Modern Europe—Reading Assignments by Era

    French Revolution     Napoleonic Wars     Republican France     Unification of Italy     Rise of Prussia     German Empire     Tsarist Russia     Great War



French Revolution—1715 to 1794

Reign of Louis XV to Death of Robespierre


Book Title
Selected Chapters (# chapters)

Core Reading Assignments

Haaren - Famous Men of Modern Times   Robespierre (1)
Guerber - The Story of Modern France   The Old Monarchy to Orphans of the Temple (24)

Supplemental Recommendations

Upton - The Little Dauphin    entire book
Montgomery - Stories of the French Revolution    entire book
Birkhead - The Story of the French Revolution    entire book
Birkhead - Marie Antoinette    entire book
Macgregor - The Story of France   Marie Antoinette to Marie Antoinette Is Executed (6)
Synge - The Struggle for Sea Power   Marie Antoinette to Napoleon Bonaparte (5)
Birkhead - Heroes of Modern Europe    Voltaire, Spirits of the Age (1)
Holland - Lafayette for Young Americans    Liberty for France to In the Days of Napoleon (4)
Abbott - Madame Roland    entire book
Morris - Historical Tales: French   The Diamond Necklace to The End of the Terror (5)

I: Introductory, II: Intermediate, C: College Prep




Napoleonic Wars—1795 to 1815

French Directory to Battle of Waterloo


Book Title
Selected Chapters (# chapters)

Core Reading Assignments

Haaren - Famous Men of Modern Times   Napoleon Bonaparte (1)
Guerber - The Story of Modern France   The Youth of Napoleon to Ney Shot (25)

Supplemental Recommendations

Marshall - The Story of Napoleon    entire book
Synge - The Struggle for Sea Power   Beginning of the Struggle to The Exile of St Helena (21)
Macgregor - The Story of France   Napoleon Bonaparte to The Batttle of Waterloo (9)
Birkhead - Heroes of Modern Europe    Napoleon Bonaparte (1)
Morris - Nations of Europe and the Great War   Earthquake of Napoleonism to Fall of Napoleon's Empire (3)
Morris - Historical Tales: French   The Burning of Moscow to Napoleon's Return from Elba (2)
Abbott - Josephine    entire book
Abbott - Joseph Bonaparte    entire book
Wheeler - The Story of Napoleon    entire book

Special Interest - Military

Wood - The Boy's Book of Battles   Trafalgar to Waterloo (2)
Fraser - Boys' Book of Battles   Austerlitz to Waterloo (2)

* Level I & II study questions are based on Core Reading Assignments.

I: Introductory, II: Intermediate, C: College Prep




Republican France—1815 to 1914

Restoration of Bourbons to Great War


Book Title
Selected Chapters (# chapters)

Core Reading Assignments

Guerber - The Story of Modern France   Death of Louis XVIII to France in Our Day (19)
Macgregor - The Story of France   The Revolution of July to "The Man of Sedan" (4)

Supplemental Recommendations

Birkhead - Heroes of Modern Europe    Napoleon III (1)
Upton - Eugenie, Empress of the French    entire book
Upton - Table of Contents    entire book
Morris - Nations of Europe and the Great War   Ambition of Louis Napoleon (1)
Morris - Nations of Europe and the Great War   The French Republic (1)
Abbott - Louis Philippe    entire book
Abbott - Hortense    entire book

Special Interest Military

Fraser - Boys' Book of Battles   Sedan (1)
Morris - Nations of Europe and the Great War   The Franco-Prussian War (1)
Morris - Historical Tales: French   The Franco-Prussian War (1)
Abbott - The History of Prussia   France Invaded to The Commune (11)

I: Introductory, II: Intermediate, C: College Prep




Unification of Italy—1792 to 1925

Napoleonic Wars to Mussolini


Book Title
Selected Chapters (# chapters)

Core Reading Assignments

Haaren - Famous Men of Modern Times   Garibaldi (1)
Synge - Growth of the British Empire   The Awakening of Italy to The King of United Italy (2)
Morris - Nations of Europe and the Great War   Garibaldi and Italian Unity (1)

Supplemental Recommendations

Snell - Garibaldi and his Red-shirts    entire book
Birkhead - Heroes of Modern Europe    Mazzini, "God and the People" to Garibaldi, "For Italy" (2)
Wood - The Boy's Book of Battles   Solferino to Palermo (2)
Forbes - Life of Pius X    entire book
Abbott - Joseph Bonaparte   Joseph King of Naples to The Crown a Burden (2)

I: Introductory, II: Intermediate, C: College Prep




Rise of Prussia—1740 to 1848

Frederick the Great to Revolutions of 1848


Book Title
Selected Chapters (# chapters)

