Customer Reviews

Twentieth Century: The History of the World, 1901 to 2000

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

From the first lines of the opening page of 'Twentieth Century' Roberts proceeds to put 100 years into context. Definitions, historiography, illusions, and myths are all discussed. Even our use of the term 'century' is shown to be an arbitrary concept useful for descriptive purposes only. It is very obvious that this is a well thought out and carefully crafted history and like Allstate's advertisement which implies that we are in the hands of insurance experts, this book makes it clear we are in the hands of an expert historian.

One of the difficulties with writing a world history is the problem of perspective. With such a broad subject, and a lengthy period of time, you have to be selective; you have to take a stand and start somewhere. As Roberts himself says "history varies according to the position from which you view it." There must be an emphasis or a theme. The chapter entitled 'structures' quickly draws our attention to the importance of 'human numbers' such as commerce and demographics. Roberts does not try to say something about everything because, at best, it would mean offering general explanations, which he rigthly says are "generally unhelpful". Perspective is more than an emphasis or starting point; it's also perception. "What must never be lost to sight is the fact that all pasts were once upon a time, presents; all outcomes were once upon a time, peoples futures. History is made by people confronting predicaments [and] we are liable to judge them wrongly unless we try to keep in mind the limits to their own perception of what those predicaments were". Here Roberts has given us a lucid description of the relativism of history. How our ancestors perceived their world at the start of the century is vastly different from the perspective we take today. It is a point Roberts drives home; "we can only begin to approach understanding by recognizing how much they were not like us. Any history of the 20th century must begin in a world deeply unlike our own". This justifies the section on 'the shape of things to come' and explains why nearly one quarter of the book concentrates on the period before 1918. A constant frame of reference against which we view some of the revolutionary changes that took place in our century.

Robert's explanation of one of those revolutionary changes; the one of my youth, put me in my place. Like most youth of the sixties, the experience of the decade was, I thought, profound. Not so; "although attention-catching [it] was largely froth, the least profound manifestation of a great change". He's finished with the sixties within 30 pages. To have my youthful existential ruminations so callously dispatched was definitely bubble-bursting. Roberts is not finished pin-pricking. Although the book is justifiably Eurocentric - "in many ways the world actually was centered on Europe when the 20th century began" - he is quick to point out that those days are gone. Appropriately, "much of that century's story is of how and why that ceased to be true". One of the indicators of a true Eurocentric perspective is the emphasis placed on the role of the 'Great War'. Roberts gives it short shrift - 30 pages, bursting the bubble of that particular world view.

The book takes a truly international view, with historical strands from the periphery being explained, and woven together into larger themes. In the event that an international perspective is mistaken for globalization, Westernization or even Americanization - as in Francis Fukuyama's post Cold War victory of liberal democracy - think again. The Cold War serves as the half-way marker for Robert's history but that's about it's only significance, and although globalization is mentioned, he is not convinced about the effectiveness of international institutions. As for the idea of civilizational and cultural influences usurping the role of nation states; he's ready with his pins for anyone daring to float those balloons.

Refreshingly opinionated, but very balanced; well written and very educational. A thoroughly enjoyable history of our century.

I'm not an historian and English is not my native language, but I found that this book gave me a new and broad understanding of the world we are living in. I feel that if more of our politicians and authorities would have the knowledge this book provides we could be guided in a better way in the difficult years of this first decade of the new century. The book is easy to read,the prose of Mr. Roberts is fluent and any good reader will really enjoy it.

J. M. Roberts' Twentieth Century was a major disappointment. I have loved his other books, but this one seems to have been put together in haste, and the results are poor. Viking should be ashamed at the terrible printing job; almost every page, of my copy, has printing problems that look to be lack of ink. This interferes with reading- hardly what you would expect in a book in this price range. The index of this book is appallingly poor and inaccurate. Roberts gets the second half of the 20th century wrong. For example Apollo XI landed two astronauts on the moon not three (Mike Collins orbited the moon while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed.) Harry Truman's name is Harry S Truman- not Harry F. Truman. His one and half pages on the Internet are so bad they hurt. In summary this is a collection of repetitive vignettes, almost exclusively focused on the political history of the century. Save your time and read anything by William Manchester, Scott Ambrose, or David McCullough, or even read Roberts' History of Europe, but pass on this poorly done tome.

This excellent book covers the entire twentieth century in a flowing and informative discourse with witticisms and anecdotes liberally strewn throughout its engaging length. The book is concise, yet covers material with sufficient depth and a lively manner that makes it an easy read. Those without an extensive knowledge base in history find it informative and accessable, while those (like myself) who are well-versed in the study of the past will find it refreshing and may gain new insights due to J.M. Roberts's extensive personal knowledge in the field. I can't recommend this book enough.

