The Age of Extremes: A History of the World, 1914-1991
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- Create Date：2021-08-20 08:55:19
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Eric J. Hobsbawm
- ISBN：0679730052
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Reviews
Marcello
，
Questo celebre libro ha il pregio di affrontare per sommi capi il XX secolo focalizzandosi su quelli che， a detta dell'autore， sono stati i suoi snodi fondamentali。 I limiti dell'opera vengono candidamente enunciati da Hobsbawm stesso， che ammette di non avere una conoscenza esaustiva di tutta la materia （chi può averla？） e di essersi formato， su alcune tematiche， delle convinzioni basate più sulla sua esperienza diretta che sullo studio approfondito。 A questo vanno ovviamente aggiunte le inclin Questo celebre libro ha il pregio di affrontare per sommi capi il XX secolo focalizzandosi su quelli che， a detta dell'autore， sono stati i suoi snodi fondamentali。 I limiti dell'opera vengono candidamente enunciati da Hobsbawm stesso， che ammette di non avere una conoscenza esaustiva di tutta la materia （chi può averla？） e di essersi formato， su alcune tematiche， delle convinzioni basate più sulla sua esperienza diretta che sullo studio approfondito。 A questo vanno ovviamente aggiunte le inclinazioni politiche dell'autore， che traspaiono soprattutto quando parla del socialismo e dell'Unione Sovietica。 Nel complesso è comunque una lettura molto interessante， sebbene a tratti un po' pesanti， con alcune parti davvero pregevoli e numerosi spunti di riflessione。 。。。more
Sami Eerola
，
Read again this book。 This time in the original language。 I have some how forgotten what this book contained。 So i felt like i was reading for the first time。 This was good， because even when this book does not contain nothing that i did not already know （almost like i have read this book before！）， the writing style and analyses of Hobsawm was fascinating and exiting。 It is a strange combination of taking known facts and creating a unique style of historical analyses that still feels relevant。Re Read again this book。 This time in the original language。 I have some how forgotten what this book contained。 So i felt like i was reading for the first time。 This was good， because even when this book does not contain nothing that i did not already know （almost like i have read this book before！）， the writing style and analyses of Hobsawm was fascinating and exiting。 It is a strange combination of taking known facts and creating a unique style of historical analyses that still feels relevant。Reading this book， i felt like i was reading a book written today。 Many of the trends that Hobsbawn presented as emerging are now mainstream。 So this book is still relevant as a historical narrative。 。。。more
Andrew Roberts
，
Miss you， king
Rajiv Chopra
，
This is a magnificent book and can best be described as a grand sweep of the 20th Century。 Considering that we went through two world wars， this was indeed the age of extremes。 I'd like to quibble， as a good Asian， and say that he did not pay enough attention to the changes in Asia and Africa。 He did mention these regions， but the weight given to them is low。 Having said that， the western countries did dominate the age and， in the process， caused a lot of mayhem。Eric Hobsbawm was an excellent hi This is a magnificent book and can best be described as a grand sweep of the 20th Century。 Considering that we went through two world wars， this was indeed the age of extremes。 I'd like to quibble， as a good Asian， and say that he did not pay enough attention to the changes in Asia and Africa。 He did mention these regions， but the weight given to them is low。 Having said that， the western countries did dominate the age and， in the process， caused a lot of mayhem。Eric Hobsbawm was an excellent historian and a man who could weave a tale together。 Weaving the complex threads of the 20th century into a composite whole is a magnificent achievement。 。。。more
Ellie Scott
，
