Simon Jenkins paints a vivid portrait of the continent with its imperial ambitions, furious battles and existential fears, which, according to the author, are as inherent in today's Europe as in the days of Julius Caesar and Charlemagne, Joan of Arc and Bonaparte, Lenin and Churchill. First of all, the author appreciates political history and the endless struggle for power that is in the center of its attention. Without changing the chronological approach and moving from country to country, from one historical event or character to another, Jenkins recounts the history of the continent that has probably made the most significant contribution to the formation of modern civilization. And this is not just a statement of a fait accompli: by the last pages, the reader of A Brief History of Europe understands how much the present of mankind is rooted in its past.