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Modern Europe and Russia

General History

Holds the political, social and economic history of Britain, continental Europe, Russia and the former Soviet bloc from the 1600s to the present.

87 books on Modern Europe and Russia, 3 of them tier 1, recommended by 25 people including Patrick Collison and Mohnish Pabrai.

87 books · 30 experts

Start here

  1. The Economic Consequences of the PeaceJohn Maynard Keynes, 1919
  2. The First Modern EconomyJan de Vries, Ad van der Woude, 1997
  3. Swimming AcrossAndrew S. Grove, 2001
  4. Self-Help by the PeopleGeorge Jacob Holyoake, 1858
  5. God's Playground: A History of PolandNorman Davies, 1981

The best books on Modern Europe and Russia 87

The Economic Consequences of the PeaceThe Economic Consequences of the Peace
T1 The Economic Consequences of the Peace
John Maynard Keynes · 1919
Written before the fact by a Treasury insider; the reparations arithmetic that set up the collapse.
Open Library
The First Modern EconomyThe First Modern Economy
T1 The First Modern Economy
Jan de Vries, Ad van der Woude · 1997
The definitive economic history of the Dutch Republic, 1500-1815.
Open Library
Swimming AcrossSwimming Across
T1 Swimming Across
Andrew S. Grove · 2001
Insider: Grove's memoir of Hungary and escape, ending before Intel.
Open Library
Recommended byBen HorowitzKeith RaboisPatrick Collison
Self-Help by the PeopleSelf-Help by the People
T2 Self-Help by the People
George Jacob Holyoake · 1858
The Rochdale Pioneers by a contemporary; the founding cooperative account.
Open Library
God's Playground: A History of PolandGod's Playground: A History of Poland
T2 God's Playground: A History of Poland
Norman Davies · 1981
The long history that explains the institutional starting point.
Open Library
The Embarrassment of RichesThe Embarrassment of Riches
T2 The Embarrassment of Riches
Simon Schama · 1987
The culture of a society that got rich first and was uneasy about it.
Open Library
Sale of the CenturySale of the Century
T2 Sale of the Century
Chrystia Freeland · 2000
Loans-for-shares and the privatisation that created the oligarchs.
Open Library
The Making of the Celtic TigerThe Making of the Celtic Tiger
T2 The Making of the Celtic Tiger
Ray MacSharry, Padraic White · 2000
Insider: the finance minister and IDA head on how the FDI model was built.
Open Library
The OligarchsThe Oligarchs
T2 The Oligarchs
David E. Hoffman · 2002
Six men and the mechanics of how post-Soviet wealth was assembled.
Open Library
Empire: The Rise and Demise of the British WEmpire: The Rise and Demise of the British World Order and the Lessons for Global Power
T2 Empire: The Rise and Demise of the British World Order and the Lessons for Global Power
Niall Ferguson · 2003
Open Library
Recommended byMohnish Pabrai
Ghosts of SpainGhosts of Spain
T2 Ghosts of Spain
Giles Tremlett · 2006
Written into the property boom; explains the regional politics of credit.
Open Library
Ship of Fools: How Stupidity and Corruption Ship of Fools: How Stupidity and Corruption Sank the Celtic Tiger
T2 Ship of Fools: How Stupidity and Corruption Sank the Celtic Tiger
Fintan O'Toole · 2009
Written in the wreckage; angry but specific about tax breaks, planning and regulatory capture.
Open Library
Swiss MadeSwiss Made
T2 Swiss Made
R. James Breiding · 2012
The best single account of how Swiss firms built durable niches.
Open Library
The Gates of EuropeThe Gates of Europe
T2 The Gates of Europe
Serhii Plokhy · 2015
The history that explains the regional industrial geography and its ownership.
Open Library
An Economic History of Portugal, 1143-2010An Economic History of Portugal, 1143-2010
T2 An Economic History of Portugal, 1143-2010
Leonor Freire Costa, Pedro Lains, Susana Münch Miranda · 2016
The standard long-run account, from empire trade through EU convergence.
Open Library
Europe's Growth Champion
T2 Europe's Growth Champion
Marcin Piatkowski · 2018
The best single account of why Poland converged and others did not.
Open Library
The Rise and Fall of the British Nation
T2 The Rise and Fall of the British Nation
David Edgerton · 2018
Revises the declinist story of British industry and its ownership.
Open Library
