In the summer of 1914 most of Europe plunged into a war so catastrophic that it unhinged the continent's politics and beliefs in a way that took generations to recover from. The disaster terrified its survivors, shocked that a civilization that had blandly assumed itself to be a model for the rest of the world had collapsed into a chaotic savagery beyond any comparison. In 1939 Europeans would initiate a second conflict that managed to be even worse - a war in which the killing of civilians was central and which culminated in the Holocaust. To Hell and Back tells this story with humanity, flair and originality. Kershaw gives a compelling narrative of events, but he also wrestles with the most difficult issues that the events raise - with what it meant for the Europeans who initiated and lived through such fearful times - and what this means for us.

Includes maps of: Europe in 1914; European Territorial Changes Resulting from the First World War; Europe Under Nazism, Late 1942; Europe in 1949; European Territorial Changes Resulting from the Second World War.

Introduction: Europe's era of self-destruction -- On the brink -- The great disaster -- Turbulent peace -- Dancing on the volcano -- Gathering shadows -- Danger zone -- Towards the abyss -- Hell on earth -- Quiet transitions in the dark decades -- Out of the ashes.