I read Eric Hobsbawm's "Age of Extremes" as part of my research for a Summer Essay and can confirm that it's fantastic。I'd recommend to people who are both reading for research and for pleasure - there's just something about Hobsbawm's writing that keeps you engaged。 He doesn't waste time or waffle - he's very much to the point and yet it's still very interesting。Given he's covering such a wide scope of time on a global scale， you would think the information would be overwhelming but he manages I read Eric Hobsbawm's "Age of Extremes" as part of my research for a Summer Essay and can confirm that it's fantastic。I'd recommend to people who are both reading for research and for pleasure - there's just something about Hobsbawm's writing that keeps you engaged。 He doesn't waste time or waffle - he's very much to the point and yet it's still very interesting。Given he's covering such a wide scope of time on a global scale， you would think the information would be overwhelming but he manages to keep his writing concise and compact。 He divides up the period into different areas of focus and， given I was reading this for research， this was very much appreciated。Hobsbawm does take strong positions on the areas he covers。 I was mainly reading about Globalisation （which takes up the final third of the book） and think it's worth mentioning that he was no fan of this。 However， his position is based very much on facts than any political agenda。 He creates a very solid image of how Europe， in particular， has experienced significant problems in relation to Globalisation。"Age of Extremes" is a great example of great historical writing， so give it a go if you're looking to learn more about the 20th Century。 。。。more
Joseph
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This book illustrates some of the dangers of trying to assimilate and communicate a sweeping， encyclopedic body of knowledge without specialization or focus。 It also provides an example of a white man who thinks he is very smart failing to recognize his complicity in power relations designed to benefit those belonging to his social identity category。 The best chapters of this book center on a determinate place and sequence of events and provide narrative and analysis within a clear set of parame This book illustrates some of the dangers of trying to assimilate and communicate a sweeping， encyclopedic body of knowledge without specialization or focus。 It also provides an example of a white man who thinks he is very smart failing to recognize his complicity in power relations designed to benefit those belonging to his social identity category。 The best chapters of this book center on a determinate place and sequence of events and provide narrative and analysis within a clear set of parameters: the rise of fascism， the world wars， the rise and fall of Soviet socialism， and the Chinese revolution and its legacy all receive this treatment。 The chapters on science and the arts are scattershot but perhaps necessarily so， and provide a few provocative arguments。 On the other hand， much of this book is an unfocused mess lacking in insight beyond Hobsbawm's surface knowledge of events as trivia or his hot takes: Frantz Fanon is not mentioned by name but only referred to （inaccurately and uncharitably） as a "Caribbean psychologist" with a great love of violence; the mass anticommunist violence in Indonesia 1965-66 organized by the United States is described as the result of a "communist coup" and only mentioned offhandedly; global climate change is mentioned in the last section but Hobsbawm suggests that perhaps people are just too worried about it。 These are only a few examples of things that I personally know about; there are likely many other howlers in here。 The problem is not only with individual items but is systematic。 The sections on 20th century capitalist economic transformations， including the postwar boom and the 70s slump， make very little attempt to explain the reasons for these transformations or even systematically survey relevant debates， only identifying the major trends and filling space with trivia loosely strung together。 Neoliberalism and its economic theorists are denounced as "theology" but why and how such theology became the guiding principle of international economic relations is barely examined。 The student movements， women's movements， and anticolonial struggles which occupy the core of the social transformations of the 20th century are allotted a great deal of text， but there is very little analysis of why they emerged and what their legacies are; Hobsbawm for the most part only vaguely gestures that the groups which launched these movements were somehow dissatisfied。 