Introduction
This book is the partial result of some twenty-five years of doing history writing for my sophomore Modern European History classes at Buffalo Seminary. It is partial because there is so much more to Europe’s history than what is included here.
For years, I had been dissatisfied with history textbooks written for high school students. They tend to be well-illustrated but little more than narrative outlines, too simplistic for students in a school such as Buffalo Seminary. College-level textbooks, on the other hand, while extremely substantive in content, tend to be difficult to read and are formidable in both size and cost. So, in searching for a middle ground for suitable reading in European history, I began to write narrative pieces on various topics to supplement the textbook we were using. These would be identified in the syllabus as SDRs – supplementary duplicated readings – and distributed piecemeal as the syllabus required. Over time, as the SDRs became more numerous (and wordy), students would say, “Mr. Schooley, why don’t you write your own textbook?” In a sense, that's what this collection of readings represents – an effort to write a textbook. Later issues of the book appeared on the course syllabus as SHE, Schooley’s History of Europe. When Buffalo Seminary inaugurated its tablet program in 2009, SHE was installed on students’ computers. In 2011 it became this Google Site.
The book covers European history from the Renaissance to the collapse of the Soviet Union (1991).* It does not cover everything that a conventional text would present in that time frame. Not all of the sections are thematic narratives. There are readings with lists, outlines, and chronologies. When this book was used in my courses, it was supplemented with maps and materials from other secondary and primary sources.
Most of the sections are accompanied by a list of sources. These are both bibliographical and/or supplementary. I do not claim that this work represents intense, scholarly research. It does not. It draws heavily from a variety of sources, including college-level textbooks such as Palmer and Colton’s A History of the Modern World and works such as Will and Ariel Durant’s multi-volume History of Civilization series.
It is a collection of readings. Unlike high school textbooks, there are no questions for review at the end of each section nor are there introductions as to what to look for as one reads. The course syllabus often included study guides for the reading.
There is “A Glossary of Political Vocabulary” at the end of the book (Section 32). This is a listing of terms that have common political application.
The book remains a work in progress. In my retirement I have plenty of time to “tinker” with it, revising and adding to it.
I regret that the book lacks pictures and maps. I did, however, create PowerPoint illustrations for the entire course. These remain on the school server. For the Google Site "edition" being seen here, I am in the process of adding illustrations.
In conclusion, I want to express my gratitude and appreciation to Kelsey Shea, Buffalo Seminary Class of 2010, who undertook the monumental task of reviewing and editing the entire book as her senior internship. Without her commitment, goodwill, good humor, and sharp-eyed ability to wade through my mind-numbing approach to history, this book would not exist. I also want thank the entire Class of 2010 for enabling the print production of this book as part of its gift to the school.
Harry B. Schooley
*In 2022 a new Chapter (31) "Cold War Redux" was added. This examines the Russo-Ukrainian War and remains a work in progress.
The hardcover "edition" of A History of Modern Europe made possible by the Buffalo Seminary Class of 2010.
This Google Site edition undergoes constant review and revision.