Millenium III, Century XXI: A Retrospective on the Future [Paperback]

Peter N Stearns (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0813334578 | ISBN-13: 978-0813334578 | Publication Date: September 11, 1998

As a new century and millennium approach, the world braces itself for a frenzied outpouring of popular excitement, tabloid predictions, and religious hysteria, all egged on by a strong dose of mass media attention. Fortunately, historian Peter Stearns has supplied the antidote with this witty and insightful look at earlier millennial fevers and turn-of-the-century neuroses. By examining this past, he provides a useful perspective on the millennial hype coming in the near future. And even if you don’t really expect the world to end, the question remains: Can we survive the media’s millennium?Start with concepts of time. Until very recently, most non-Western societies did not share our linear view of time. But even in our own culture, the first celebration for the beginning of a new century only goes back to the year 1300, and the last millennium in a.d. 1000 passed unnoticed. The notion that there is significance to these spans of time is really very recent.To understand how we came to count and care about the passage of large units of time, it is crucial to consider not only the configuration of calendars but also Christian thinking about the millennium. Stearns outlines the biblical basis for millennial prophecies, describes later church doctrines, and explores the manifestations of religious millennial excitement, with an emphasis on the vigorous tradition still thriving in the United States, from the Millerites of the 1840s to today’s Branch Davidians.What actually happened the first time the world crossed the threshold of a new millennium? We’re sure to hear some gripping stories about outbreaks of mass hysteria in the Dark Ages, but they aren’t true, and it’s important to understand where the myth originated and why it persists. Then there’s the century to consider. The advent of the 20th century, our most recent precedent, was marked by complex mixtures of optimism and despair. The book analyzes this odd coalescence of moods and then considers its relevance to present attitudes—which seem interestingly different from those experienced by our great-grandparents.Finally, we are sure to hear some provocative forecasting by prophets and journalists alike. Stearns concludes by making some predictions of his own about these prognostications, unmasking how they are done and offering useful ways to sort out which ones are reasonable and which are bunk.Millennium III, Century XXI will be an invaluable dose of common sense as we contemplate the real meaning of the approaching third millennium. It’s the only book you need to read before we party like it’s 1999.

Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews

An intelligent debunking of end-of-the-millennium hype from historian Stearns (Carnegie-Mellon Univ.) What is the end of the 20th century going to bring--especially when it is also the end of the second millennium? Probably not very much, according to Stearns, except that the Big Date (he opts for 2001, rather than 2000) could provide an opportunity for us to take a long look at our society and where we are going. Stearns begins by reminding us that the whole idea of the calendar as we know it is very relative: Not only is our calendar Christian and just one among other ancient systems of reckoning time, but even its adoption in Christendom came relatively late--the French court was still using Constantine's system of 15-year cycles in the 13th century. Stearns describes how the stories of mass hysteria at the end of the first millennium have long been exposed as an anti-Catholic myth concocted by Enlightenment writers, such as Jules Michelet. Stearns gives us a brief tour through Christian millenarianism, including Nostradamus and 14th-century Joachim of Flora's vision of a coming era of the Holy Spirit. But the author notes that this outlook only really flourished among fringe groups during the Reformation; some found their way to the New World and still constitute a vocal minority here. We are given a review of recent turn-of-the-century attitudes: How Americans in 1900 celebrated a coming era of progress, whereas fin-de-siŠcle Europeans were not so sure. Stearns offers a savvy commentary on our curious, contradictory society, with its emphasis on ``impersonal friendliness'' and lack of historical awareness, and makes his own guarded prognostications. A welcome dose of sense as we begin to leave the decade, the century, the millennium. -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Peter N. Stearns is provost and professor of history at George Mason University. He is the editor of the Journal of Social History and the author of many books, including World Civilizations: The Global Experience and World History in Brief: Major Patterns of Change and Continuity.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Westview Press (September 11, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813334578
• ISBN-13: 978-0813334578
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,582,875 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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