The 20th Century World ─ A Retrospective

Three grand themes characterized the twentieth century: crises on a scale that outstripped any in human history; revolutionary ideology and action that brought social and political transformations on a global scale; and new technologies breathtaking in their pace and innovation. It was a century of triumphant creativity and achievement, yet it witnessed violence and destruction of appalling, even cataclysmic, intensity. How can such contradictions be captured so that those who live in the twenty-first century may understand, and perhaps learn from, the varieties of human experience in the twenty-first century may understand, and perhaps learn from, the varieties of human experience in the twentieth century? The authors go back to 1880 to present a thematic history of the tumultuous 20th century organized in fifteen chapters that stress cultural, social, and material issues as well as major political developments. Carefully selected case studies bring to life in ordinary experience the themes of each chapter. Themes with a temporal orientation are featured in Part One on the ?Early Century” (Modernization, Imperialism, Materialism, Socialist Revolution, and Fascism); and in Part Two on the ?Later Century” (Decolonization, Peasant Movements, 1960s’ Radicalism, and Islamic Fundamentalism). Part three takes up larger themes that encompass the whole century (Feminism, War and Peace, Science, Population, and Economic Inequality). Illustrations and suggestions for further reading, films, and videos, enhance this innovative text.

Choi Chatterjeeis associate professor of history at California State Univesrity, Los Angeles, and is a specialist in Russian and European History. Jeffrey L. Gould is professor of history and director of Latin American Studies at Indiana University, Bloomington. Phyllis Martin is Ruth N. Halls professor of History at Indiana University, Bloomington. James C. Riley is professor of history at Indiana University, Bloomington. Jeffrey N. Wasserstrom was trained in Chinese and comparative history at Harvard University and Berkeley and is currently associate professor of history at Indiana University. He has published widely on topics ranging from urban theory to patterns of Chinese student protest to the gendered aspects of revolutionary struggles. His most recent books include Human Rights and Revolutions and Chinese Femininities/ Chinese Masculinities. In addition to various academic venues, his essays have appeared in general interest periodicals such as Christian Science Monitor, American Scholar, and World Policy Journal. He writes regularly for Times Literary Supplement, Dissent Magazine, Chronicle of Higher Education; he is also a member of the Board of Directors of Long Bow Films; and recently served a year as the acting editor of American Historical Review.