Customer Reviews

Reappraisals: Reflections on the Forgotten Twentieth Century

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a collection of essays from the historian most famous for " Postwar" a history of Europe from 1945 to the present. Judt's earlier book was very good and explained the establishment of the European welfare state as a reaction to the Second World War. Politicians of both sides wanted to ensure that the underlying causes which led to Fascism and Communism never arose in their countries so that they tried to establish mechanisms to ensure that a decent life was available for all. One of the points Judt made was the key role of conservative and Christian democratic parties in the creation of modern Europe.

In this book he is not a historian but an essayist strongly arguing for the left. He covers a number of topics but his key message is that the end of utopian models of government does not mean a end to the role of government in society. Government still has the power to solve problems and to shape societies to so that breakdown and dislocation do not occur. He is clearly a supporter of the welfare state although his intelligence is such that any of his positions are hedged rather than dogmatic. In facing problems there are no simple answers.

Some of the essays are rather strident attacks on Israel. He appears to have some first hand experience living in Israel in his youth. His attacks are rather simple. He says that Israel is a strong modern state which keeps large numbers of Arabs living in Bantustans. It uses collective punishments and violates international law. Whilst doing these things it trumpets a ideology that it is a state facing extinction and its actions are simply in self defence. It is also the only democracy in an area in which autocracy is the norm.

All of his essays about Israel have been stridently attacked in America where support for Israel is strong. Ironically it would seem that they have been better received in Israel were there is strong debate about how the future should play out. From the point of view of a reader he is able to articulate the arguments around the issue and meld it with the historical record.

Coming from a family of Marxists he is aware of the limitations of it as an ideology and what a disaster it has been. His previous work has been some of the most articulate criticisms of modern communism and in this work he deals not only with it but with its fellow travellers.

All of the essays in the book, although previously published are first rate and readable as well. Thoroughly recommended.

I give this book 5 stars, not because I agree with everything its author says but because it's such a good read. The book is comprised of essays published between 1997 - 2006. The first two sections contain a series of portraits of some of the most influential people of the 20th century; Koestler, Arendt, Camus and others. Tony Judt, who Christopher Hitchens calls a former 'kibbutznik', also writes a sympathetic piece on Edward Said. This is one of the reasons why he's not so kindly received in some quarters. Even though Said apparently didn't advocate political violence (in contrast with for example Sartre), he is sometimes referred to by his adversaries as the 'Professor of Terror'. Judt is also highly critical of modern-day Israel. This is sure-fire way to lower the ratings. We all know that you should not judge a book on your own political preferences but there you go.
These are the actual reappraisals, I suppose, and the remainder of the book reflects on Europe, the United States and Israel since WW II. In an essay called 'The Silence of the Lambs: On the Strange Death of Liberal America', Judt laments the tacit consent by leading liberals of President Bush's 'catastrophic foreign policy'. Some intellectuals even trip over each other in order to praise the war in Iraq in particular and the GWOT (Global War On Terror) in general. The Left, as represented by Tony Blair, has lost its credibility, perhaps even its raison d'être. In order to survive, it has to shoulder its responsibility for the failures of the 20th century and reassess many of its central themes. In absence of a clear vision the Left will simply stagnate and wither away. As Judt acutely observes: 'to be on the left is to be a conservative'.
I highly recommend 'Reappraisals' to anyone interested in recent history - and in the future, however gloomy it might appear.

Let me first dispense with the weakness of this book: It is a collection of 23 articles by Tony Judt that were published between 1994 and 2006 in several journals -- many in the form of expanded book reviews and the vast majority being in either "The New York Review of Books" or "The New Republic". Although Judt makes an effort to bring them all together under one tent as, to quote the sub-title, "Reflections on the Forgotten Twentieth Century", that's a pretty lame and generally unsuccessful effort. The book has the usual weaknesses of virtually any collection of essays on wide-ranging topics published over a dozen years: there is, inevitably, a measure of disjointedness, and the stronger essays lose some of their punch and distinctiveness from having to rub shoulders with the weaker or more esoteric ones.

