After the "hell of the two wars" that marked the first half of the 20th century - as described by Ian Kershaw in his previous book - the years from 1950 to 2017 brought peace and relative prosperity to most of Europe. As massive economic changes transformed the continent, the destructive past began to recede, although its long shadow continued to shape mentalities.

Now Europe was a divided continent, under the threat of nuclear war. And Europeans experienced a period of not linear evolution but successive fluctuations, meaning that they often found themselves in the midst of events that foreshadowed destruction, but also that they were no longer responsible for their own destiny, but rather pawns in the game of the Cold War defined by the United States and the USSR. In this turbulent journey from one era of insecurity to another, there were historical breakthroughs, such as the dissolution of the Soviet bloc or the reunification of Germany, but also new cumulative crises brought about by the accelerated globalization after 2008.

By drawing examples from the entire European continent and exploring all aspects of it, from politics and economics to culture, the author panoramically illuminates the unexpected, adventurous journey that brought us here - and that portends an equally unpredictable continuation.