THE AGE OF EXTREMES is eminent historian Eric Hobsbawm's personal vision of the twentieth century. Remarkable in its scope, and breathtaking in its depth of knowledge, this immensely rewarding book reviews the uniquely destructive and creative nature of the troubled twentieth century and makes challenging predicitions for the future.
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A magnificent piece of historical exposition... an essential read. (INDEPENDENT)
A masterpiece (GUARDIAN)
A brilliant and stimulating book. (FINANCIAL TIMES)
The power of Hobsbawm's exploration of the age of hot and cold wars lies in its brilliant synthesis of familiar, though sometimes forgotten, facts and ideas. It combines an Olympian, multi-lingual erudition and an addictive, readable style. (Ben Pimlott, INDEPENDENT on Sunday Books of The Year)
A masterpiece (GUARDIAN)
A brilliant and stimulating book. (FINANCIAL TIMES)
The power of Hobsbawm's exploration of the age of hot and cold wars lies in its brilliant synthesis of familiar, though sometimes forgotten, facts and ideas. It combines an Olympian, multi-lingual erudition and an addictive, readable style. (Ben Pimlott, INDEPENDENT on Sunday Books of The Year)
About the Author
Eric Hobsbawn is a fellow of the British Academy and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, he taught until retirement at Birkbeck College, University of London, and since then at the New York School for Social Reseach in New York.
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On the 28 June 1992 President Mitterrand of France made a sudden, unannounced and unexpected appearance in Sarajevo, already the centre of a Balkan war that was to cost many thousands of lives during the remainder of the year. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
On the 28 June 1992 President Mitterrand of France made a sudden, unannounced and unexpected appearance in Sarajevo, already the centre of a Balkan war that was to cost many thousands of lives during the remainder of the year. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
28 of 28 people found the following review helpful
By Rich P
Format:Paperback
The depth and breadth of the author's knowledge and research make this an awesome, if at times heavy, book.
For me, its greatest asset is the way that this book takes familiar elements and weaves them into a coherent whole. The individual portraits presented in this book are detailed in themselves, but when they are portrayed as a single panorama of the twentieth century it is incredible to behold.
This detail is also the book's downside. In those sections where I had too little existing knowledge to build upon I found the prose too dense and anecdotes distracting - but that may say more for my history than the author's prose.
If you are looking for an superficial way to put the events of the twentieth century in context, then this book is not for you. But if what you seek is a way of building and interlinking your existing knowledge of the twentieth century then you will certainly not be disappointed by this amazing book.
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
The research which has gone into this book is amazing. The author has lived through almost all of the age he discusses and uses frequent personal anecdotes both to illustrate and provide reason for his views. The book argues a strong case, the central thesis being that the events of the twentieth century are without precedent in their scope and speed, and that their momentum cannot last for the sake of humanity. Although Hobsbawn's political and academic bias is obvious; the long narratives on the Soviet Union and frequent examples using Latin American countries being cases in point, his arguement is both compelling and well researched. An essential read both for those who wish to understand the past, and the increasing numbers, who, given recent events would like an insight into the choices which face us in the future.
15 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is most certainly not a book to read if you're looking for a simple 'what happened' of the 20th century, for example it doesn't concern itself with the minutae of the two world wars but deals with the major 'why' questions that concern Historians today.
Hobsbawn makes no apology for his own views, admitting that he would be unable to write a totally impersonal account of a period he lived through, and its certainly true that his leftwing political opinions show through clearly.
What your own opinions may be shouldn't matter though, and you should take a step back and consider the detail and well constructed arguments he makes on topics as diverse as the rise of Totalitarianism in the 1930's and science and technology in the post-war years. For someone with a basic understanding of the 'whats' of the 20th century, this is an extremely interesting way to expand your own knowledge.
16 of 21 people found the following review helpful
By M. B. Alcat
Format:Paperback
I recommend this book to everyone who wishes to understand (or at least begin to do so) the 20th century... In my opinion, that is an imperative, because if we don't understand our past, we won't be able to see our present clearly, and we will also be deprived from a good perspective regarding our future. As Hobsbwam says, things "can only be understood as part of a particular historical context".
In "The Age of Extremes", Hobsbawm's explains us his idea that the 20th century began in 1914 (with the outbreak of World WarI), and ended in 1991 (with the collapse of the USSR). That is the reason why he calls it "the short century". He divides that "short century" in three parts: an age of catastrophe (from 1914 to the end of World War II), a golden age (1947 - 1973) and the Landslide (1973 - 1991).
Hobsbawm not only delves into politics, but also into economics, technology, and art, all with a profound knowledge of the subject and a caustic wit that I find irresistible.