But this weakness is, for me, more than offset by the strengths of the book. Tony Judt is an independent, clear-headed thinker, who writes knowledgeably and lucidly on a wide range of contemporary subjects of an historical/political nature. Few -- correction, probably no one -- will agree with him on every point. His views on Israel are particularly likely to raise hackles, at least here in the U.S. (They led "The New Republic" to treat him as persona non grata.) But his opinions are well-grounded in history and well thought out. They are not, most emphatically, the received strictures of an ideologue -- which, of course, is what irritates so many who fancy themselves liberals about Judt. Then again, what George Orwell said about nationalists is equally applicable to ideologues: "If one harbors anywhere in one's mind a nationalistic loyalty or hatred, certain facts, though in a sense known to be true, are inadmissble."

Tony Judt is cut from the same cloth as Orwell. He does not write quite as straightforwardly, and I don't know if his empathy for the common man is as intense, but his historical knowledge is deeper and broader. I recommend REAPPRAISALS, unreservedly, to anyone who cares about the current global political landscape and (a) is uninvested, psychologically or intellectually, in any particular ideological or nationalistic perspective, or (b) is sincerely willing to have their ideological or nationalistic beliefs challenged.

Those who buy this book expecting a follow-up to Postwar will be disappointed. It is a series of essays on an eclectic range of subjects from discussions of early twentieth century social critics (including some sexual preferences and conquests of one) to a hypothetical discussion about why the French Army collapsed before the German onslaught in May of 1940 and how things might have turned out differently, to discussions of relatively recent developments in American and European society. There is some criticism of Israel, which for a segment of readers is anathema.

The best part of the book is the introduction which laments the fading of the lessons of the 20th century in the public mind. It is Judt's position that we are too soon forgetting hard lessons that we have learned and that the 20th century is not that far behind us after all. His delivery of this message (common to historians) is compelling.

Judt is an excellent historian whose views are worthwhile reading whether you agree or not. There is something for about everyone here. My suggestion, read the introduction and those essays that interest you and skip the rest. At $7.99 the book is worth the price. At $29.99 I'm not so sure.

Tony Judt died last week, after a brave fight against what is still often called Lou Gehrig's disease, (amyothrophic lateral sclerosis), at least in the United States. He published his reflections on the events of today until the very end. This book, issued within the last two years, is a valuable compendium of his thoughts about the people and events of the 20th Century that helped shape our current world.

Most of the essays first appeared in the New York Review of Books. In his introduction he addresses the issue of why they are still relevant; he is quite concern that the post-World War II world is now already half forgotten, (which is reflected in the sub-title) and he bemoans the fact that the last decade and a half has been marked by so much lost opportunity. He is an intellectual of the first-rate, his range is wide, his arguments and analysis lucid, and he can definitely "ruffle some feathers."

The book is divided into four parts; the first contains four essays on Jews who were forced into exile from their home in mitteleuropa. No doubt his interests were intensified since these individuals followed rough trajectories of his parent's lives. The four are Arthur Koestler, Primo Levi, Manes Sperber and Hannah Arendt. Only the third writer I had neither read, nor even heard of. I too found Levi's discussion of the Grey Zone in The Drowned and the Saved notable. Likewise, Judt's discussion of the work and biographies of Koestler and Arendt.

The second part contained six essays on intellectuals (and one Pope!). They are Albert Camus, Louis Althusser, Eric Hobsbawm, Leszek Kolakowski, John Paul II and Edward Said. Once again, and it IS why you read books, the second, third and fourth I had never heard of. Hobsbawm is a major British historian, who did not shed his life-time devotion to Communism, and Judt attempts to explain this, fittingly I think in the subtitle with the term "romance." The author gives high marks to Edward Said, particularly since he would tell the truth to his OWN people, "...rather than risk indulging the fawning elasticity with regard to one's own side that has disfigured the history of intellectuals since time immemorial." Furthermore, Judt says: "And by his mere presence here in New York, Edward Said was an ironic, cosmopolitan, Arab reminder of the parochialism of his critics." Judt's discussion of the alliance between the Pope and the Reagan administration, cemented by an opposition to birth control, was likewise informative.

