The European mosaic. Contemporary politics, economics and culture. 2nd ed.

Book abstract:

This new, updated edition of a successful textbook originally published in 1995, provides comprehensive coverage of the politics, economics and culture of Europe, both east and west, since 1945. The content has been substantially revised or re-written to take account of the many recent developments including, for example, recent elections, the launch of the Euro and the events in Kosovo.

The book takes a multi-disciplinary approach, covering many aspects of contemporary Europe - politics, history, human geography, social structure, media, language and communications, culture and questions of identity and nationality. It also includes a detailed chronology of twentieth century European history. Specifically, the chapters cover: the history of east and western Europe in the post-war era; wealth distribution within Europe and Europe's place in the world, including sections on energy and transport; European society and how Europe is facing up to the economic and social challenges of the future; the European Union; security during the Cold War period and current challenges and risks for the future; the major democracies of western Europe; the Nordic countries; the Mediterranean countries of Spain, Portugal and Greece; central and eastern Europe; economic integration, monetary unions and the organisation into groups of countries to achieve economic and political goals; Europe's place in the global economy and the way in which influences outside Europe have shaped the operation of European economies in the 1990s; the communications network; culture; nation-states and national identities. Over sixty cartoons, illustrations, maps, statistical tables and graphs are included to illustrate the text.

The European Mosaic provides a core text for undergraduate introductory courses on Europe, whether part of a politics, history, European Studies, business or language degree.