--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There were various different keys in…" description: "\"There were various different keys in which European history had tended to be written. One is the lyrical key, the idea that somehow, in Bretton-Woods i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f39/tony-judt-1730_different_there-were-various-different-keys-in-whi_2574005.jpg" --- # There were various different keys in which European… ![“There were various different keys in which European history had tended to be written. One is the lyrical key, the idea that somehow, in Bretton-Woods in 1945, a bunch of well-intentioned men got together and said, "This can't go on; let's build a European Union." And it just wasn't like that.” quote by Tony Judt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f39/tony-judt-1730_different_there-were-various-different-keys-in-whi_2574005.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f39/tony-judt-1730_different_there-were-various-different-keys-in-whi_2574005.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f39/tony-judt-1730_different_there-were-various-different-keys-in-whi_2574005.jpg) > “There were various different keys in which European history had tended to be written. One is the lyrical key, the idea that somehow, in Bretton-Woods in 1945, a bunch of well-intentioned men got together and said, "This can't go on; let's build a European Union." And it just wasn't like that.” [Tony Judt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-judt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Historical narratives simplify EU origins, ignoring complex, less idealistic motives behind its creation. **In simple terms:** History often oversimplifies political origins. Key Takeaway Seek nuanced understanding of history. Themes history politics mythmaking Mood critical analytical Type academic political When to use this quote - academic study - policy analysis - public discourse Key Concepts European integration post-war diplomacy Questions to Reflect On - Why do we prefer simple stories? - What are the hidden motives? A Different Perspective Simplification can obscure accountability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) [Europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europe/) [European history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/european-history/) [European union](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/european-union/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Idea Bretton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea-bretton-1718144/) [Key Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/key-idea-1718143/) [Keys European](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/keys-european-1718142/) [Lyrical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lyrical/) [Lyrical Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lyrical-key-1718145/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Together](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/together/) [Various](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/various/) ## Related quotes > [I think that's been really the key, the idea of trying to harness social capital for selling purposes. That we've let this happen so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wu/i-think-that-s-been-really-the-key-the-idea-of-trying-to-harness/) [Tim Wu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wu/) > [“whatever you’re learning, see whether you can make a metaphor to help yourself understand the most difficult topic—you’ll be surprised at how much it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-oakley/whatever-you-re-learning-see-whether-you-can-make-a-metaphor-to-help/) [Barbara Oakley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-oakley/) > [I see myself as, first and above all, a teacher of history; next, a writer of European history; next, a commentator on European affairs;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-judt/i-see-myself-as-first-and-above-all-a-teacher-of-history-next-a/) [Tony Judt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-judt/) > [The link between literacy and revolutions is a well-known historical phenomenon. The three great revolutions of modern European history -- the English, the French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orlando-figes/the-link-between-literacy-and-revolutions-is-a-well-known-historical/) [Orlando Figes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orlando-figes/) > [“Hettites appeal to us not alone because of the influence they once exercised on the fortunes of the Chosen People, not alone because a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-h-sayce/hettites-appeal-to-us-not-alone-because-of-the-influence-they-once/) [A. H. SAYCE](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-h-sayce/) > [Can a geology teacher blithely tell his students that the earth is flat, or a European history professor that the Holocaust didn't happen? That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/can-a-geology-teacher-blithely-tell-his-students-that-the-earth-is/) [Jerry A. Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-a-coyne/) > [More than forty years of Communist rule in Central and Eastern Europe resulted in an unhappy and artificial division of Europe. It is this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anders-fogh-rasmussen/more-than-forty-years-of-communist-rule-in-central-and-eastern-europe/) [Anders Fogh Rasmussen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anders-fogh-rasmussen/) > [When you think about fascism and right-wing governments, oftentimes people think about European history, but it's been flaring up on and off all throughout…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/torrey-peters/when-you-think-about-fascism-and-right-wing-governments-oftentimes/) [Torrey Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/torrey-peters/) > [“History can familiarize, and it can warn. In the late nineteenth century, just as in the late twentieth century, the expansion of global