The Making of Europe: An Introduction to the History of European Unity - Softcover

Dawson

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0452004020 ISBN 13: 9780452004023

Publisher: Plume, 1956

Synopsis

In this seminal work, described by the "Times Literary Supplement" as "impressive alike by the authority of its learning and the originality of its argument," Christopher Dawson concludes that the period of the fourth to the eleventh centuries commonly known as the Dark Ages is not a barren prelude to the creative energy of the medieval world. Instead, he argues that it is better described as "ages of dawn," for it is in this rich and confused period that the complex and creative interaction of the Roman empire, the Christian Church, the classical tradition, and barbarous societies provided the foundation for a vital, unified European culture. In an age of fragmentation and the emergence of new nationalist forces, Dawson argued that if "our civilization is to survive, it is essential that it should develop a common European consciousness and sense of historic and organic unity." But he was clear that this unity required sources deeper and more complex than the political and economic

Edition details

• Publisher: Plume
• Publication date: 1956
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0452004020
• ISBN 13: 9780452004023
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1