Europe's infrastructure both united and divided peoples and places via economic systems, crises, and wars. Europe's Infrastructure Transition reframes the conflicted story of modern European history by taking material networks as its point of departure.

Europe's critical infrastructure is a key concern to policymakers, NGOs, companies, and citizens today. A 2006 power line failure in northern Germany closed lights in Portugal in a matter of seconds. Several Russian-Ukrainian gas crises shocked politicians, entrepreneurs, and citizens thousands of kilometers away in Germany, France, and Italy. This book argues that present-day infrastructure vulnerabilities resulted from choices of infrastructure builders in the past. It inquires which, and whose, vulnerabilities they perceived, negotiated, prioritized, and inscribed in Europe's critical infrastructure. It does not take 'Europe' for granted, but actively investigates which countries and peoples were historically connected in joint interdependency, and why. In short, this collection unravels the simultaneous historical shaping of infrastructure, common vulnerabilities, and Europe.

“In Europe’s Infrastructure Transition, Högselius, Kaijser, and van der Vleuten have done an impressive job tracing the symbiotic relations between transportation and communication systems, between system-building and border-building, and between technocracy and nature. The writing is highly readable and the arguments compelling. … This book will therefore likely appeal to academic and non-academic readers alike, and is quite suitable for collegiate classroom use. … this is a thoughtful, engaging, and important book.” (Nicholas Ostrum, CritCom, councilforeuropeanstudies.org, June, 2016)

'At once finely detailed and ambitiously synthetic, this work reveals infrastructure as an agent of history. From the first railway tracks of the 1830s to migrants walking those tracks today, changing means of circulation have redefined the meaning of 'Europe.' This brave and persuasive history of infrastructure space will inspire similar studies of other regions.' Rosalind H Williams, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA'A tour de force that marks a new era of Braudelian 'total history.' Probes the material roots of European modernity: the technological systems and networks that undergird today's Europe of integration, circulation, flows, borders, and barriers. Europe's Infrastructure Transition reveals the contradictory human aims that have made these systems powerful agents of historical and environmental change.' Eda Kranakis, University of Ottawa, Canada'In a richly-textured and original study, Högselius, van der Vleuten and Kaijser explore how system builders engineers, officials, and others made 19th and 20th century Europe. They built transport, energy, communication and other infrastructures. They believed in progress, in economic growth ending forever war, and in their ability to alter nature for the better. The authors show that, despite their bold utopian intentions, the builders encountered political uncertainties, national technical vulnerabilities, and unexpected and severe environmental costs that still have done little to dampen their enthusiasm. This book should be of interest to broad audiences.' Paul R. Josephson, Colby College, USA'This indispensable book presents a sophisticated, highly original lens on modern European history. Far more than a study of technical systems, it reveals the profound roles of infrastructural integration in social and political rapprochement as well as how infrastructures were dysfunctionally managed, disconnected, or destroyed for national competition, war, and ideology.' Paul N. Edwards, University of Michigan, USA