Customer Reviews

Way of the World : From the Dawn of Civilizations to the Eve of The Twenty-First Century

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

There are 8 crucial development stages in the history of mankind identified by Fromkin in this book. Before you can take a giant step though, you have to learn how to crawl. This is especially true if your subject is as large as universal history - the story of the world since the inception of civilization. It's appropriate then that the book begins with the origins of man.'Becoming Human' is the first of the eight steps, quickly followed by 'Inventing Civilzation'. Each step is centered on a significant human achievement; here we learn about the discovery of agriculture and the building of the first cities. Step 3 is 'Developing a Conscience' which focuses on the emergence of religions and moral systems simultaneously in separate cultures. Other steps, in order, are: 'Seeking a Lasting Peace' 'Achieving Rationality''Uniting the Planet''Releasing Nature's Energies' and lastly 'Ruling Ourselves'

With such a daunting spread of history, it's quite a challenge for Fromkin to properly explain the main elements of it to readers, to allow us to get a meaning and feel for the whole - especially if you do it in 222 pages. Fortunately the author is equal to it. He obviously had to 'cut and carve' history to fit in here. In answering questions such as - Why have some societies thrived and others disappeared? What from the past is a reliable guide to the future? - Fromkin obviously had to make some choices in the book. He admits that "telling one story necessarily means not telling another". The art of good history then is not only being aware of your biases but having sufficient style to be able to tell the story. Fromkin's style is conciseness, clarity and easy reading. He is able to contain complex ideas or events in short sentences - "the war resumed in 1939-1945 and Germany lost again" and he can describe the work of great men and women of culture in a few words. Writing about Galileo, Bacon and Descartes, he says they were "men of skepticism in thought and moderation in action".

Two recurring themes in the book are that change is the only constant throughout history and that the importance of culture (specifically religion and arts), can not be overstated.

In the last few chapters Fromkin engages in what is becoming a favorite habit of historians - crystal ball gazing, looking to the future and speculating. It's a very tricky thing to do because history is only history when it's in the past. Anyway Fromkin sounds plausible when he says that the problems of the future will be in the areas of population and the environment. Overall he is rather optimistic about our prospects, - for the US specifically and for humanity in general. The 'Way of the World' is short, concise, easy to read and a useful survey of humanity.

David Fromkin goes out in search of a useable past. Nor would he, I think, shy away from that description. He starts 'The Way of the World' with a description of a shaman "clad in bear skin" and a tale in front of the fire, telling the tribes people where they have come from and where they are heading. Fromkin's avowed purpose is to do the same for a Modern audience (p.3)

Fromkin was nominated for a Pulitzer for 'A Peace to End All Peace', the story of bravery and folly at the birth of the modern Middle East. In it, he demonstrated considerable writing skills, original thought, and enormous amount of research.

Only the first of these qualities is also apparent in 'The Way of the World'. The prose is even better this time around - but unfortunately, the other elements that made 'A Peace to End All Peace' into a near classic are missing.

'The Way of All World' seems to be based on fairly well known secondary sources. That's not necessary a bad thing, but you can feel that Fromkin is not as conversant about, say, Vasco da Gama's voyages, as he was about British Middle East policies in the 1920s.

Lack of originality in research can also be made up for in original thinking, but although Fromkin's analysis is insightful and clever it is hardly unique.

The first two parts of the book are a short history of mankind, the first chapter is about the biological evolution of homo sapiens (a well written account, drawing on such popular science books as Richard Dawkins's River Out of Eden), and the second one about pre history. Then we get two chapters on ancient civilizations, before Fromkin decides to narrow his scope and look at Western History, from the Roman Empire to the modern day.

Fromkin's is a not a very original account; although it is a break with some traditional views of European history (the Reformation is mentioned in all of four pages), it is consistent with the themes of recent books about the rise of the West, such as David Landes's 'The Wealth and Poverty of Nations'. Like Landes, Fromkin sees a triumph of the West ("the history of the modern world can be seen as the tale of how, out of the many civilizations that flourished in the year 1000, all but one succumbed in the course of the next thousand years" p. 87) caused by a 'scientific. technological and industrial revolution' (ibid). Unlike Landes, Fromkin all but ignores the importance of politics and capitalism (mentioned only 3 times in the index) to rise of European Civilization.

The third part of the book, in which Fromkin attempts to draw conclusions about the Future leaves much to be desired. Unlike Alexis do Tocqueville, whom Fromkin lionizes, Fromkin is too cautious to make predictions. He says that, at least in the beginning of the twenty first century, America will still be the most powerful country, but that is near obvious. Other predictions are equally self evident, even handed, and safe "... a central question in the politics of the twenty first century throughout the world will be the tension between holding together and pulling apart: between the centripetal pull of a modern global economy that requires regional and planetary organization, and the centrifugal push of atavistic tribalism" (p. 188).

