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Age of Extremes : The Short Twentieth Century 1914-1991
 
 
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Age of Extremes : The Short Twentieth Century 1914-1991 (Paperback)

by E.J. Hobsbawm (Author) "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..." (more)
3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
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Product details

  • Paperback: 627 pages
  • Publisher: Abacus; New edition edition (12 Oct 1995)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0349106711
  • ISBN-13: 978-0349106717
  • Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 12.8 x 4.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 12,280 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Review
'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 'The best account of our calamitous century ... A marvellously imaginative set of essays on the period from 1924 to the collapse of Communism. For Hobsbawm, this constitutes virtually the history of his own lifetime and ideas; and he draws the threads together with subtlety, compassion and a gentle, quizzical wit.' - John Simpson, Spectator Books of the Year 'A magnificent piece of historical exposition ... an essential read ... Hobsbawm is a master historian and his version of events is thrilling.' - Brian Appleyard, The Independent 'It is a chastening thought that this book itself, with its staggering erudition, lucid prose and sanity of vision, may bear witness to a world which a brash postmodern culture is already in the process of burying" - Terry Eagleton, The Sunday Times

Product Description
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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Inside This Book (Learn More)
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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
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Age of Extremes : The Short Twentieth Century 1914-1991
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Customer Reviews

14 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
3.4 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars An incredible panorama of the 20th Century., 12 Mar 2002
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.

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A well argued case, 21 Nov 2001
By A Customer
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.
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13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read ..., 14 Jul 2004
By Bel Alcat "bel_78" (Buenos Aires, Argentina) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)   
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

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

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 13 days ago 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 15 months ago by lapin rouge

2.0 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... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Jm Leven

2.0 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... Read more
Published on 28 Jun 2007 by Jm Leven

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant History writing
I was supposed to read this during the first term of my history degree. Instead I spent this time getting drunk and trying to lure similarly wasted girls into my grotty student... Read more
Published on 24 Feb 2007 by AV Robinson

2.0 out of 5 stars unreadable marxist version of history
This is a difficult book to read if you want a straightforward honest account and interpretation of history as relating of history is somewhat schizophrenic, jumping around... Read more
Published on 26 Sep 2005 by Frank Lloyd Wright

3.0 out of 5 stars Hobs-bum
Hobsbawm's rationalist, modernist understanding of history tends to emphasize political economy, while paying tribute to other critical layers of causality, including nationalism,... Read more
Published on 28 Oct 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive and broad discussion of the 20th Century
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... Read more
Published on 21 Mar 2003 by peter_taylor

1.0 out of 5 stars Extremely overrated survey of last century
Eric Hobsbawm's new book 'Age of Extremes: the Short Twentieth Century' has won widespread acclaim. His earlier books, such as 'Labouring Men', 'The Age of Revolution (1789-1848)'... Read more
Published on 5 Aug 2001 by William Podmore

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning
If nothing else, after reading this book I can place my life in perspective. Of course the book inevitably misses a lot, but what it captures it relates in vivid detail and in a... Read more
Published on 30 Nov 2000 by mbh@cmck.com

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