The Age Of Extremes  (English, Paperback, Hobsbawm Eric)

The Age Of Extremes: 1914-1991 is marxist historian Eric Hobsbawm’s assessment of the twentieth century, the period ranging from World War I in 1914 to the breakdown of Soviet Russia in 1991.

Summary Of The Book

The Age Of Extremes: 1914-1991 is historian Eric Hobsbawm’s personal account of world history from the years 1914 to 1991. The specific years that define the boundaries of this era stand for significant events in 20th century history. While the year 1914 represents the outbreak of World War I, the year 1991 stands for the disintegration of the USSR. The book’s underlying theme takes the same moody undertones adopted by these two extreme events.

Hobsbawm opens this 600-page epic with 12 contrasting observations pertaining to the 20th century. Positive aspects such as the giant strides in the field of science and technology and people rising in unison to create a better world are pitted against the two massive wars and massacres and the opposition by the irrational and the enemies of reason.

This century also bore witness to the holocaust, Stalinism, and various other instances of oppression and genocide. It’s because of these events that 20th century history wears the tag of extremism, the phenomenon underlying the subject matter in this book.

Hobsbawm divides the short century into three periods, the Age of Catastrophe (1914-1950), the Golden Age (1950-1970), and The Landslide (1970-1989). The Age of Catastrophe comprised the two world wars, interspersed by the great depression. The Golden Age witnessed the death of peasantry and the resulting rise of urbanization, increase in living standards, the assertion of the individual over collective associations like the church, and a greater emphasis on higher education.

The Golden Age paved the way for the Landslide. This was the period when creation of jobs couldn’t keep pace with the extent of people’s liberation through technology. Furthermore, inequalities increased as a result of the rise in multinational corporations, whose devotion to making higher profits far superseded the need to stay loyal to their countries. The disintegration of USSR was another landslide phenomenon that was brewing on the sidelines.

The readers will also find elaborate discussions on the waves of revolution that swept the world through the 1970s and 1980s, such as the Iranian Revolution, and on modernism, post-modernism, totalitarianism, fascism, and the billion-dollar industries of sports, music, drugs, and the arts.

The Age Of Extremes: 1914-1991 is a goldmine for anyone who wishes to pause and reflect on the century that passed us by, through the incredible depth of knowledge and insightful scholarship that Eric Hobsbawm brings to the table.

About Eric Hobsbawm

Eric Hobsbawm was a Marxist historian.

Industry and Empire: From 1750 to the Present Day, The Age of Revolution: Europe 1789-1848, and The Age of Capital: 1848-1875 are among his other books.

Hobsbawm was born in Alexandria, Egypt. At age 12, his father passed away, and he began to support the family income by working as an English tutor and au pair. He received a Ph.D in history from Cambridge University and ever since has been a teacher donning different roles at prestigious schools. He is the recipient of Wolfson History Oeuvre Prize, Balzan Prize, and Ernst Bloch Prize and many other awards.