Putin's PeoplePutin's People
T2 Putin's People
Catherine Belton · 2020
The KGB network's recapture of the commanding heights.
Open Library
Sweden, the Middle WaySweden, the Middle Way
T3 Sweden, the Middle Way
Marquis W. Childs · 1936
The book that made the Swedish model an international reference point.
Open Library
The World We Have LostThe World We Have Lost
T3 The World We Have Lost
Peter Laslett · 1965
Pre-industrial English society before wage labour and cities
Open Library
“Laslett, The World We Have Lost”Paul Graham
Recommended byPaul Graham
The New SpaniardsThe New Spaniards
T3 The New Spaniards
John Hooper · 1995
The standard survey of post-Franco institutions and business culture.
Open Library
Central and Eastern Europe, 1944-1993: DetouCentral and Eastern Europe, 1944-1993: Detour from the Periphery to the Periphery
T3 Central and Eastern Europe, 1944-1993: Detour from the Periphery to the Periphery
Ivan T. Berend · 1996
Economic history that explains the industrial base the Czechs privatised.
Open Library
How the Scots Invented the Modern WorldHow the Scots Invented the Modern World
T3 How the Scots Invented the Modern World
Arthur Herman · 2001
Scottish Enlightenment as the source of modern commercial and economic thinking
Open Library
Recommended byCharlie MungerMohnish Pabrai
Italy and Its DiscontentsItaly and Its Discontents
T3 Italy and Its Discontents
Paul Ginsborg · 2001
Family capitalism, clientelism and the state from 1980.
Open Library
The Rise and Fall of Czech CapitalismThe Rise and Fall of Czech Capitalism
T3 The Rise and Fall of Czech Capitalism
Martin Myant · 2003
The book on voucher privatisation, bank ownership and the tunnelling that followed.
Open Library
The Vanishing HectareThe Vanishing Hectare
T3 The Vanishing Hectare
Katherine Verdery · 2003
Land restitution in Transylvania; a case study in manufacturing property rights.
Open Library
The Defeat of SolidarityThe Defeat of Solidarity
T3 The Defeat of Solidarity
David Ost · 2005
How the union that won the transition lost the workplace that followed.
Open Library
The German EconomyThe German Economy
T3 The German Economy
Horst Siebert · 2005
A structural account of the social market model and its rigidities.
Open Library
Revolution in OrangeRevolution in Orange
T3 Revolution in Orange
Anders Åslund, Michael McFaul · 2006
Why the 2004 turning point failed to dislodge the incumbent asset holders.
Open Library
How Capitalism Was BuiltHow Capitalism Was Built
T3 How Capitalism Was Built
Anders Aslund, Anders Åslund · 2007
Comparative transition account; Czech vouchers judged against other sequencing choices.
Open Library
The Nordic Model: Scandinavia since 1945The Nordic Model: Scandinavia since 1945
T3 The Nordic Model: Scandinavia since 1945
Mary Hilson · 2008
Historian's account of what the model actually is and where it diverges.
Open Library
From the Soviet Bloc to the European UnionFrom the Soviet Bloc to the European Union
T3 From the Soviet Bloc to the European Union
Ivan T. Berend · 2009
Covers EU accession as the main driver of Romanian institutional change.
Open Library
From Solidarity to SelloutFrom Solidarity to Sellout
T3 From Solidarity to Sellout
Tadeusz Kowalik · 2011
The critique of the transition's distributional cost.
Open Library
Sleeping with the Enemy: Coco Chanel's SecreSleeping with the Enemy: Coco Chanel's Secret War
T3 Sleeping with the Enemy: Coco Chanel's Secret War
Hal Vaughan · 2011
Declassified files on her Abwehr connection; contested by the house.
Open Library
Saving EuropeSaving Europe
T3 Saving Europe
Carlo Bastasin · 2012
Blow-by-blow of the 2010-12 rescues and the national politics behind them.
Open Library
The Great Rebirth: Lessons from the Victory The Great Rebirth: Lessons from the Victory of Capitalism over Communism
T3 The Great Rebirth: Lessons from the Victory of Capitalism over Communism
Anders Åslund, Simeon Djankov · 2014
Includes the Czech voucher scheme written up by people who designed and criticised it.
Open Library
Modern GreeceModern Greece
T3 Modern Greece
Stathis N. Kalyvas · 2015
Compact political economy of why the state developed the way it did.
Open Library
Spanish Economic Growth, 1850-2015Spanish Economic Growth, 1850-2015
