The Columbia History of the 20th Century Book

As the millennium approaches, The Columbia History of the Twentieth Century offers a much-needed guide to the past one hundred years. Written by prominent specialists in fields as diverse as cultural history, politics, economics, and technology, the book presents 23 linked interpretive essays on the most significant developments in modern times. Ranging from athletics to art, the economy to the environment, the authors help make sense of the competing views of the century that have emerged from many world cultures and communities. The result is an innovative portrait of the last hundred years. Rather than presenting a linear narrative, each author uncovers patterns of worldwide change. James Mayall, for example, writes on nationalism from the rise of European fascism to the rise of Asian and African nations; Sheila Fitzpatrick traces the history of communism and socialism in Moscow and Havana alike. In her chapter on women and gender Rosalind Rosenberg covers the progress of women's rights throughout the world, from Middle Eastern activism to the American feminist movement. Jean-Marc Ran Oppenheim's history of sports traces the spread of Western sports to all corners of the globe and the West's appropriation of activities such as martial arts. In each, the important strands of history--events, ideas, leading figures, issues--come together to offer an illuminating look at cultural connection, diffusion, and conflict. Arranged by themes of culture, the political order, economics, and technology, The Columbia History of the Twentieth Century shows how this period has been unlike any preceding era of human history.