Propelled by a thesis of startling simplicity, celebrated historian John Hirst's fast-paced account of the making of modern Europe--from Ancient Greece to today--illuminates the continent as never before. Just three elements--German warrior culture, Greek and Roman learning, and Christianity--account for everything from the Crusades to the Industrial Revolution. Hirst's razor-sharp grasp of cause and effect helps us see with sparkling clarity how the history of Europe--and the crucible of liberal democracy--shapes the way we live now.