AboutPaul Walcutt Expertise I am a lifelong student of history with a BA from Haverford College. My areas of concentration and expertise are Latin America and Europe, with a focus on the 20th century.
Question I am very interested in learning about both European and Latin-American 20th cent history. But I do not know where to begin. Could you please suggest some good books,magazines, or web sites. Thank you very much.
Answer Benjamin Kean's book History of Latin America: Independence to Present covers 19th and 20th century at the macro level (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0395977142/o/qid=968852074/sr=2-2/103-555...). It's a good starting point because he writes for the novice and cites quite a few sources if you are interested in focusing on a particular subject. If you have a specific country, region or period in mind, I can recommend a little more specifically.
As far as Europe is concerned, my focus is on the interwar period (1918-1939) and I find it to be the most revealing in terms of explaining Europe's transition into the 20th century and many of the growing social trends across borders (communism, socialism, fascism). David Clay Large's Between Two Fires was a good read for me because it covers 7-8 countries with detailed analysis of particular incidents which shaped them (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0393307573/qid=968852250/sr=1-8/103-55528...). (I can't really recommend a general 20th century book because I haven't come across any that I really enjoyed.) Again, if you have specific ?S related to a country or region, let me know and I can make better recommendations.