The third part contained seven essays on various countries: two on France, one each on England, Belgium, Romania, and two on Israel. I found the one on the "non-state" of Belgium particular thoughtful. Judt's articles and reflections on Israel were sufficient to have him removed from the "masthead" at the New Republic (Judt believes in a democratic, one-state solution for all the peoples living west of the Jordan River). And France, ah, France, and its reflections on its patrimony. Likewise, some excellent thoughts.

The final part is on America. The author rehashes the Whittaker Chambers - Alger Hiss case, now that we irrefutably know that Hiss was a spy. Judt also looks at the illusionist, Henry Kissinger, and in a separate essay, the Cuban missile crisis. There are numerous informational nuggets that the author believes should be remembered: during the height of the Cold War, for example, Washington instructed "American Houses" in postwar Vienna and Salzburg to remove the works of "unsuitable" authors, and these included Arthur Miller, Leonard Bernstein, Tom Paine and Henry Thoreau. And the NYT columnist Thomas Friedman demanded that France be voted "off the island," that is, out of the Security Council, in the run up to the Iraq War. One of the most solid essays in this part is a comparison of the "Good Societies" of Europe and America.

Overall, a stimulating read. I'd demur with Judt on only one point, on page 18, where he is discussing terrorism, and names the various extremist groups of Europe, like the Basque ETA, but does not include bombs falling from planes. Definitely 5-stars, and an inspiration for being willing to fight to the very end. RIP.

This book is not an easy reading to get through as it is a compilation of Tony Judt's essays (mostly book reviews). It took me some careful note-taking and re-reading most of the chapters to "comprehend" to my satisfaction what Judt is trying to convey. The comprehension at the end was worth all the efforts I put in. It is similar to the experience in scientific discovery when a simple hypothesis explains all of what appeared to be disjointed, disparate data points. To me, Judt is advising us to be aware of the inherent biases each writer brings to the table as well as the cultural milieu in which he/she lived. Furthermore, he warns us that there are different levels of "truths" that writers address. Judt, of course, tries to insist that the role of a true intellectual is to address universal truth/standard and the concept of good/evil that can be applied as uniformly as possible. He abhors the selective use what is right and proper based on convenience and one's partiality. Thus,for example, I surmise that most Israel supporter will dislike the message in this book. On the other hand, if one wants to be challenged to "reappraise" conventional wisdom based on the "popular" Western intellectual viewpoints, the book provides a remarkable starting point. One easily forgets while reading books (primarily in the English language) in the American and British circles, the overwhelming tilt of American/British bias--particularly on controversial topics i.e. Israel. As someone who reads regularly in Chinese and Japanese language press in addition to English, the discrepancy is obvious. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about contemporary Western biases, the apparent paucity of intellectual integrity, the presence of strong institutional pressures, and apparent lack of courage on many writers' part to speak up and address universal truths/standards. It seems that Tony Judt is screaming to me the motto of my alma mater, Cal Tech: "Truth Shall Make You Free" but many (in the US especially) are scared of the prevailing wind.

I happened upon this book in the "Last Chance" pile as I was picking up my wife and daughter from Books a Million in Katy, Texas. As a student of history, I knew of Historian Tony Judt from the interviews I had read in the Chronicle of Higher Education and on the PBS Charlie Rose show. Surprised to see that the book cost only $3, I snatched it up as if I had somehow discovered a rare find at a garage sale.

