Laqueur's main thesis in the book is to answer the question of how Europe recovered from the destruction of the Second World War and why it went as it did. As he notes, it was widely believed in 1945 that it would take decades for the continent to recover, and even then it would never recover its position within the world.

To answer the question, Laqueur heavily involves economics; indeed it is the predominant aspect of the book. He details why certain political parties were able to come to power in the states of Western Europe (naturally focusing above all on the UK, France, Italy and West Germany). At the same time he examines the economics of the Communist Bloc, and why they were not able to keep up with the west.

The book was published in 1992 and though it mentions the August 1991 coup attempt in the USSR, it doesn't have much information past 1990. But that makes it a useful resource to gain an insight into the mood and historiography of the time towards post-war Europe. It also notes several trends that are still of concern today, notably the future of the EU (or EEC, as it was still known at the time), integration of the former communist states with the rest of Europe, immigration, and the effects of a recent recession.

As noted, it places a heavy focus on the four major states of Western Europe, while only briefly touching on the others (Scandinavia, Spain, Benelux, Austria and Switzerland), and while it does discuss Eastern Europe, details are, as noted, hard to come by and verify. As well it places almost an undue amount of focus on economics, with a lot of numbers and figures listed but not always placed in the right context. Other than that, it makes for an interesting read, especially with the benefit of two decades of hindsight in regards to the collapse of communism and the USSR. ( )

Decent commentary, but more of an overview. Very objective, a good read for amateur historians. ( )

2448 Europe in Our Time: A History 1945-1992, by Walter Laqueur (read 27 May 1992) This is a survey and doesn't mess around with too many specific facts. It did not tell me too much I did not know, but it was fun to realize there was to be an upbeat ending to the book. The transformation of Europe is one of the great stories of the age. The author is a Georgetown professor. This was a good book to read. ( )