Some six years on, it is clear that this book was published during the Clinton years. Much in the last few chapters is a hymn to American values, in particular democracy, environmentalism, secularism and multilateralism. For a liberal such as me, the importance of these values is self evident (although it should not go unquestioned). But is George W Bush's America really the best champion of these values?

Fromkin's seems oblivious to the undercurrents of American life that goes in directions opposite to the ones he champions. He discusses Woodrow Wilson's League of Nation as an embodiment of American values in International Relations. But his book is missing one crucial name: Henry Cabot Lodge, who stopped the US from entering the league of nation.

As a world leader, the United States does embody values of freedom, secularism and multilateralism. But it also has values which are unilateral, imperialistic, protectionist and isolationist. A safe prediction is that the world will be shaped significantly by the US decision of which of these sets of values, or which combination thereof, it will pursue in the 21st century.

This book is not only a brief history of humanity described in 8 grand stages but also a "how-to" book for western civilization's success in the 21st century. Very profound and insightful is the author in his interpretations of the past and in his vision of the future's possibilities. For me, this book has a permanent place in my library - a gem of a book for history buffs.

A minor suggestion is that the last two paragraphs in the book should be shifted to the front as the preface. Also, I might suggest to future readers to read the short summaries of each of the first 8 grand steps of humanity's progress located in chapter 10 or 11 before reading the main chapters themselves.

The book is wonderful! The history is of ideas and key trends. There are no dates, no people. He does a wonderful job tying everything together. Too often history is presented in a manner that shows us the trees, but not the forest. The author shows us the forest. The chapter on America explains in only 20 pages the significance of our country better than any book I've read. It's a "thinking" book. Even though it's only 200+ pages, I found myself stopping to think about key paragraphs every few pages. He put all of history's key players, wars, countries, etc. into complete context with each other.

For those who occasionally like their history in the largest of big-picture perspectives, this is the book to read next. No wasted words or ideas--a kind of poem. I found it thrilling. Fromkin's ability to communicate what could well be the great themes in the story of the world is stunning. You finish the book feeling as if you've just sat through a Greek Tragedy--purged of fear and pity, in a heightened state of wonder. Nothing trivial gets in the way of "The Way of thre World." You've been told the story as if from God's perspective. A great, great book. I'd like to go on and read everything David Fromkin has written.

I could not put this book down! I truely enjoyed Fromkin's s writing style, its to the point, so readable and firmly rooted in logic.Fromkin's ideas may encourage a debate that will and should awake the modern world. He has certainly struck a cord in this amateur historian.

The author attempts the near impossible: to summarize world history in a quick easy to read volume. What is interesting is the author manages to reach the goal. I have read a very large number of history books, but I have seldom read one so pithy. The author hits home again and again with thoughtful summarizing concepts that attempt to put history into a larger perspective - one that pulls history together in a comprehensible fashion. The book manages to show how the beginnings of history tie into the present.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in history, and especially those who want to know how all these seemingly unrelated facts and events fit together. One can decide the framework does not really fit the facts, but it is undeniable the framework pulls the facts together in a cogent way. A way that makes history approachable and interesting.

A thought provoking book. A must read for any history enthusiast.

Any reader should be weary of authors who want to write the history of the world in 200 pages; but the "Way of the World" stands out as an elegant narrative that captures the progression of humankind since the dawn of civilizations to the present.

David Fromkin, a professor at Boston University, has written the history of the world in a thematic sequence. He has identified eight defining moments that shaped the evolution of humans since the beginning of time: becoming human, inventing civilization, developing a conscience, seeking a lasting peace, achieving rationality, uniting the planet, releasing nature's energies, and ruling ourselves.

The author's treatment appeals to those interested in an introductory history, though the book's easy flow is sure to not bore anyone. The "Way of the World" is well suited for a history or an introductory international relations class, and especially for readers who wish to gain an overview of human history within which to frame further investigation. The book's rich bibliography also serves that purpose.

Equally interesting is the author's prediction of the future. Professor Fromkin uses historiography to pass onto educated futurology; he offers his own account of where the world is heading by referring to others who have stared in the crystal ball and prophesized the future (wisely or poorly) and by investigating closely current trends. This blend of compelling story-telling, academic study and well grounded prognostication sets the book apart.

This is a tremendous conceptual viewpoint on prehistory and history. It takes the complicated listings of historical facts and developes a concise overview that is both readible and easy to comprehend.

Fromkin's endeavor is an interesting one: summarize mankind's progress in one slim volume. Fromkin attempts this by taking a particular development, say, developing a moral sense, and then trace that historically and then move on to another similar issue. This is an interesting and important task, but hard to do in 200 pages.

This, of course, leaves a great deal unsaid, and many readers will be left unsatisfied. However, if you are looking for an introduction the the grand sweep of the history of ideas, this is a good place to start.