trade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/history-can-familiarize-and-it-can-warn-in-the-late-nineteenth/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [What we should grasp, however, from the lessons of European history is that, first, there is nothing necessarily benevolent about programmes of European integration;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/what-we-should-grasp-however-from-the-lessons-of-european-history-is/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [I have a degree in European history, which didn't necessarily have any direct impact on my career, but I'm grateful I studied something other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becki-newton/i-have-a-degree-in-european-history-which-didn-t-necessarily-have-any/) [Becki Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becki-newton/) > [“There are dozens of documented cases of Roma or Irish Travelers being falsely accused of stealing children over the twentieth century, and back through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-rutherford/there-are-dozens-of-documented-cases-of-roma-or-irish-travelers-being/) [Adam Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-rutherford/) > [“Pope Alexander VI issued a Papal bull authorizing the Treaty of Tordesillas on June 7, 1494. The treaty gave everything located beyond 370 leagues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/captain-hank-bracker-the-exciting-story-of-cuba/pope-alexander-vi-issued-a-papal-bull-authorizing-the-treaty-of/) [Captain Hank Bracker, The Exciting Story of Cuba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/captain-hank-bracker-the-exciting-story-of-cuba/) > [I am imprinted with the whole sense of European history, especially German history, going back to World War I, which really destroyed all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisel-mueller/i-am-imprinted-with-the-whole-sense-of-european-history-especially/) [Lisel Mueller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisel-mueller/) > [“We have adopted European costume, European ways of living, even the European vices of drinking and gambling, but none of their virtues. This must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-lothrop-stoddard/we-have-adopted-european-costume-european-ways-of-living-even-the/) [T. Lothrop Stoddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-lothrop-stoddard/) ## More by Tony Judt > [I don't believe in an afterlife. I don't believe in a single or multiple godhead. I respect people who do, but I don't believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-judt/i-don-t-believe-in-an-afterlife-i-don-t-believe-in-a-single-or/) [Tony Judt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-judt/) > [“Markets do not automatically generate trust, cooperation or collective action for the common good. Quite the contrary: it is in the nature of economic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-judt/markets-do-not-automatically-generate-trust-cooperation-or-collective/) [Tony Judt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-judt/) > [“ Lieux de memoire . . . 'exist because there are no longer any milieux de memoire , settings in which memory is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-judt/lieux-de-memoire-exist-because-there-are-no-longer-any-milieux-de/) [Tony Judt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-judt/) > [“Keynes died in 1946, exhausted by his wartime efforts. But he had long since demonstrated that neither capitalism nor liberalism would survive very long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-judt/keynes-died-in-1946-exhausted-by-his-wartime-efforts-but-he-had-long/) [Tony Judt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-judt/) > [The Second World War had a precipitating effect in that it discredited the empires, as well as bankrupting them. Not only could you no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-judt/the-second-world-war-had-a-precipitating-effect-in-that-it/) [Tony Judt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-judt/) > [“That the state might exceed its remit and damage the market by distorting its operations was not taken very seriously in these years.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-judt/that-the-state-might-exceed-its-remit-and-damage-the-market-by/) [Tony Judt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-judt/) > [“Whatever their other differences, French Gaullists, Christian Democrats and Socialists shared a common faith in the activist state, economic planning and large-scale public investment.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-judt/whatever-their-other-differences-french-gaullists-christian-democrats/) [Tony Judt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-judt/) > [I think if I'm controversial it's not because I set out to be. It's because I've never felt comfortable being part of someone else's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-judt/i-think-if-i-m-controversial-it-s-not-because-i-set-out-to-be-it-s/) [Tony Judt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-judt/) > [“This reduction of 'society' to a thin membrane of interactions between private individuals is presented today as the ambition of libertarians and free marketeers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-judt/this-reduction-of-society-to-a-thin-membrane-of-interactions-between/) [Tony Judt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-judt/) > [“Something is profoundly wrong with the way we live today. For thirty years we have made a virtue out of the pursuit of material…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-judt/something-is-profoundly-wrong-with-the-way-we-live-today-for-thirty/) [Tony Judt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-judt/) > [“Today, neither Left nor Right can find their footing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-judt/today-neither-left-nor-right-can-find-their-footing/) [Tony Judt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-judt/) > [We have responsibilities for others, not just across space but across time. We have responsibilities to people who came before us. They left us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-judt/we-have-responsibilities-for-others-not-just-across-space-but-across/) [Tony Judt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-judt/) > [“What did trust, cooperation, progressive taxation and the interventionist state bequeath to western societies in the decades following 1945? The short answer is, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-judt/what-did-trust-cooperation-progressive-taxation-and-the/) [Tony Judt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-judt/) > [Healthcare reform is a paradigmatic case. It is self-evidently necessary and inevitable and has been on the agenda for 35 years, and the political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-judt/healthcare-reform-is-a-paradigmatic-case-it-is-self-evidently/) [Tony Judt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-judt/) > [“Inequality is corrosive. It rots societies from within.