According to him the only major contribution of the student movements was to consumerist popular culture （and he attributes consumerist developments in popular culture directly to these movements）。 Regardless of Hobsbawm's Marxist credentials， he also uses racist， heterosexist， and imperialist language throughout the book and， frankly， often sounds like a braindead conservative。 The women's movement sections contain numerous references to "sexual promiscuity"， segregated Black neighborhoods are quite literally referred to as "Hobbesian jungles"， and his chapters on "the Third World" attempt to explain everything using the words "tradition" and "backwardness"。 Oddly enough the United States' central role in organizing， igniting， and supplying the anticommunist violence that destabilized much of the "Third World" is totally absent。 （Also， in a striking example of 1990s racism polluting Hobsbawm's brain， while Jim Crow， the US Civil Rights Movement， and American racism in general are given basically no analysis， Hobsbawm fixates on Black people at several points， who he identifies with """the inner city"""， anti-sociality， vice， violence， and -- laughably -- loud boomboxes）。The problems with the "Third World" chapters point to another significant problem of the text: despite Hobsbawm's professed Marxism， the materialist analysis here （quite strong in his long 19th century trilogy in discussions of class conflict and economic and technological transformations， which made those works so illuminating） is quite absent here。 In the Soviet and Chinese chapters， otherwise some of the strongest parts of the book， arguments are made based on the personalities of the actors， formal political structures， and ideological commitments -- often to puzzling or less-than-illuminating effect， as when Stalin is denounced as "paranoid" for one policy and praised as a "realist" for another， or when Hobsbawm muses counterfactually that things might have been a little different in the USSR if they had had a free press。 Surely it is not the easiest task to apply Marxist critical tools to societies that claimed to have transcended capitalism， but it ought to be done: as the case of these societies demonstrates so clearly （and as Hobsbawm readily acknowledges -- at points）， action and practice， not ideology or theory， are at the roots of history。 Or at the very least， if one wants to use a critical approach to history， one should try to be critical instead of reproducing conventional wisdom or flying off in search of shiny objects。 Those latter tendencies are too often the case with this book。 。。。more
Home Faber
，
* Hobsbawm Marksist dünya görüşüne sahip ve eserlerinde bu görüşe uygun düşünceler dile getirmektedir。 Savaş ve çatışmaların temelinde， ekseninde üretim ilişkileri， kapitalizmin önemine vurgu yapmıştır。 Her ne kadar Sovyetlerin dağılması ile birlikte Komünizmin tarihin arka sayfalarında yer alan bir oldu olarak kaldığını savunan görüşler mevcutsada， Marx ve görüşlerinin etkisinin halen devam ettiğini savunmaktadır。** 1914-1991 yıllarını kapsayan uzun soluklu çalışmasında， 20。 Yy'ın bütün insanlı * Hobsbawm Marksist dünya görüşüne sahip ve eserlerinde bu görüşe uygun düşünceler dile getirmektedir。 Savaş ve çatışmaların temelinde， ekseninde üretim ilişkileri， kapitalizmin önemine vurgu yapmıştır。 Her ne kadar Sovyetlerin dağılması ile birlikte Komünizmin tarihin arka sayfalarında yer alan bir oldu olarak kaldığını savunan görüşler mevcutsada， Marx ve görüşlerinin etkisinin halen devam ettiğini savunmaktadır。** 1914-1991 yıllarını kapsayan uzun soluklu çalışmasında， 20。 Yy'ın bütün insanlık tarihinde en katliamcı， savaş duygusu taşıyan， caniyane yüzyıl olarak adlandırmıştır。 İki dünya savaşını， Nazizm， faşizm gibi insanlık dışı hareketler， birçok katliam bu yüzyılda meydana gelmiştir。 1914 ile başlayan 1。 Dünya Savaşı 1945 ile biten ikinci dünya savaşına kadar ki dönem bütüncül olarak savaş ve kesintisiz güç göstergesi durumundadır。*** Bu dehşet yüzyılı insanlık adına büyük acılara gebe， her açıdan kötülüğün sıradanlaştığı topyekün savaş hali imha politikasını geçerli kılmıştır。 