T3 Spanish Economic Growth, 1850-2015
Leandro Prados de la Escosura · 2017
The long-run reconstruction of Spanish output and productivity.
Open Library
After the FallAfter the Fall
T3 After the Fall
Tobias Buck · 2019
The crisis, the bank rescue and the shape of the recovery.
Open Library
Ukraine and Russia: From Civilized Divorce tUkraine and Russia: From Civilized Divorce to Uncivil War
T3 Ukraine and Russia: From Civilized Divorce to Uncivil War
Paul D'Anieri · 2019
Gas transit, trade dependence and the economics underneath the conflict.
Open Library
The End of Economic ManThe End of Economic Man
T4 The End of Economic Man
Peter F. Drucker · 1939
Open Library
William Blake and the Age of RevolutionWilliam Blake and the Age of Revolution
T4 William Blake and the Age of Revolution
Jacob Bronowski · 1965
Open Library
Recommended byPatrick Collison
Memoirs of My LifeMemoirs of My Life
T4 Memoirs of My Life
Edward Gibbon · 1966
Open Library
Recommended byPaul Graham
The Kings DepartThe Kings Depart
T4 The Kings Depart
Richard M. Watt · 1968
Open Library
Recommended byPaul Graham
NapoleonNapoleon
T4 Napoleon
Vincent Cronin · 1971
Open Library
Recommended byLarry Ellison
Life in the English Country HouseLife in the English Country House
T4 Life in the English Country House
Mark Girouard · 1978
Open Library
“Girouard, Life in the English Country House”Paul Graham
Recommended byPaul Graham
The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, AlThe Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, Alone 1932-1940
T4 The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, Alone 1932-1940
William Manchester · 1983
Open Library
Recommended byMohnish PabraiDavid SacksLarry Ellison
The Oxford History of BritainThe Oxford History of Britain
T4 The Oxford History of Britain
Peter Salway · 1992
Open Library
Recommended byPaul Graham
The Dutch Republic: Its Rise, Greatness, andThe Dutch Republic: Its Rise, Greatness, and Fall 1477-1806 (Oxford History of Early Modern Europe)
T4 The Dutch Republic: Its Rise, Greatness, and Fall 1477-1806 (Oxford History of Early Modern Europe)
Jonathan Irvine Israel, Jonathan I. Israel, Jonathan Israel · 1995
Open Library
Recommended byPatrick Collison
Churchill: A BiographyChurchill: A Biography
T4 Churchill: A Biography
Roy Jenkins · 2001
Open Library
Recommended byMohnish Pabrai
Corporate Ownership in France
T4 Corporate Ownership in France
Antoin E. Murphy · 2004
Cross-holdings, the state and who actually controls French companies.
Open Library
Queen of FashionQueen of Fashion
T4 Queen of Fashion
Caroline Weber · 2006
Open Library
Recommended bySheryl Sandberg
Our First Revolution: The Remarkable BritishOur First Revolution: The Remarkable British Upheaval That Inspired America's Founding Fathers
T4 Our First Revolution: The Remarkable British Upheaval That Inspired America's Founding Fathers
Michael Barone · 2007
Open Library
Recommended byMohnish Pabrai
The Discovery of France: A Historical GeograThe Discovery of France: A Historical Geography from the Revolution to the First World War
T4 The Discovery of France: A Historical Geography from the Revolution to the First World War
Graham Robb · 2007
Open Library
“Cowen has recommended Graham Robb's account of pre-modern France on Marginal Revolution as an example of the kind of economic history he most values — granular, place-specific, attentive to what gets lost when you aggregate. The book's core argument, that France was not really France until the late 19th century, is a useful corrective to national-history narratives.”Tyler Cowen
Recommended byMohnish PabraiTyler Cowen
How Ukraine Became a Market Economy and DemoHow Ukraine Became a Market Economy and Democracy
T4 How Ukraine Became a Market Economy and Democracy
Anders Åslund · 2009
The 1991-2008 transition; explains where the industrial assets came from.
Open Library
Red PlentyRed Plenty
T4 Red Plenty
Francis Spufford · 2010
Open Library
Recommended byPatrick Collison
Catherine the GreatCatherine the Great
T4 Catherine the Great
Robert K. Massie · 2011
Open Library
Recommended byElon Musk
In the Garden of BeastsIn the Garden of Beasts
T4 In the Garden of Beasts
Erik Larson · 2011
Open Library
