A concise look at European history between 1914 and 1945, Twisted Paths: Europe 1914-1945 offers a new and alternative introduction to the period. Featuring a series of succinct interpretations by expert contributors, this volume covers historical developments in all areas within Europe's natural borders--from the Atlantic to the Arctic Ocean, from the Bosporus to the Urals and the Mediterranean. Moving beyond the view that the history of this period can only be understood in terms of catastrophe, it argues for a more balanced perspective, suggesting that both "darker" and "lighter" elements in Europe's history were capable of evolving simultaneously. Without neglecting the more familiar stories of war, genocide, and economic depression, each chapter demonstrates that political stability and regime collapse, social progress and mass poverty, and the crisis of European civilization and remarkable cultural achievements, existed alongside each other.Emphasizing the histories of the smaller states--and the multifaceted nature of the period--Twisted Paths illuminates the diversity of Europe's experiences in the first half of the twentieth century.