The Twentieth-Century World, 1914 to the Present: State of Modernity

Description

The Twentieth-Century World, 1914 to the Present introduces students to five distinct historical themes in 20th century history - politics, economics, religion, technology and the environment. Each of these themes is set in a social and cultural history framework that emphasizes the commonalities and diversity in human experiences throughout the recent era. This is a genuinely global textbook that takes a non-nationalistic approach to history and attempts to avoid marginalising the role of non-western actors and societies. John Corbally explores the connections, interactions and exploitations of global resources and peoples that were part and parcel of 20th-century history. Economically, the book shows how people were connected by the spread of global capitalism and communism. It explores the spread of traditional religions and philosophies all over the globe, as well as looking at secular challenges. It also considers how technology reached further into people's lives. Ideal for undergraduate level students of 20th-century history, this is a book that offers a balanced, multi-perspective approach to recent global history, helping the 21st-century student understand today's world and interrogate commonly held assumptions about its history.

John C. Corbally is Professor of History at Diablo Valley College, USA, where he teaches World History, Critical Thinking and European History. Following a B.A. in European History and an M.A. in World History from San Francisco State University, Dr Corbally completed a PhD at UC Davis within four years. He taught history and humanities courses at Stanford for five years, and British, Irish, European, and World History at UC Berkeley, UC Davis and Mills College amongst others.

Corbally's superbly accessible account of the grave challenges faced by the world and its inhabitants during the twentieth century will make this an ideal textbook for students. This is global history from the bottom up that allows us to understand why and how people across the world experienced increasing levels of inequality and environmental degradation. * James Vernon, Professor of History, University of California, Berkeley, USA * The Twentieth-Century World is a fine book, clearly written, persuasively argued, and offering a new approach to global history across the last 100 years. The perspective is resolutely bottom-up, seeing the great transformations of politics, economics, intellectual life, and technology from the point of view of ordinary people around the world. * Ian Morris, Jean and Rebecca Willard Professor of Classics, Stanford University, USA *