Recommended bySophie Bakalar
The Portuguese: A Modern HistoryThe Portuguese: A Modern History
T4 The Portuguese: A Modern History
Barry Hatton · 2011
General portrait, not a business book, but the only readable account of the country's institutions.
Open Library
The Victorian City: Everyday Life in DickensThe Victorian City: Everyday Life in Dickens' London
T4 The Victorian City: Everyday Life in Dickens' London
Judith Flanders · 2012
Open Library
Recommended byMohnish Pabrai
Inventing Freedom: How the English-Speaking Inventing Freedom: How the English-Speaking Peoples Made the Modern World
T4 Inventing Freedom: How the English-Speaking Peoples Made the Modern World
Daniel Hannan · 2013
Open Library
Recommended byPatrick Collison
Young Titan: The Making of Winston ChurchillYoung Titan: The Making of Winston Churchill
T4 Young Titan: The Making of Winston Churchill
Michael Shelden · 2013
Open Library
Recommended byMohnish Pabrai
The Diary of John Evelyn Volume 2The Diary of John Evelyn Volume 2
T4 The Diary of John Evelyn Volume 2
Austin Dobson, John Evelyn · 2015
Open Library
Recommended byPatrick Collison
A Very Expensive PoisonA Very Expensive Poison
T4 A Very Expensive Poison
Luke Harding · 2016
Open Library
Recommended byMarc Andreessen
All Out WarAll Out War
T4 All Out War
Tim Shipman · 2016
Open Library
Recommended byMarc Andreessen
FascismFascism
T4 Fascism
Paul Gottfried · 2016
Open Library
Recommended byMarc Andreessen
Lenin On The TrainLenin On The Train
T4 Lenin On The Train
Catherine Merridale · 2016
Open Library
Recommended byMarc Andreessen
The House of GovernmentThe House of Government
T4 The House of Government
Yuri Slezkine · 2017
Open Library
Recommended byBalaji S. Srinivasan
ChurchillChurchill
T4 Churchill
Andrew Roberts · 2018
Open Library
Recommended byKeith Rabois
The Spy and the TraitorThe Spy and the Traitor
T4 The Spy and the Traitor
Ben Macintyre · 2018
Open Library
Recommended byBill GatesCasey NeistatDaniel Petre
The Splendid and the VileThe Splendid and the Vile
T4 The Splendid and the Vile
Erik Larson · 2020
Open Library
“…books I've recommended, highlighted to death, or forced on friends.”Andrew Wilkinson
Recommended byAndrew WilkinsonBill GatesJoel GreenblattDaniel PetreKeith RaboisSahil Bloom
Collapse: The Fall of the Soviet UnionCollapse: The Fall of the Soviet Union
T4 Collapse: The Fall of the Soviet Union
Vladislav M. Zubok · 2021
Open Library
Recommended byBalaji S. Srinivasan
Friends Until the End: Edmund Burke and Char
T4 Friends Until the End: Edmund Burke and Charles Fox in the Age of Revolution
James Grant · 2025
W. W. Norton, August 2025; confirmed by his 2026 WSJ author bio line
Open Library
A New World Begins
T4 A New World Begins
Jeremy Popkin
unverified
Recommended byMarc Andreessen
A Spy Among Friends
T4 A Spy Among Friends
Ben Macintyre
unverified
Recommended byMarc Andreessen
Anti-Fascism
T4 Anti-Fascism
Paul Gottfried
unverified
Recommended byMarc Andreessen
Echoes of October
T4 Echoes of October
unverified
Recommended byBrad Feld
Lenin
T4 Lenin
Victor Sebestye
unverified
Recommended byBen HorowitzMarc Andreessen
Lost Time
T4 Lost Time
Jozef Czapski
unverified
Recommended bySusan J. Fowler
Secondhand Time
T4 Secondhand Time
Svetlana Alexievich
unverified
Recommended byBenedict Evans
The Age of Napoleon
T4 The Age of Napoleon
Will, Ariel Durant
unverified
Recommended byElon MuskLarry Ellison
The Black Book of Communism
T4 The Black Book of Communism
Stéphane Courtois, Andrzej Paczkowski, Karel Bartosek
unverified
Recommended byNick Szabo
The Diary of John Evelyn Volumes 1 + 2
T4 The Diary of John Evelyn Volumes 1 + 2
unverified
Recommended byPatrick Collison
The Fringes of Power: 10 Downing Street DiarThe Fringes of Power: 10 Downing Street Diaries, 1939-1955
T4 The Fringes of Power: 10 Downing Street Diaries, 1939-1955
unverified
Recommended byPatrick Collison
The Gulag Archipelago
T4 The Gulag Archipelago
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
unverified
Recommended byBalaji S. Srinivasan
The Supreme Court
T4 The Supreme Court
Ruadhan Mac Cormaic
unverified
Recommended byBrad Feld
Voices From Chernobyl
T4 Voices From Chernobyl
Svetlana Alexievich
unverified
Recommended byCaterina Fake