Robert's latest epic is a largely Euro-centric review of world events during the twentieth century. Overall it is enjoyable, comprehensive and easy to get through. It is deliberately Euro-centric since the century began with Europe as the central power and ended with Europe closing ranks to form an important political and economic zone that is probably larger than the sum of its individual parts.

Much of the book deals with Europe's influence on the world - either as a colonial power expanding its empires or as an impoverished post-war debtor disposing off its overseas assets. The only other nations which receive half-decent coverage are the United States, Russia, Japan and China.

I think the strength of Robert's book is his enviable grasp of the big picture. The scope of this work is beyond the vast majority of popular writers. I think the best individual sections are those covering the years and events leading up to WW1 and those which deal with Japan prior to WW2. Very few generalist readers will be fully up to speed on the effects of Japan's defeat of imperial Russia in 1906 and the long-term implications of its invasion of Post-Revolutionary China. Roberts does a fine job on both counts.

The book's weakness are three fold. One, this is almost entirely a social and political history. Economics gets little attention, even though it has played a central role in world affairs since 1900. Just imagine writing a history which says little on international monetary crises, the Great Depression, oil crises and the staggering improvement in global living standards since 1900. Roberts does cover these areas, but they read almost like add-ons. Two, his coverage of the Middle East is rather perfunctory. Details of France and Britain's departure are terse and the reasons for the Ottoman collapse are a bit hazy. So too are the influences of the UN and the US in post colonial times. Third, his style of writing comes from my father's era. Some of his sentences seem to go on for ever, although this is more of an editing issue than a criticism of the author.

Overall though, Roberts has put together a fine book on the past 100 years. The disappointments are more than made up for in its analysis of Europe - which is truly first class. Four Stars.

My favorite part of this book was the early part, where Roberts paints a picture of the 19th century and how it influenced the direction of the 20th century. As for his look at the 20th century, I believe he spends too little time on any one topic to shed much light on anything. I found his coverage of the past 20 years (my adult life) to be especially wanting. My recommendation would be to seek out history books with less ambitious scope.

Roberts was one of the best modern writers of history. His "History of the World" has become a classic. He also wrote "A History of Europe" and this "Twentieth Century: The History of the World, 1901 to 2000". Both of these later works appear to have grown out of his "History of the World". That isn't a bad thing.

This book is one of the best end of the century reflections on the 20th Century. It is very much written from the viewpoint of a scholar. This is something that turns some folks off, which is fine. But, nonetheless, it is still eminently readable. Roberts has a firm grasp of "The Big Picture".

This is the kind of book more people should read. Roberts writer about all areas of the world, from Europe and America, to Russia, China, the Middle East, South America, Africa, etc. In many ways, the 20th century was when, in many ways, the world stopped being Eurocentric.

I would buy this book again.

I think the review on the back most aptly describes this book: "The most comprehensive, objective, geographically neutral and yet accessible history of the century yet published in English". Economist, Books of the Year.

Leave it to the Economist to say more in one sentence than others could do (including myself) in paragraphs.

This book is a very good summary of the century. The author analyzes history while leaving biases out. When he does write about prevailing opinions that are confrontational he will also note those as well. THis book is for people serious about history. It leaves the interest in the history and not in any novelization or attempts to lighten it for entertainment's sake.

After finishing this lengthy volume one feels a certain sense of accomplishment only to be humbled by the accomplishment this author must have felt when he finshed it. If you have an interest in the twentieth century and how the events are interelated then this book is for you.

Brett Stuart's comments below describe this wonderful book perfectly. I'm sorry that the entire New York Times Book Review piece by Kennedy was not included--his more extended review was equally enthusiastic. I can only add that Robert's literate writing style is a pleasure to read--one feels engaged in a fascinating conversation with a cultivated, thoughtful man who wears his erudition easily. For the most part, he is dispassionate in his descriptions, accurate in his judgements, and innovative in his intepretations of the large trends that have emerged over the past 100 years. A must read, in my opinion.

Twentieth Century is an excellent overview of world history in that time frame. It's ambitious perspective covers events around the planet through the century, so the reader finds new juxtapositions of events in Europe, South America, and Asia, and elsewhere from page to page. It also covers the scale of change in technology, political structures, and standards of living since 1901. It does all this in 800+ pages, so it's a high-level summary. It's not a rollicking narrative or a lightweight page-turner and can be a bit dry at times. But for those interested in a global perspective of history, students of the theme, or those looking for a review of the century that we lived, it's highly recommended. Another reviewer makes unfounded claims of inaccuracy. The moon landing, covered briefly, mentions only Neil Armstrong and makes no claim that three astronauts landed. President Truman is referred to only as President Truman throughout the text. And the pages on the internet are wholly accurate and, in keeping with the book's theme, offers the perspective that a sizeable proportion of the world's population are yet to make an ordinary telephone call.