Category Archives: European Studies

Trump Sells out Ukraine and Destroys US Alliances

Posted on February 21, 2025 by briansandberg

President Trump shocked the world this week by falsely blaming Ukraine for starting the current Russian-Ukrainian War. The New York Times reports: “In comments that stunned America’s allies in Europe and angered Ukraine’s government, President Trump on Tuesday appeared to … Continue reading →

Posted in Authoritarianism, Empires and Imperialism, European History, European Studies, European Union, Human Rights, Peacemaking Processes, Political History of the United States, State Development Theory, Strategy and International Politics, United States Foreign Policy, United States History and Society, World History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

On Kleptocracy and Imperialism

Posted on February 16, 2025 by briansandberg

The Trump administration is now promoting a foreign policy based on kleptocracy and imperialism. The Washington Post reports that “Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected a Trump administration request this week that Kyiv hand over 50 percent of its rare-earth mineral … Continue reading →

Posted in Empires and Imperialism, European History, European Studies, European Union, History of Violence, Political Culture, Political Theory, Strategy and International Politics, United States Foreign Policy, United States History and Society, War, Culture, and Society, World History | Leave a comment

The Great War and Modern Memory at 50

Posted on February 15, 2025 by briansandberg

Paul Fussell’s The Great War and Modern Memory, a classic study of British soldiers’ writings about trench warfare on the Western Front during the First World War, is now 50 years old. Dwight Garner, a book critic at The New … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural History, European History, European Studies, French History, Historiography and Social Theory, History of the Western World, History of Violence, Museums and Historical Memory, Public History, Strategy and International Politics, War and Society, War, Culture, and Society | 1 Comment

On the Growing Strength of the French Far-Right

Posted on February 14, 2025 by briansandberg

The far-right Rassemblement National (National Rally) Party continues to grow in France, threatening to topple the current government, led by centrist François Bayrou, and preparing for the next presidential election. David Broder, an political analyst who publishes on far-right movements … Continue reading →

Posted in Contemporary France, European History, European Studies, European Union, French History, Human Rights | Leave a comment

France’s Far-Right Embraces Jean-Marie Le Pen

Posted on January 8, 2025 by briansandberg

French far-right political leader Jean-Marie Le Pen died this week. In 1972, Le Pen founded the Front National (National Front) and gradually built it into the preeminent far-right political party in France. Jean-Marie Le Pen was a former military intelligence … Continue reading →

Posted in Contemporary France, European History, European Studies, European Union, French History, Museums and Historical Memory, Political Culture | Leave a comment

History of Science and Versailles

Posted on January 8, 2025 by briansandberg

London’s Science Museum is currently displaying an exhibition on Versailles: Science and Splendour, which draws on recent studies in the history of science in early modern France. The Financial Times reports that “The engine of the exhibition is the relationship … Continue reading →

Posted in Court Studies, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern France, Early Modern World, European History, European Studies, French History, History of Medicine, History of Science, Museums and Historical Memory, Women and Gender History, World History | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Death of Front National Founder Jean-Marie Le Pen

Posted on January 7, 2025 by briansandberg

Jean-Marie Le Pen, the firebrand far-right French politician and one of the key architects of the modern neo-fascist movement in Europe, has died. The New York Times reports that “Jean-Marie Le Pen, the founding father of France’s modern political far … Continue reading →

Posted in Atrocities, Contemporary France, Empires and Imperialism, European History, European Studies, European Union, French Empire, French History, Genocides, History of Violence, Human Rights, Laws of War, Political Culture, War, Culture, and Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Remembering the Charlie Hebdo Attacks

Posted on January 7, 2025 by briansandberg

Remembering the victims of the Charlie Hebdo Attacks on 7 January 2015 in Paris. I was living nearby in the Marais at the time and remember that terrible day and its aftermath vividly. It is hard to believe that 10 … Continue reading →

Posted in Contemporary France, European History, European Studies, European Union, French History, History of Violence, Museums and Historical Memory, Political Culture, Terrorism | Leave a comment

Royalty, Territorial Claims, and International Politics

Posted on January 6, 2025 by briansandberg

Early modern issues of royal heraldry and territorial claims have reemerged in contemporary international politics. The King of Denmark is changing his coat of arms, provoking surprise among European political analysts and historians. The Guardian reports that “The Danish king … Continue reading →

Posted in Cultural History, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, Empires and Imperialism, European History, European Studies, European Union, European Wars of Religion, History of Violence, Medieval History, Monarchies and Royal States, Museums and Historical Memory, Political Culture, Political Theory, Reformation History, Renaissance Art and History, State Development Theory, Strategy and International Politics, Warfare in the Early Modern World | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Coins from the Norman Conquest of England

Posted on October 27, 2024 by briansandberg

Metal detector enthusiasts recently discovered a hoard of coins from the era of the Norman Conquest of England in 1066-1068. The New York Times reports that “the group huddled together in the farmer’s field, staring at the dozen or so … Continue reading →

Posted in European History, European Studies, French History, Material Culture, Medieval History, World History | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment