In the history of modern political thought, no other topic has attracted as much attention as nationalism, nation formation, and patriotism. Because of the ever-growing body of literature tackling these vexed issues, level-headed clarification has been long overdue. Shunning attempts to spin off yet another theory of nationalism, Miroslav Hroch offers a remarkable synthesis that aims to track the historical genesis of European nations through the sundry paths of the nation forming processes in the nineteenth century, integrating apparently competing frameworks into a coherent system. Combining a comparative perspective on nation-formation with invaluable theoretical insights, European Nations is a must-read for everyone who wants to understand the historical roots of Europe's current political crisis.