Core Reading Assignments

Haaren - Famous Men of Modern Times   Frederick the Great (1)
Finnemore - Germany: Peeps at History   The Rise of Prussia to The Fall of Germany (3)
Marshall - The History of Germany   The Rise of Brandenburg to The Downfall of Napoleon (10)

Supplemental Recommendations

Smith - Stories from Wagner Told to the Children    entire book
Birkhead - Heroes of Modern Europe    Frederick II, the Royal Robber (1)
Upton - Undine    entire book
Upton - Louise, Queen of Prussia    entire book
Upton - Frederick the Great    entire book
Upton - Maria Theresa    entire book
Raspe - Adventures of Baron Munchausen    entire book
Abbott - The History of Prussia   Origin of the Monarchy to Struggles for Liberty (8)
Treitschke - Confessions of Frederick the Great    entire book
Lord - Two German Giants    Frederic the Great to Stein, Hardenberg, Scharnhorst (2)
Morris - Historical Tales: German   The Youth of Frederick II to The Patriots of the Tyrol (4)

I: Introductory, II: Intermediate, C: College Prep




German Empire—1848 to 1912

Bismarck Prime Minister to Balkan Wars


Book Title
Selected Chapters (# chapters)

Core Reading Assignments

Haaren - Famous Men of Modern Times   Count Von Bismarck (1)
Finnemore - Germany: Peeps at History   The Rise of Germany to The Modern German Empire (3)
Marshall - The History of Germany   Divided Germany to William II (5)

Supplemental Recommendations

Upton - Ludwig Van Beethoven    entire book
Upton - Elizabeth, Empress of Austria    entire book
Upton - Emperor William First    entire book
Upton - Mozart's Youth    entire book
Synge - Growth of the British Empire   Founding the German Empire to The Franco-German War (2)
Abbott - The History of Prussia   King William I. to Peace (19)
Headlam - Bismarck and the Foundation of the German Empire    entire book
Morris - Historical Tales: German   The Old Empire and the New (1)
Lord - Two German Giants    Prince Bismarck to Bismarck: a Character Sketch (2)
Morris - Nations of Europe and the Great War   The Expansion of Germany to Bismarck and the Empire (3)

Special Interest - Military

Wood - The Boy's Book of Battles   Koniggratz to Vionville-Mars-la-tour (2)
Fraser - Boys' Book of Battles   Sedan (1)
Bernhardi - Germany and the Next War F    entire book

I: Introductory, II: Intermediate, C: College Prep




Tsarist Russia—1682 to 1917

Peter the Great to Bolshevik Revolution


Book Title
Selected Chapters (# chapters)

Core Reading Assignments

Haaren - Famous Men of Modern Times   Peter the Great to Charles XII of Sweden (2)
Van Bergen - The Story of Russia   Peter the Great book to Russia Loses Her Prestige (14)
Morris - Historical Tales: Russian   Boyhood of Peter the Great to The Sea Fight with Japan (25)

Supplemental Recommendations

De Bogory - When I was a Boy in Russia    entire book
Birkhead - Heroes of Modern Europe    Peter the Great (1)
Synge - Growth of the British Empire   Russia (1)
Wood - The Boy's Book of Battles   Balaclava to Tsushima (2)
Dole - The History of Russia   Peter the Great and the Sea to The Reign of Alexander III (15)
Morris - Historical Tales: Russian   Boyhood of Peter the Great to The Sea Fight with Japan (25)
Morris - Nations of Europe and the Great War   Russia and the Crimean War to Turkey and the Balkan States (2)
Abbott - Peter the Great    entire book
Tchernavin - I Speak for the Silent    entire book
Tchernavin - Escape from the Soviet    entire book

I: Introductory, II: Intermediate, C: College Prep




Great War—1914 to 1918

Assassination of Archduke to Armistice


Book Title
Selected Chapters (# chapters)

Core Reading Assignments

Tappan - The Little Book of the War    entire book
Usher - The Story of the Great War    entire book

Supplemental Recommendations

Perkins - The French Twins    entire book
Perkins - The Belgian Twins    entire book
Gibson - War Inventions    entire book
Synge - The World at War    entire book
De Gozdawa - When the Prussians Came to Poland    entire book
Morris - Nations of Europe and the Great War   Europe Plunged into War to Pan-Slav or Pan-German (4)
Gibbs - Adventures of War with Cross and Crescent    entire book

Special Interest - Military

Fraser - Boys' Book of Battles   Ypres to Argonne-Meuse (4)
Mackenzie - Heroes and Heroic Deeds of the Great War    entire book
Bernhardi - Germany and the Next War F    entire book

I: Introductory, II: Intermediate, C: College Prep