Balkans, 1804-1999: Nationalism, War and the Great Powers

Starting from 1804 and covering the entire period to 1999, at the price it's an absolute bargain, particularly since there are very few books of this quality and magnitude. Granted, I do not recommend this book for those who would like some basic reading on the subject and like to finish the book in a night or two. This book took me plenty of time to read and I'm glad that I read it.
It does contain ALOT of facts about peasant uprisings, Communist revolutions, skirmishes, leaders, wars, concentration camps and many other things and it is hard to incorporate all this information into memory. However, that does not change the fact that it is a superb book!


a narrative history of the Balkans   April 21, 2003
Rational Citizen (London, UK)
9 out of 13 found this review helpful

This book gives a detailed account of the history of the Balkans in the last two centuries. Unfortunately, the book suffers from three major drawbacks. First, the author by and large amasses a vast amount of facts and presents them to the reader in chronological order. It is essentially a narrative, not an analysis. While this may be understandable as the author is a journalist, the general reader -who presumably is not interested in the details of every peasant uprising that took place on the penninsula- very quickly loses the "big picture". Secondly, the author more often than not rushes to express (frequently moralistic) judgements on issues that are as yet unsettled in the scholarly literature.
Overall, the book is hardly suitable for a reader seeking to obtain an understanding of the dynamics that have shaped the region's past and present. For those already aquainted with Balkan history, Misha Glenny's book may still serve as a reference volume.