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-judt/inequality-is-corrosive-it-rots-societies-from-within/) [Tony Judt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-judt/) [Explore all 211 Tony Judt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-judt/) ## More Different quotes > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [I've seen a lot of people come out of Carol City, but I had this distinct vision for Carol City, just me coming out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-curry/i-ve-seen-a-lot-of-people-come-out-of-carol-city-but-i-had-this/) [Denzel Curry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-curry/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [Some shows just go away - and that's fine. They serve their purpose and their entertainment value, but there are shows that touch people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cudlitz/some-shows-just-go-away-and-that-s-fine-they-serve-their-purpose-and/) [Michael Cudlitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cudlitz/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [One of the reasons that I do a lot of different kinds of pictures is because I learn a lot when I'm doing them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-jason-leigh/one-of-the-reasons-that-i-do-a-lot-of-different-kinds-of-pictures-is/) [Jennifer Jason Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-jason-leigh/) > [I painted the words "GREAT ADVENTURE" in Beijing, Dallas, San Francisco, Copenhagen, and Japan. What it means to me is completely different to everybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-eine/i-painted-the-words-great-adventure-in-beijing-dallas-san-francisco/) [Ben Eine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-eine/) > [I'm 38 and I'm single, and I'm having my most intense and gratifying relationship with a dog. But we all learn about love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/i-m-38-and-i-m-single-and-i-m-having-my-most-intense-and-gratifying/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/) [Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/) > [Suffering did different things to different people...Some souls became tempered, unshakable in their faith, while others became twisted and mis-shapen, throwing off all connection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-ragen/suffering-did-different-things-to-different-people-some-souls-became/) [Naomi Ragen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-ragen/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [I always aspired to do something different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayushmann-khurrana/i-always-aspired-to-do-something-different/) [Ayushmann Khurrana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayushmann-khurrana/) > [The talk shows in the States want celebrities, not authors. In France, it is different; writers are called upon to comment on everything. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/the-talk-shows-in-the-states-want-celebrities-not-authors-in-france/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [My favorite job is the next one. Its such a gratifying experience getting to creatively keep trying something new and push things in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-craig-smith/my-favorite-job-is-the-next-one-its-such-a-gratifying-experience/) [Roger Craig Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-craig-smith/) [Browse all 28,697 Different quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There were various different keys in which European history had tended to be written. One is the lyrical key, the idea that somehow, in Bretton-Woods in 1945, a bunch of well-intentioned men got together and said, \"This can't go on; let's build a European Union.\" And it just wasn't like that.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tony Judt" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-judt/there-were-various-different-keys-in-which-european-history-had/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Different" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-judt/there-were-various-different-keys-in-which-european-history-had/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f39/tony-judt-1730_different_there-were-various-different-keys-in-whi_2574005.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f39/tony-judt-1730_different_there-were-various-different-keys-in-whi_2574005.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f39/tony-judt-1730_different_there-were-various-different-keys-in-whi_2574005.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There were various different keys in which European history had tended to be written. One is the lyrical…” — Tony Judt", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Tony Judt", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-judt/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There were various different keys in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-judt/there-were-various-different-keys-in-which-european-history-had/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-judt/there-were-various-different-keys-in-which-european-history-had/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```