Experts 30

The people who wrote this page's books, and the people who recommend them.

Authors 5

Andrew S. Grovewrote 1 book here
JG
James Grantwrote 1 book herePeter F. Druckerwrote 1 book hereNiall Fergusonwrote 1 book hereAnders Aslundwrote 1 book here

Recommenders 25

Marc Andreessenrecommends 8 books here
MP
Mohnish Pabrairecommends 8 books herePatrick Collisonrecommends 8 books herePaul Grahamrecommends 5 books here
BS
Balaji S. Srinivasanrecommends 3 books hereKeith Raboisrecommends 3 books hereLarry Ellisonrecommends 3 books hereBen Horowitzrecommends 2 books hereBrad Feldrecommends 2 books hereBill Gatesrecommends 2 books here
DP
Daniel Petrerecommends 2 books hereElon Muskrecommends 2 books here
Show all 25
Charlie Mungerrecommends 1 book here
JG
Joel Greenblattrecommends 1 book hereTyler Cowenrecommends 1 book here
AW
Andrew Wilkinsonrecommends 1 book here
BE
Benedict Evansrecommends 1 book hereCasey Neistatrecommends 1 book hereCaterina Fakerecommends 1 book hereDavid Sacksrecommends 1 book here
NS
Nick Szaborecommends 1 book here
SB
Sahil Bloomrecommends 1 book hereSheryl Sandbergrecommends 1 book here
SB
Sophie Bakalarrecommends 1 book here
SJ
Susan J. Fowlerrecommends 1 book here
See all 30 in the Experts tab →

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