Age of Extremes: The Short Twentieth Century, 1914-1991

Synopsis of Age of Extremes: The Short Twentieth Century, 1914-1991

As the historian Eric Hobsbawm says, "We are now in a position to rethink much of our past history, including that of the 20th century, as well as our past ideas about what to expect of the world's future." With this in mind, Hobsbawm has written a history based on his wide personal experience. The book falls into three main chronological divisions: "The Age of Catastrophe 1914-1950", "The Great Leap Forward 1950-1973", and "The Age of Crisis 1973-1991". The book is global in scope, including in its ambit the geopolitical shifts in wealth, power and cultural influences and the rise and fortunes of the non-European North American world.