Alan S. Milward was a renowned historian of contemporary Europe. In addition to his books, as well as articles and chapters in edited books, he also wrote nearly 250 book reviews and review articles, some in French and German, which were published in journals world-wide. Taken together they reveal a remarkable degree of theoretical consistency in his approach to understanding the history of Europe since the French Revolution. This book brings together these previously unexamined pieces of historical analysis in order to trace and shed light on key intellectual debates taking place in the second half of the 20th century. Many of these discussions continue to influence us today, such as the role of Germany in Europe, the economic, social and political foundations of European integration, the European rescue of the nation-state, the reasons for launching the single currency, the conditions for retaining the allegiance of European citizens to the notions of nation and supra-nation, and ultimately the issue of democratic governance in a global environment. In bringing together these reviews and review articles, the book provides an introduction to the main scholarly achievements of Milward, in his own words. Fernando Guirao and Frances M.B. Lynch provide an introduction to the volume, which both guides the reader through many of the academic debates embedded within the text while underlining their contemporary relevance. By introducing and bringing together this hitherto overlooked treasure trove of historical analysis, this book maps a close itinerary of some of the most salient intellectual debates of the second half of the 20th century and beyond. This unique volume will be of great interest to scholars of economic history, European history and historiography.

Alan S. Milward was a renowned historian of contemporary Europe. In addition to his books, as well as articles and chapters in edited books, he also wrote nearly 250 book reviews and review articles, some in French and German, which were published in journals world-wide. Taken together they reveal a remarkable degree of theoretical consistency in his approach to understanding the history of Europe since the French Revolution. This book brings together these previously unexamined pieces of historical analysis in order to trace and shed light on key intellectual debates taking place in the second half of the 20th century. Many of these discussions continue to influence us today, such as the role of Germany in Europe, the economic, social and political foundations of European integration, the European rescue of the nation-state, the reasons for launching the single currency, the conditions for retaining the allegiance of European citizens to the notions of nation and supra-nation, and ultimately the issue of democratic governance in a global environment. In bringing together these reviews and review articles, the book provides an introduction to the main scholarly achievements of Milward, in his own words. Fernando Guirao and Frances M.B. Lynch provide an introduction to the volume, which both guides the reader through many of the academic debates embedded within the text while underlining their contemporary relevance. By introducing and bringing together this hitherto overlooked treasure trove of historical analysis, this book maps a close itinerary of some of the most salient intellectual debates of the second half of the 20th century and beyond. This unique volume will be of great interest to scholars of economic history, European history and historiography.

Despite being invariably misunderstood by anglophones and often derided in the English-language financial press, the French economy is one of the world's major economies. For many years characterized by a distinctive economic model in which the French state intervened to correct or prevent market failures, as France has embraced the global market, its economy has increasingly converged with the western norm, but it remains different from its neighbours, particularly Germany and the UK, in a number of important respects. This general economic history of modern France - the first in the English language for nearly twenty years - provides an authoritative analysis of the workings of the modern French economy since its postwar reforms through to the present day. The book explores the monetary and fiscal policies of successive governments and the country's economic performance through a variety of indicators. In particular the book considers the attempts by the state to correct the regional imbalances associated with the contraction of agriculture and the decline of historically important industries as well as mitigating the dominance of Paris. The parts played by demographic change, migration, inequality, and the European project in French economic development are also investigated alongside the strength and competitiveness of key industries like finance, energy and transport.