European Intellectual History Since 1789

Obviously, this book covers intellectual development from the time of the French revolution to the late 1980's. The book attempts to develop chronologically, but seems to give up around page 100. As the previous reviewer wrote - this is a great book for those who plan to study in the humanities. I find that economists, students of political thought and scientists alike will also benefit from this book as a source of information linking their intellectual pedigrees. I read this book as a student in an introduction to western intellectual thought and found it beneficial. I still use it as a cross reference this book when I am reading economic history. The influence of intellectual dominance through ideological thought should not be over looked - although it often is. Its weight on the decision making process is immense. Therefore, I find that historians could also benefit by this book. One of the strengths of the book is the weakness of other intellectual histories. Most intellectual histories focus on the main thinkers of their time and often many smaller contributors to intellectual thought during that period are bypassed. I found this work to be comprehensive according to its size. Although, this sometimes leads to the books appearance as jumbled because the author is trying not to miss anything important. For instance, the Victorian Age is analyzed within Stromberg's work. Often works only are inclusive of J.S. Mill's work through this time and neglect Herbert Spencer's contribution. This work is comprehensive enough to include both with a cursory study. For an earlier volume - the Western Intellectual Tradition by Bronowski and Mazlish is recommended (they tend to view history through major thinkers in chronological order from the Renaissance to the French Revolution, i.e. Hegel and Kant.)

This book is a must for any undergrad in the Humanities. It covers many important thinkers and notes their contributions to the modern situation of the Western Intellectual Tradition. It is a great introduction to many of the most important thinkers and is a good starting point for research. A must read for Humanities students and recommended for just about any other area as well.