Title: Europe: Chained By History: What forces can break
the chain?
Author: Larry J. Hilton
Publishers: Newport Publishing
Genre: History/Non-Fiction
Pages: 344 (Paperback)
Source: Advanced review copy from Cadence Group
Having read many books on the history and especially on
the European history, this book makes a unique read. It stands as a class
apart. It doesn’t goad us with the facts and figures in a detailed manner which
is painstaking to remember everything. This book will present its readers a
riveting and vivid account of the history from a different perspective. The book
encompasses the humane angle of the history from the medieval times till modern
days.
How does each phase of the history affect the common human beings like
you and me? This very essence was captured in a brilliant way.
The book picks up really good with a note from the
author in the preface of what led him to write this book. His love towards the
history is evident in each chapter and the reference he quotes from different
backgrounds adds a feel good factor while reading. In almost all chapters, the
readers can see the references being made to the epic series of 11 volumes of
western history "The Story of Civilization" by Will and Ariel Durant. We can also witness the author’s adoration towards
the famous French poet, philosopher and playwright Voltaire and endorses his beliefs on the freedom of expression and social justice.
The central theme of the book is the capital of
Austria, the Vienna. Starting from its
historical background of how the present day Vienna got its name from the
historical name of Vindobona which means “Fair Village or White Settlement” that originated from the
historical beliefs from the Roman settlement of Celtic extraction. From there,
the author takes us on a ride through the many kings and dynasties that ruled
the Austria, especially the Habsburg dynasty and the king and queens that ruled for hundreds of years. The interesting
account was of Maria Theresa,
the only female ruler of the Habsburg dynasty, followed by her son Joseph II that ruled for just 10 years, but yet, made enough progress to abolish many
things and bringing in new reforms that helped every sect of the society, especially
the Jewish origins.
The more we dwell into the book, the more interesting
it becomes. The chapters on the birth and rise of Adolf Hitler are a
fascinating read. How Adolf does have his surname “Hitler” is an interesting
tale. Adolf’s father, Alois Hitler was the illegitimate child of Maria Anna Schicklgruber; the Baptismal register didn’t show
the name of the father, though Marina Anna knew who Alois’s father was. From
there, Alois used his mother’s name as his surname. By late 1842, Maria Anna
married Johann Georg Hiedler.
Alois was infact brought up in the family of Hiedler’s brother Johann Nepomuk Hiedler.
In 1876, Alois was legitimized and the baptismal register changed by a priest
to register Johann Georg Heidler as Alois’s father has mistakenly changed his
name to Georg Hitler. This was, Alios assumed the surname as “Hitler”. The chain
followed ever after in the family, and thus we see Adolf Hitler. “Hitler” means
the one who lives in a Hut.
Adolf Hitler’s regime was one of the brutal and inhumane
phases of the modern Austrian history as recorded in this book. With a nil or
deteriorating political backbone of the Austria and a growing strength of Adolf
Hitler has left no option for the Austrians but to yield before Hitler. This came
at the cost of no bullets. Hitler proudly records this event as “conquered
without firing a single shot”. It is quite interesting to note that, Adolf
Hitler’s childhood comprises of his friendship with Jews, his mother was
treated till death by a Jewish doctor, and his stay in Vienna during his college
days had made him to have many Jewish acquaintances and so on. His sudden
change of behavior of hatred towards Jews has a long history of his reading
habits and understanding the political world.
The book has many such fascinating and interesting
tales from the history. One such example is the family of Klaar’s. Their tale
of misery has no bounds. Also, the diary of a war widow Anna Eisenmenger will
provide a vivid detail of the war and post war life, describing the events and
the misery they had to endure. One should read these tales from the book to
understand the complete picture of a common family during those times.
Overall, I feel this is an interesting book with the
facts and figures covered from a different perspective. It is an easy read. The
language used is simple and effective. It holds the readers till the end and it
certainly becomes unstoppable. Larry J. Hilton has done a tremendous research to
pen this book. I strongly recommend this book to be read by all.
My Rating:
5/5
Note: This book was given to me by “The Cadence Group”
in exchange for an unbiased review.