İki dünya savaşını diğer savaşlardan önemli kılan ve dehşet seviyesinin diğer savaşlardan önde olmasının sebeplerinden biri de teknolojinin gelişimiylr birlikte ağır silahlar ve uçakların devreye girmesi， bununla birlikte kayıpların olağanüstü bir şekilde karşımıza çıkması sonucunu doğurmuştur。**** İki savaş birçok büyük devletler için yıkıcı sonuçlar doğurmuş olsa da bazı istisnai devletler için büyük bir galibiyetin sonucu ve mimarı olmuştur。 Abd için her iki savaş ekonomik üstünlüğünü iyice pekiştirmiş ve etkileri günümüze ulaşan dünya devi ünvanının kapısını aralamıştır。***** Bir diğer önemli etki ise yine teknoloji， basın ve medyanın savaş karşındaki etkin tutumudur。 Gazete， radyo， TV， basın aracılığıyla savaş büyük kitlelere duyurulurken diğer yandan kitlelere kendi görüşleri doğrultusunda bilgi akışı sağlanarak manipülatif bir misyon edinmiştir。 İkinci dünya savaşı sonrası başlayan soğuk savaş yarattığı baskı diğer yandan ölümlerin olmamasından kaynaklı görece bir özgürlük ortamı oluşmuştur。****** SSCB'nin yıkılması ile birlikte dünya sistemi kökten yeni bir düzene evrilmiştir。 Kitap hakkında ve Hobsbawm hakkında en çok eleştirilen noktalar olarak Avrupalı merkezli görüşler ışığında eserlerini kaleme aldığı yönünde savlar mevcuttur。 。。。more
Ella Mitsch
，
Eric Hobsbawm challenges the idea that the 20th century was long。 In fact， he argues that the 20th century was shorter due to a series of challenges。 Personally， I think this book is fantastic if studying any part of the 20th century， particularly the earlier and later parts。 One criticism I would state is that there is not much on colonialism and colonisation。 The effects of colonisation on many countries including the Asia Pacific region in the 20th century is of great importance during this t Eric Hobsbawm challenges the idea that the 20th century was long。 In fact， he argues that the 20th century was shorter due to a series of challenges。 Personally， I think this book is fantastic if studying any part of the 20th century， particularly the earlier and later parts。 One criticism I would state is that there is not much on colonialism and colonisation。 The effects of colonisation on many countries including the Asia Pacific region in the 20th century is of great importance during this time period。 Otherwise a very impactful insight into the short 20th century。 。。。more
Rishabh Sinha
，
Surprisingly engaging
Blago Chanchev
，
A fascinating read。 I'll certainly be reading this one again soon。 A fascinating read。 I'll certainly be reading this one again soon。 。。。more
Ignacio
，
De lectura muy árida y con un excesivo sesgo ideológico que le lleva constantemente a justificar acciones y comportamientos que generalmente son considerados inaceptables （por poner un ejemplo， el pacto germano/soviético de 1939 que incluía el reparto de Polonia entre ambos estados）。
Daniel Sabará
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 The history 20th century cannot be undested windeont under the contex of turbulent revolutions and bloodshed wars。， The main ideological forces nationalism， cumunism and Capitalism confliting for hegemony。 is a very hard book to read。 and job of historian is very hard Eric make great job 。 now the task of future historians is to recover fragments and see great picture 20th century
Nancy García
，
《En las postrimerías de esta centuria ha sido posible， por primera vez， vislumbrar cómo puede ser un mundo en el que el pasado ha perdido su función， incluido el pasado en el presente， en el que los viejos mapas que guiaban a los seres humanos， individual y colectivamente， por el trayecto de la vida ya no reproducen el paisaje en el que nos desplazamos y el océano por el que navegamos。 Un mundo en el que no sólo no sabemos adónde nos dirigimos， sino tampoco adónde deberíamos dirigirnos》。
Lasse Skou Lindstad
，
Feels more relevant than ever
Mihalis Davlantis
，
One of the best books for someone who wants to understand the modern world and how it came to be。 I loved every single page。 Also， every time Hobsbawm， when talking about a subject he had direct knowledge of， wrote "I remember this"， "My friend told me"， or something like that， it makes the narrative so alive and academic at the same time， that i had a smile on my face。 One of the best books for someone who wants to understand the modern world and how it came to be。 I loved every single page。 Also， every time Hobsbawm， when talking about a subject he had direct knowledge of， wrote "I remember this"， "My friend told me"， or something like that， it makes the narrative so alive and academic at the same time， that i had a smile on my face。 。。。more