I certainly wasn't disappointed. To paraphrase, Judt's major premise is that too many of us have fallen into one or all categories when it comes to the twentieth century: those who have forgotten it, those who "mis-remember" it, and those who have altered it to serve a self-interest. The consequences, according to him, are that too many of us have failed to examine the connections between the twentieth century and the present, and, as a result, run the real risk of assuming that we live outside the confines of History.

Plugging my way through the first section entitled The Heart of Darkness, about the contributions of Jewish intellectuals such as Arthur Koestler and Primo Levi to our understanding of modern-day evil, I realized that this was not going to be a quick read. I consider myself an educated person, but Judt's unbelievable vocabulary pushed me to concentrate not only on every sentence but also every word. I found myself routinely pausing in order to grasp the meaning of what he had written.

Admittedly, after finishing the first section, I was tempted to shelve the book, but when I began reading the second section entitled The Politics of Intellectual Engagement, in which Judt openly criticizes the western Left for its refusal to condemn the Marxist heirs Lenin and Stalin, challenges the prevailing opinions of Pope John Paul II, and both agrees and disagrees with Edward Said's thesis found in Orientalism, I remembered just how ideological the twentieth century had been. Either my brain had become accustomed to Judt's syntax and lexicon, or, as I soon discovered, I had awakened from the first category of those who had chosen to forget.

Beginning part three--Lost in Transition: Places and Memories--ironically I had remembered why I had chosen to forget the twentieth century, even though I had lived 31 years of my life in it. Those who memorialize the past must have forgotten that the twentieth century was exciting but also brutal. It is in part three of his book that Judt reexamines the fall of France in 1940, Britain's Tony Blair's attempt to turn its history into a heritage, the ugly realities of the past and present of Belgium and Romania, and Israel's official missing memories of its treatment of the Palestinians. These were unflinching accounts of the harsh realities of countries growing up in the twentieth century, but more importantly Judt connects the then and now to the point that both words almost are synonymous.

By the time I reached the fourth section entitled The American (Half-)Century, I felt more in tune with my place in the twentieth century. In this section, however, Judt again challenged me to rethink what I thought I had known about the United States. Going after the Left, Judt reveals through the account of ex-Communist Whitaker Chambers that in fact Alger Hiss was a spy for the Communists and that Communists had infiltrated FDR's New Deal program. Judt, however, does not use Whitaker as an example to condone what Senator McCarthy had done; instead, his intention is to examine how certain Americans formed an undying allegiance to Communism even when the likes of Lenin and Stalin had shattered any illusions.

In the same section, Judt also reviews the Cuban Missile Crisis, showing how what publicly appeared to be a countdown toward nuclear Armageddon was, in actuality, a misunderstanding of intentions between Kennedy and Khrushchev. Cooler heads prevailed because ultimately no one desired nuclear war from the beginning; however, what actually was was not portrayed to the public since Kennedy did not want to appear "soft" on Communism. Judt continued his reexamination of the Cold War by examining the impact of Henry Kissinger's less-than prepared foreign policy. While he credits Kissinger and Nixon for opening up relations with China and signing the SALT treaty with the Soviet Union, he is critical of their insistence that a foreign policy based on "self-interest" or "necessity" is what propels a country forward. If "self-interest" dictates keeping secrets from Congress, doing the opposite of what one states publicly, shutting counter viewpoints out of any discussions, and doing secret backroom deals with unsavory characters, then where exactly are the fruits of such actions? Is the U.S. any safer because of it, and is it something we should continue doing?

There is much to ponder after reading his essays, but one idea that stands out is our failure to examine world events in their contexts. With two to three minutes at most devoted to a current event on the news, there is no analysis of how we got where we are today. The assumption, somehow, is that what we experience today is somehow unique from what people lived through in the twentieth century. The brilliance of Judt's book is that it pushed me to remember, and, more importantly, to see how the ideas of our recent past still influence our world today.