Yes, of course that there are a lot of history books regarding the 20th century. As a matter of fact, I've read many of them... But this is still my favorite, because it manages to both interesting and clear, entertaining and useful
On the whole, highly recommended :)
Belen Alcat
Format:Paperback
As other reviews make clear, no book is perfect, and Hobsbawm's not even attempting to hide his love for the Soviet Union during the early part of the book will likely vex the typical reader. The attendant downplaying (though never denial) of Soviet misdeeds and crimes produces a similar reaction. Still, one consults a history book for a presentation and interpretation of the facts, so it is senseless and boorish to write the book off because one does not share an author's ideological sympathies. So enough with the author and let's move to the text.
I guess I would liken it to reading John Lewis Gaddis's 2005 sweep of the Cold War: so readable that its flaws almost don't matter. Don't get me wrong: one would do far, far better to read the chapter on the Cold War in the book under review than wasting time with Gaddis's 2005 offering. For this, and other reasons, I can see why 'Extremes' has a continuing reputation as a good way into the history of the 20th century. And I like the way that Hobsbawm sprinkles interesting little facts and asides throughout his prose.
One nice thing is that he has no time for silly rubbish about Reagan's performance during the latter stages of the Cold War, which is most gratifying, since Reagan was a dangerous monster. Inept, but still a monster. Hobsbawm's analysis of the end of the Soviet Union (arms-related spending) has stood the test of time. Not bad, given 'Extremes' was written so soon after the end of the Cold War that its author partially relies on newspaper articles! Out of the US and USSR, Hobsbawm correctly calls Washington as the greater danger to the world, though in my view this is hardly surprising, given the balance of power.... Read more ›
I guess I would liken it to reading John Lewis Gaddis's 2005 sweep of the Cold War: so readable that its flaws almost don't matter. Don't get me wrong: one would do far, far better to read the chapter on the Cold War in the book under review than wasting time with Gaddis's 2005 offering. For this, and other reasons, I can see why 'Extremes' has a continuing reputation as a good way into the history of the 20th century. And I like the way that Hobsbawm sprinkles interesting little facts and asides throughout his prose.
One nice thing is that he has no time for silly rubbish about Reagan's performance during the latter stages of the Cold War, which is most gratifying, since Reagan was a dangerous monster. Inept, but still a monster. Hobsbawm's analysis of the end of the Soviet Union (arms-related spending) has stood the test of time. Not bad, given 'Extremes' was written so soon after the end of the Cold War that its author partially relies on newspaper articles! Out of the US and USSR, Hobsbawm correctly calls Washington as the greater danger to the world, though in my view this is hardly surprising, given the balance of power.... Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
heavy going
Hobsbaum is a bit daunting and this is a huge tome bursting with facts and rather over whelming .It is on the edge of being indigestible.
Published 1 month ago by LUCINDA
2.0 out of 5 stars
History, movements, forces but no people
The challenge any reader has when reading this author's work is to keep in mind that the late Eric Hobsbawm was an unrepentant communist. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Paul T Horgan
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great stuff
This book is a fantastic peice of work that was exactly what i needed for my university course. i would definatly reccomend it to anyone who is interested in History or Sociology... Read more
Published 21 months ago by JonnyFairclough36
5.0 out of 5 stars
Old fashioned proper history
Not an easy read, but a comprehensive judgment from a 'Marxist' historian of the old school. Asks all the right questions and provides some well reasoned answers.
Published on 6 Mar 2011 by J. Davies
5.0 out of 5 stars
Monetary policy errors
Likely explanation of what happened during the 20th century after the mismanagement of the first globalization in the world economy! Read more
Published on 8 Nov 2010 by Mario Pines
3.0 out of 5 stars
An ambivalent tome.
I don't wish to test the patience of the reader, who wants to find out as quickly as possible what are the flaws and pros of the book. Read more
Published on 11 Mar 2010 by Eoin Yekrab
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting Book
Although I'm not a leftist, I read many of his books, especially the four ones about the past Centuries. Read more
Published on 28 Jun 2009 by Fulvio Arman
2.0 out of 5 stars
erudite - but unreadable
The research, understanding & in depth knowledge is amazing. To genuinely understand & cram so much into one paperback deserves so much more than the 2 stars I have given. Read more
Published on 11 April 2008 by lapin rouge
4.0 out of 5 stars
Either too much or too little for readability
Whatever its merits, and they are undoubtedly many, for someone who knows little history this book would, most charitably, not be a great place to start - so this review is really... Read more
Published on 25 July 2007 by Jm Leven
4.0 out of 5 stars
Either too much or too little for readability
Whatever its merits, and they are undoubtedly many, for someone who knows little history this book would, most charitably, not be a great place to start - so this review is really... Read more
Published on 28 Jun 2007 by Jm Leven
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