#184. The Conditions and Challenges of Post-War Europe

About this episode

The episode features an interview with Richard Bessel discussing his book on post-war Europe and the historical context surrounding it.

Richard Bessel is a professor emeritus of twentieth century history at the University of York and a former member of the editorial boards of German History and History Today . He is a specialist in the social and political history of modern Germany, the aftermath of the two world wars, and the history of policing. He is the author of several books, published between 1984 and 2004, about the Nazi and post-Nazi eras of German history. His book, Violence: A Modern Obsession, published in 2015, explores how Western perceptions of violence have evolved over the last 150 years. This interview will focus on his recently published, Postwar Europe: A Very Short Introduction, part of The Oxford Very Short Introduction series. Recorded 3/17/26.

People in this episode

Host: Stuart Kelter

Guest: Richard Bessel

Topics covered

• post-war Europe
• social history
• political history
• modern Germany
• history of policing

Keywords

• post-war Europe
• Richard Bessel
• history
• Germany
• policing
• social history
• political history

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of York

Books & works: Postwar Europe: A Very Short Introduction, Violence: A Modern Obsession

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