This collection of essays on thinkers and history is excellent. To sample some of the rich observations and descriptions, I offer the following shards. Arthur Koestler, known as an idiosyncratic thinker, is a boon to historians. He is a guide to the opinions and quarrels of his era. Primo Levi, born in 1917, lived much of his life in the same apartment in Turin. He died in 1987. In 1944 Levi was transported to Auschwitz. When the camp was abandoned in January, 1945, he traveled through Katowice in Galicia, Belorussia, Ukraine, Romania, Hungary, Austria, Germany and finally home. Recognition for his literary work was tardy. He was an ironist and a humanist. In the first instance Levi was an Italian. He was a chemist. In Levi's writing detail does the narrative and moral work. At first people didn't want to hear about the camps. Later Levi suffered the shame and guilt of survival.

Hannah Arendt's ORIGINS OF TOTALITARIANISM has gained adherents through the years. Criticism of the work as become muted. Arendt was more concerned with evil than with political structures. Hannah Arendt was born in a lost cosmopolitan community, Konigsberg. Albert Camus's critics, (his moralizing), are now out of favor and French intellectuals have swung around to his view. Camus was a product of the Third Republic, its educational system. For Camus place and sensation were important.

Louis Althusser, a later French intellectual, was engaged in a 'symptomatic reading' of Marx, (a case of pick and choose). Althusser was trying to save Marx from Stalinism and from the failure of Marx's revolutionary forecasts. By the early sixties in France, 'structuralism', initially confined to anthropology and linguistics, was moving into sociology and philosophy. In 1980 Althusser murdered his wife Helene. He was found mentally unfit to stand trial. Eric Hobsbawm, an historian, was a Communist for sixty years. He called himself a Tory communist. He withdrew from activism. He is separated from others by his intellectualism. Tony Judt calls Hobsbawm a mandarin. However, by being faithful to his adolescent self, Eric Hobsbawm provincialized himself. He writes with an invisible censor. Leszek Kotakowski, a Polish historian and philosopher, in MAIN CURRENTS OF MARXISM, explained how Marxism blended Romanitic illusion with histoical determinism. Marxism is appealing because it's a big idea, is not an historical aberration, and has an ethical message.

Judt finds Britian under Tony Blair to be notable for its private affluence and public squalor. Industry, poverty, and class conflict have been forgotten. Judt spent much of the sixties on a Kibbutz. Applied socialism was debated. The Six-Day War changed Israel from being a country filled with Europeans with a European outlook. Now Israel is a normal state but is behaving in abnormal ways. The author addresses the interesting question of the demise of liberalism in America. It is believed the liberals have been replaced by muckrakers (under Bush). (Jeremy Rifkin has proclaimed Americans have become a chosen people without a narrative.)

Publication credits and index appear at the end of the volume. The books enables one to revisit history, reread some very good articles previously encountered, and consider issues more broadly in terms of geography and time.

The death of Tony Judt is a great loss. This work, along with his book on europe's history and his later lament of opportunities lost in his last work, provides a masterful picture of Europe's society, and it's American revelancies.

As one who is retirement age, and having then witnessed the decline of America from the country with the best industry, health care, education, and opportunity to the NOW picture of America lagging it's europe's neighbors in all these instances, I'm convinced that Judt understood what America needed.

This book, like his others, is 'too intellectual' for the casual reader unless taken in small doses.
Like a textbook, a little at a time, it gives profound insights into a number of areas, based in this case on the subjects of his individual essays. It is a joy to witness his multiple thoughts on each of his ideas. His ILL FARES THE LAND is shorter, easier to follow, and just as insightful in my opinion.

Because he writes from a political perspective, no doubt many will find his presentation not to their liking. I find it convincing, and appreciate greatly that he took the trouble to write.

The jacket blurbs are rap-
turous but oh so apt!
He's so knowledgeable
--the book sans cant or bull--
oracular, historical,
well documented & writ;
oratorical, factual,
& charged with wit.
(Excuse me if I rave)
but the man's also brave!
Dear Reader, do buy & try it..