optimism that was later tempered by the friction of Brexit and the disruptive ambitions of leaders who questioned the value of integration. Brexit, alongside the rise of populist figures, is treated as a symptom of broader frustrations, not merely a political anomaly. The piece also reflects on how the Ukraine conflict sits alongside earlier Balkan crises, underscoring the fragility of peace since 1945 and warning that rising empires often reappear when decline is not acknowledged.
What is described as the paradox of unity held together by diversity appears through moments of unsettling dissonance. When unity is pressed too far, it risks breaking apart; when diversity is pushed, tensions may flare. In the face of recurring crises, forces that push toward convergence clash with those that push toward divergence. The European Union stands as a reluctant empire that grows its roots and borders while facing adversaries seeking breakaway states. The dramatic expansion after the wall came with new challenges, and the management of monetary policy since the euro’s creation left the Union in a difficult middle ground: a single currency without a shared strategic framework.
The analysis frames Brexit not only as an outlier in European politics but as a manifestation of public anger directed at ruling classes. A similar critique arises with populist movements that tap into economic discontent to justify their stance. Yet the gains from greater freedom and mobility are weighed against the obstacles, and the war in Ukraine is seen as a reminder that violence still threatens the postwar order. The work argues that failing to study the past of fading empires leaves a path open for renewed domination, suggesting that Western powers should have anticipated a possible comeback by a resurgent empire rather than assuming history had ended.
The approach blends science and journalism, presenting a chronological journey illuminated by striking imagery and intimate anecdotes that convey what it felt like to live through those moments. The narrative reaches a peak around the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1989, when commitment to ideas, practical policy, and moral legitimacy intersected in a cause judged to be just. Yet the optimism did not endure. In several countries, communist regimes gave way to governments with questionable democratic credentials. A notable moment occurred during a 1998 visit to the former Yugoslavia when a speaker questioned whether Milosevic would pursue ethnic cleansing in Kosovo and responded with a stark statement of disbelief.
The text argues that the European project, though strong and resilient, has tempered its ambition to become a United States of Europe. Immigration is acknowledged for enriching cultural life and strengthening economies, even as it fuels populist protests. Borders remain more open than ever, while liberal democracies grapple with new pressures. The central call is to defend, cultivate, and widen the ideal of a Europe that is free, whole, and diverse. Yet after years of intellectual pursuit, practical paths forward remain uncertain. The narrative notes that progress up to 2008 was interrupted by a sequence of crises culminating in Ukraine, and it suggests that a Ukrainian victory could renew efforts toward a more cohesive European project. [Citation: Europe as a political culture and a testing ground for democracy, attribution: Garton Ash]