Present Books To Modern Times: The World from the Twenties to the Nineties
| Original Title: | Modern Times |
| ISBN: | 0060922834 (ISBN13: 9780060922832) |
| Edition Language: | English |
Paul Johnson
Paperback | Pages: 870 pages Rating: 4.26 | 2342 Users | 178 Reviews
Ilustration Concering Books Modern Times: The World from the Twenties to the Nineties
An agnostic wag once said, "Any fool can make fun of evangelicals, but if you really want to see a crazed doctrine, look for a conservative Catholic, preferably a conservative Jesuit." This certainly holds true for Paul Johnson, who mars what could have been a superbly written book of breathtaking scope, with points of view that aren't merely limited or blinkered, but downright crazed at times. In the first couple chapters, I was ready to give this book an instant 5 stars, due to the author's ability to integrate economic, cultural, and political trends in a coherent whole. I did not begrudge him his tendency to paint all collectivist thought with a broad brush, if only because the world needed an appropriately sober look at the crimes of Lenin as well as Stalin. But by the time we get to the 1930s, Johnson's oddball rejection of all modernist trends became a bit much to take. If he had been a traditional social conservative, or an economic conservative of the Stockman-Laffer school, one could accept his biases and move on. But Johnson is just plain weird, combining a Libertarian-like view of the power of the individual and a rejection of economic collectivism, with a near-devout belief in the power of empire. He rightly chides particular failures of the British empire in decline, like Anthony Eden's 1956 failure at Suez, but at the same time longs for a British and an American empire that would assert itself without regard to the consequences. In his review of the 1930s, it's no surprise that he'd call FDR an aristocratic publicity-seeker and populist quack, and he'd be right in part. It's also predictable that he'd link the elder Philby's adventures in the Middle East to young Kim Philby's dalliances with the KGB. But to link all strands of 1930s liberal thought to the gay dilettantes of the Bloomsbury group in the UK? Not only does this hold a latent homophobia which Johnson displays throughout the book, but it attributes too much power to this group, in the same way modern conservatives are sure all 21st-century left-wingers have read Saul Alinsky. It just ain't so, folks. Johnson's fractured-funhouse view of current events veers out of control as we hit the 1950s and 1960s. His analyses of Castro and other socialist "heroes" are traditional conservative views, not that far off base but not particularly interesting. But his demonization of former UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold as the man who allowed Third World risings and non-alignment to get out of hand is downright laughable. Memo to Johnson: whether the Soviets manipulated Third World struggle or not, the traditional empires were bound to fall - there wasn't a thing the US or UK could have done to retain their protected domains. At least Piers Brendon, the author of 'Decline and Fall of the British Empire', understood this far better than Johnson did, and provided a far more accurate narrative of the British geographical decline in the 20th century as a result. The last 100 pages of Johnson's book are comical enough to skip entirely. Of course the strikes at the end of the 1970s doomed Britain, but only a fool still sees Maggie Thatcher as a savior. Of course the liberal media manipulated Watergate, but to try and call John Sirica a "judicial terrorist" is beyond the pale. Face it, seeing Nixon and Reagan as unvarnished heroes of the century, while seeing Jimmy Carter as an unvarnished villain, is a nonsensical two-dimensional view of the world. Even in the latter chapters of the book, I enjoyed seeing Keynesianism get a tweaking, I loved the way Johnson linked Jean-Paul Sartre with Nazism and commented that all romanticism is close to fascism (which I certainly believe to be the case with Rousseau, Goethe, Schiller, Byron, Shelley, etc.). And I loved his quote about Utopianism being not that far from gangsterism. But Johnson ruins what would have been a provocative book in the Christoper Hitchens tradition with a series of loony conclusions about human behavior that are downright unsustainable, no matter what your political or economic beliefs may be.
Mention Regarding Books Modern Times: The World from the Twenties to the Nineties
| Title | : | Modern Times: The World from the Twenties to the Nineties |
| Author | : | Paul Johnson |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Revised Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 870 pages |
| Published | : | June 1st 1992 by HarperPerennial (first published 1983) |
| Categories | : | History. Nonfiction. Politics. World History. North American Hi.... American History |
Rating Regarding Books Modern Times: The World from the Twenties to the Nineties
Ratings: 4.26 From 2342 Users | 178 ReviewsWrite Up Regarding Books Modern Times: The World from the Twenties to the Nineties
Though I admit that it is comprehensive and spans a wide variety of topics deftly, certain details were presented as fact when they were opinion. I was frustrated at how the author used his own opinion to gloss over unknowns. That being said it was extremely helpful in putting the stories of each region of the world in relation to one another. It also made fascinating compariaons throughout - for example he touches on how extremists have similarities even while some are viewed as evil and someWhile its historical accuracy may be iffy, it does make for a fascinating read. Full review here https://smolinskiblog.co/2019/08/08/p...
An agnostic wag once said, "Any fool can make fun of evangelicals, but if you really want to see a crazed doctrine, look for a conservative Catholic, preferably a conservative Jesuit." This certainly holds true for Paul Johnson, who mars what could have been a superbly written book of breathtaking scope, with points of view that aren't merely limited or blinkered, but downright crazed at times.In the first couple chapters, I was ready to give this book an instant 5 stars, due to the author's
A conservative's view on modern history. I didn't like it because it only told one side of the story and was biased. The value in the book is how Johnson emphasizes and shows the importance of individuals in history. Mao and Chiang Ka-Sheck? hated each other and this precipitated the fall of China to communism. It was not inevitable. He also points out the importance of the example of the free west, mainly America. It was interesting to read these exact same sentiments in recent issues of
A wonderful overview of the 20th century from the eyes of a well-educated conservative. Johnson may underestimate certain developments or overestimate some events and historical figures, but his ability to create a narrative is superb. Highly recommendable for everyone who wants to enjoy a well-writen history of the world, at least when it comes to the period from World War I to the 90s.It's biggest drawback is Johnson's strong libertarian leaning, which makes some of his explanations and
This is the book that got me interested in world history. It isn't dry, with a lot of tidbits thrown in. He also has a "premise" woven throughout the book, that with the change from moral thinking to "relative" thinking, there was a huge shift in culture and history. Including wars etc. However he isnt' heavy handed about his premise, and instead of being biased, he just points out a supporting fact periodically. It's a book that made WORLD history real to me, instead of something full of dates
An agnostic wag once said, "Any fool can make fun of evangelicals, but if you really want to see a crazed doctrine, look for a conservative Catholic, preferably a conservative Jesuit." This certainly holds true for Paul Johnson, who mars what could have been a superbly written book of breathtaking scope, with points of view that aren't merely limited or blinkered, but downright crazed at times.In the first couple chapters, I was ready to give this book an instant 5 stars, due to the author's
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