Review: The Middle Kingdoms by Martyn Rady
The Middle Kingdoms: A New History of Central Europe by Martyn Rady
A mostly chronological overview of Central European history, starting from the fall of the Roman Empire to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Some parts I found particularly enlightening, such as the postulated origins of the various ethnic groups, the transition from the Roman Empire in the West to the Holy Roman Empire, the partition of Poland-Lithuania, and basically everything from the Napoleonic Wars onwards, through the 1848 revolutions, to both world wars and the post-Soviet era. There's a segment on the industrialised and bureaucratic aspects of the Holocaust that I found bone-chilling and riveting. The closing chapters that weave in post-communism, Zizek, turbofolk and Laibach were magnificent. Some parts in the middle felt a bit messy and—dare I say—boring, mostly the ones about local administrations in the early modern states. But that's probably more a me problem than a book problem.
Overall an engaging, coherent and rewarding read. Also enjoyed his other book about the Habsburgs.