Nazar Klybus
，
Абсолютний мастрід。 Однак з тих книг， яка не має на меті знайти прості відповіді на складні питання і вкласти всю картину світу в декілька заідеологізованих формул。
Sara Adeeb
，
كتاب تاريخي مفيد وسرد متسلسل لاحداث وباكثر من وجهة نظر واحدة، بالمعنى الكامل للكلمة مفيد وممتع（ من المفارقات ان هذه الحقبة "القرن العشرين" كانت ادعاءاتها الوحيدة تنحصر في انها قدمت للبشرية خدمة تعتمد على الانتصارات الضخمة للتقدم المادي القائم على العلم والتقنية، بيد ان الازمة الاخلاقية لم تكن مجرد ازمة تتعلق بالافتراضات حول الحضارة الحديثة، بل كانت كذلك ازمة البُنى التاريخية للعلاقات الانسانية التي ورثها المجتمع الحديث عن المجتمع قبل - الصناعي وقبل - الرأسمالي والتي مكنته كما نرى اليوم من ان يؤد كتاب تاريخي مفيد وسرد متسلسل لاحداث وباكثر من وجهة نظر واحدة، بالمعنى الكامل للكلمة مفيد وممتع（ من المفارقات ان هذه الحقبة "القرن العشرين" كانت ادعاءاتها الوحيدة تنحصر في انها قدمت للبشرية خدمة تعتمد على الانتصارات الضخمة للتقدم المادي القائم على العلم والتقنية، بيد ان الازمة الاخلاقية لم تكن مجرد ازمة تتعلق بالافتراضات حول الحضارة الحديثة، بل كانت كذلك ازمة البُنى التاريخية للعلاقات الانسانية التي ورثها المجتمع الحديث عن المجتمع قبل - الصناعي وقبل - الرأسمالي والتي مكنته كما نرى اليوم من ان يؤدي وظائفه。لم تكن الازمة ازمة شكل ما من عدة اشكال لتنظيم المجتمعات، بل ازمة هذه الاشكال جميعاً。 لقد كانت هذه الدعوات الغريبة من اجل "مجتمع مدني " غير محدد الهوية، من جماعة هي صوت الاجيال التائهة。 وكانت تُسمع في عصرٍ عُدت فيه مثل هذه الكلمات التي فقدت معانيها التقليدية، مجرد عبارات جوفاء。ولم تعد ثمة طريقة اخرى لتحديد هوية الجماعة ، سوى بتحديد هوية الخارجين عنها。） 。。。more
Fedor Ragin
，
Эрудиция автора явно шире， чем у большинства историков - отсюда новизна и обоснованность объяснений。
Peter Talbot
，
A more than encyclopedic treatment of the "Short 20th century" stopping before 9/11 and not including the internet revolution， but inclusive of most major forces in history with data and recitation of events and causes in Hobsbawm's usual brilliant detail。 He exhibits good critical positions regarding the failures of laissez faire capitalism， and handles Russia well but is a little soft on Marx and a bit out of touch with mainland China。 An important book， and a must have for anyone teaching mod A more than encyclopedic treatment of the "Short 20th century" stopping before 9/11 and not including the internet revolution， but inclusive of most major forces in history with data and recitation of events and causes in Hobsbawm's usual brilliant detail。 He exhibits good critical positions regarding the failures of laissez faire capitalism， and handles Russia well but is a little soft on Marx and a bit out of touch with mainland China。 An important book， and a must have for anyone teaching modern world history。 Well written but still a heavy slog: read it！ 。。。more
Jose Manuel
，
Es un libro de historia que rehuye la simple descripción de fechas， acontecimientos y autores。 Se centra continuamente en intentar explicar la visión del autor sobre las transformaciones que se produjeron en el siglo XX， sus causas y sus consecuencias。Lo anterior implica que no sea un libro de fácil lectura， pero sí de una profundidad de contenido excelente。 También cabe destacar su amplia bibliografía y visión poliédrica de ámbitos tan diferentes como la política， economía， ciencia y artes dura Es un libro de historia que rehuye la simple descripción de fechas， acontecimientos y autores。 Se centra continuamente en intentar explicar la visión del autor sobre las transformaciones que se produjeron en el siglo XX， sus causas y sus consecuencias。Lo anterior implica que no sea un libro de fácil lectura， pero sí de una profundidad de contenido excelente。 También cabe destacar su amplia bibliografía y visión poliédrica de ámbitos tan diferentes como la política， economía， ciencia y artes durante el período que el autor define como siglo XX corto （desde el inicio de la primera guerra mundial hasta la caída de la Unión Soviética）。Su capítulo final de conclusiones realiza un excelente análisis de los principales problemas y retos que enfrenta la humanidad en el siglo XXI。Me deja con el deseo de leer pronto las dos obras anteriores de esta trilogía sobre el siglo XIX y la época de los imperios。 。。。more
