The central thesis of this massive historical study is that an assortment of radical and leftist
movements were chiefly responsible for the triumph of democracy in Europe. Eley (history, Univ.
of Michigan; Reshaping the German Right) provides a chronological and country-by-country examination
of the emergence of democracy and the factors that promoted and hindered its development. Beginning
with the growth of liberal constitutionalism in the 1860s, he writes eloquently about the influence
of the labor movement, Socialists, Communists, and feminists throughout Europe. This history covers
all the expected names Marx, Lenin, Stalin, Gramsci, Brandt, Gorbachev, et al. and the major political
events and upheavals. Eley began working on this book 20 years ago and changed his focus as the political
landscape of Europe changed, especially after 1989. The rapid democratization of the East-bloc nations
led him to consider the future of democratic socialism within the politics of globalization. This is an
impressive work of scholarship, with over 90 pages of notes and a bibliography of equal size. Eley has
produced a worthy successor to David Caute's seminal study The Left in Europe Since 1789.
Highly recommended for all academic libraries.

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