Bridge (diplomatic history, University of Leeds, UK) and Bullen (international history, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK) provide an analytical narrative of the functioning of the European states system during the period. They examine systems of active cooperation among leaders, such as the Concert of Europe, and look at the polarized system that emerged on the eve of WWI. This second edition, nearly double the length of the previous edition, incorporates recent research and b&w maps. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)