Jason Ray Ray Carney
，
This is the conclusion of Hobsbawm's epic four-volume history of modernity that includes （1） The Age of Revolution， （2） The Age of Capitalism， （3） The Age of Empire， and finally （4） The Age of Extremes。 It is difficult to generalize the argument of such a complicated history。 The historiographical philosophy that seems to inform Hobsbawm's writing is the relative illusion of human agency on a historical scale。 Hobsbawm seems to think that humanity has some small control over its collective desti This is the conclusion of Hobsbawm's epic four-volume history of modernity that includes （1） The Age of Revolution， （2） The Age of Capitalism， （3） The Age of Empire， and finally （4） The Age of Extremes。 It is difficult to generalize the argument of such a complicated history。 The historiographical philosophy that seems to inform Hobsbawm's writing is the relative illusion of human agency on a historical scale。 Hobsbawm seems to think that humanity has some small control over its collective destiny， but because we are largely operating in a state of ignorance/executive blundness， we mostly make clumsy decisions and stumble along。 The overall rhetoric of the book is to clarify and elaborate （and often destroy） overgeneralizing historical narratives。 For example， Hobsbawm argues that the collapse of the Soviet Union did not signal the "triumph" of Global Capitalism， and he disinvests the attentive reader that the Cold War was not as simple as popular culture （and/or ideology） made it out to be。 The most that be said about this series in a brief review is that it intellectually humbles the reader。 It corrects any utopic imaginings one might have about the ability of humanity to "course correct" with any directness or drama。 To paraphrase the whole series: We are all caught in a storm of "progress，" and who knows where we are going？ 。。。more
Rita Martins
，
Um livro denso mas muito completo sobre o século XX。 É ainda mais fascinante perceber como alguns eventos e comportamentos ocorrem também no século XXI。 Uma leitura imperdível para quem gosta de aprender sobre a atualidade através da história。
Clyde Yang
，
took me quite some time to finish this， i would say it is a nice summary of the key events and trends of 20th century。 i was looking for some more original ideas of the authors but could not find many that are appealing to me。
Jan Jasič
，
An absolute masterpiece and an obligatory reading for anyone who wants to broaden their knowledge of modern history。 The author doesnt bombard a reader with staggering amount of trivial information， eg years and names。 Instead show the chronological and sensible evolution of mankind while connecting seemingly unrelated events into a perfectly dovetailed story。 Never did the history make so much sense。
Sarah Hamilton
，
More of a book to dip in and out of than read cover to cover。
Vitor Cesar
，
Acho que estava esperando um livro que contasse a história do século XX， mas na verdade é mais um livro de análise dos acontecimentos desse período， e uma análise muito boa por sinal。 As teses defendidas pelo autor são muito bem justificadas com os eventos históricos do breve século XX。
Matt
，
Honestly what more could you ask for in a book about the 20th century？ Hobsbawm covers so much ground here and in such a clear and resolute style。 Achieved exactly what it set out to achieve and therefore deserves the 5*。 The layout which is organised by both time and subject matter is really useful too。 Will be coming back to re-read various chapters in the future I'm sure。 Honestly what more could you ask for in a book about the 20th century？ Hobsbawm covers so much ground here and in such a clear and resolute style。 Achieved exactly what it set out to achieve and therefore deserves the 5*。 The layout which is organised by both time and subject matter is really useful too。 Will be coming back to re-read various chapters in the future I'm sure。 。。。more
R S
，
Epic account
Pietro Rivaroli
，
Libro strepitoso per un amante della storia in tutte le sue sfaccettature。 Ai non appassionati può， però， risultare lento e noioso。È forse la migliore rappresentazione del Secolo Breve che io abbia mai letto。
Samuel Zucca
，