Hall combines fast-paced narrative and perspective analysis to make a case for a common thread in the series of wars that dominated and shaped twentieth century Europe. From the Great War through World War II and the Cold War, nationalism and ideology kept settlements fragile and peace elusive. The long conflict eventually facilitated the development of European unity and identity. But the price was bitterly high, and some bills remain outstanding.
~Dennis Showalter, author of Patton and Rommel: Men of War in the Twentieth Century
Hall handles deftly the complex elements of this catastrophic war.
~Malcolm Muir Jr., Director, John A. Adams Center for Military History and Strategic Analysis
The idea of a long war in the twentieth century is not new, but what is new is the author's understanding of eastern Europe and his integration of this into the history of European conflict.
~Robert A. Doughty, author of Pyrrhic Victory: French Strategy and Operations in the Great War
Hall's work is thought provoking in the stability of Europe and forms a welcome addition to the discussion of this topic.
~NDW Waterline
Hall's excellent analysis of events and his crisp and easily read writing style make this a fine book for a survey course in twentieth-century European history or for the general reader seeking a short overview.
~War in History
Hall plows well-trodden ground here, but his book, based on ample reading in the important monographic literature, is a useful overview. The volume's greatest strengths appear in the author's easy familiarity with the messy, turbulent Balkans. Recommended.
~Choice
This book... is a compact, readable, and informative survey of the dominance of war in the twentieth-century Europe.
~Journal of Central European
The author impressively commands a seemingly endless arade of diplomats, diplomatic disputes, changing borders, and, ultimately, conflicts.
~Historian