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A review by brannigan
The Age of Extremes: The Short Twentieth Century, 1914-1991 by Eric Hobsbawm
2.0
In truth, this book deserves more of a 2.5 star rating, but I can't bring myself to round it up to three stars.
I have heard that Hobsbawm is a 'great', a history 'legend', so perhaps I came to this book with hopes that were marginally too high. Also I should mention I haven't read any of his first trilogy, concerning the 'long 19th century'. Still, I felt a bit let down by this book, which didn't really tell me anything I didn't already know about the 20th century.
Maybe it's because I'm not a historian - this seems very much like a historian's history, heavy on the broad themes such as the ebb & flow of fascism, the effect of the Great Depression on politics, the rise & fall of 'really existing socialism'. However, what it lacks is a good, coherent narrative (annoyingly, it bounces around chronologically which makes for a frustrating read - you reach the 1970s at the end of one chapter, but you're back in the Thirties at the beginning of the next chapter). I think it seems to assume the reader already has a thorough knowledge of the events of the 20th century, which is why it doesn't bother to explain things like the proximal causes and triggers of the first World War, the system of alliances, what the European Economic Community was, even the outcome of WW2 - these details are glossed over, which gives the whole book a confused, rambling feel.
There were some odd omissions as well, for a history of the 20th century - where was the civil rights movement? The women's suffrage movement? The foundation of Israel? I could go on, but maybe it is unfair to expect all major aspects of 20th century history to be included in a single volume. But then again, maybe Hobsbawm bit off more than he could chew...
To conclude, this book was OK. I wasn't really told anything I didn't already know, and there is a dearth of juicy anecdotes which can make parts of this book drag. There's something in Hobsbawm's style that leaves me cold, I don't know. 2.5 stars.
I have heard that Hobsbawm is a 'great', a history 'legend', so perhaps I came to this book with hopes that were marginally too high. Also I should mention I haven't read any of his first trilogy, concerning the 'long 19th century'. Still, I felt a bit let down by this book, which didn't really tell me anything I didn't already know about the 20th century.
Maybe it's because I'm not a historian - this seems very much like a historian's history, heavy on the broad themes such as the ebb & flow of fascism, the effect of the Great Depression on politics, the rise & fall of 'really existing socialism'. However, what it lacks is a good, coherent narrative (annoyingly, it bounces around chronologically which makes for a frustrating read - you reach the 1970s at the end of one chapter, but you're back in the Thirties at the beginning of the next chapter). I think it seems to assume the reader already has a thorough knowledge of the events of the 20th century, which is why it doesn't bother to explain things like the proximal causes and triggers of the first World War, the system of alliances, what the European Economic Community was, even the outcome of WW2 - these details are glossed over, which gives the whole book a confused, rambling feel.
There were some odd omissions as well, for a history of the 20th century - where was the civil rights movement? The women's suffrage movement? The foundation of Israel? I could go on, but maybe it is unfair to expect all major aspects of 20th century history to be included in a single volume. But then again, maybe Hobsbawm bit off more than he could chew...
To conclude, this book was OK. I wasn't really told anything I didn't already know, and there is a dearth of juicy anecdotes which can make parts of this book drag. There's something in Hobsbawm's style that leaves me cold, I don't know. 2.5 stars.