The sequel and companion volume to C.A. Bayly's ground-breaking The
Birth of the Modern World, 1780-1914, this wide-ranging and
sophisticated study explores global history since the First World War,
offering a coherent, comparative overview of developments in politics,
economics, and society at large.
- Written by one of the leading historians of his generation, an early
intellectual leader in the study of World History
- Weaves a clear narrative history that explores the themes of politics,
economics, social, cultural, and intellectual life throughout the long
twentieth century
- Identifies the themes of state, capital, and communication as key
drivers of change on a global scale in the last century, and explores
the impact of those ideas
- Interrogates whether warfare was really the pre-eminent driving force
of twentieth-century history, and what other ideas shaped the course
of history in this period
- Explores the causes behind the resurgence of local conflict, rather
than global-scale conflict, in the years since the turn of the
millennium
- Delves into the narrative of inequality, a story that has shaped and
been shaped by the events of the last hundred years
Part of The Blackwell History of the World Series
The goal of this ambitious series is to provide an accessible source of
knowledge about the entire human past, for every curious person in every
part of the world. It will comprise some two dozen volumes, of which
some provide synoptic views of the history of particular regions while
others consider the world as a whole during a particular period of time.
The volumes are narrative in form, giving balanced attention to social
and cultural history (in the broadest sense) as well as to institutional
development and political change. Each provides a systematic account of
a very large subject, but they are also both imaginative and
interpretative. The Series is intended to be accessible to the widest
possible readership, and the accessibility of its volumes is matched by
the style of presentation and production.
