https://doi.org/10.47743/RRISXX.2025-3-1
Issue: 3/2025
Pages: 13-42
Language: English
Author: Paul E. MICHELSON
Author affiliation: Huntington University, USA
Abstract: The paper discusses the life and work of the historian Eugen Weber which quietly
revolutionized the study of fascism and French modernization, while developing an
enduring vision of the Western Tradition. Though not every historian was as skilled in
communicating their findings or telling their stories with style and clarity as Weber was,
he strongly believed that the historian had an obligation to avoid boring historical
narratives on the one hand, and the use of pseudo-scientific jargon on the other, in order
to present his or her work in an accessible and vibrant style.
Keywords: Eugen Weber, fascism, right wing movements, modernization, history of
France, history of Western Civilization, fin de siècle