Also by Eric Hobsbawom "THE AGE OF REVOLUTION 1789-1848 ‘THE AGE OF CAPITAL 188 AGE OF EXTREMES THE SHORT TWENTIETH CENTURY 1914-1991 Eric Hobsbawm‘An Abacus Book Fire published in Great Britain by Michael Joseph 1994 “Ths edition published by Absoue 1995 (Copyright © Eric Hobsbawes 1994 The moral right ofthe author has been asserted Allright ererved. No part of this publication may be reproduced sored ina retrieal system, or transite, in any form or by any means without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding ‘or caver other than that in which ix published and without 2 siilar condition inluding this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. ACCP extalogue record for this book is avalable from the Brith Library ISBN 0 349 10671 Printed and bound in Great Bitin by Clays Led, St ves ple Abacos A Division of Lisle, Brown and Company (UK) Brettenham House Lancaster Place London WC2E 7EN ' premier sci Contents 10. 2 B Macraions Prefice and Acknooledgements The Centry: A Bird's Eye View Part ONE: THE AGE OF CATASTROPHE ‘The Age of Total War "The World Revolution Int the Economic Abyss ‘The Pall of Liberalism Against the Common Enemy ‘The Ans 1914-45 End of Empires Part Two: THE GOLDEN AGE Cold War ‘The Golden Years ‘The Social Revolution 1945-1990 Cultural Revolution ‘The Third World ‘Real Socialism’4. 15 16. 1. 18. Part THREE: THE LANDSLIDE ‘The Grits Decades ‘Third World and Revolution End of Socialism ‘The Avant-garde Dies —‘The Arts After 1950 Sorcerers and Apprentices ~ The Natural Sciences ‘Towards the Millennium References Farther Reading Indes 403 43 461 su 558 387 610 61s Illustrations 1. The Arce Franz Ferdinand and his wife Roger Vill) 2. Canaan soldiers among shell raters, 1918 Popper) 4. War cemetery, Chalon-sr-Marne (Rope Vat) 4 Russian soldier, 1917 lon Desh) 5. The October revolution: Lenin Halon Deus) 6 May Dy poster, 1920 (Daoud King Callen) 7. AGerman banknote for twenty millon marks (ation Deck) 4 "The Wall Stet cash of 1929 (ox Communication) 9. British unemployed in the 1930 (Halon Dail) ‘Ado Hier and Benito Maslin Paton Desh) TeaanFascits marching past Mussolini Halton Deas) Nai rally a Nuremberg (Rober Harding Pere Lbrary) ‘Anarchist mili in Barclona, 1936 Halon eta) ‘Adolf Hier in occupied Pais lon Dats) US ‘ying Foruesse raid Belin (Popefo) “The bate of Kura, 1943 (Robert Harding) London baring, 1640 (Halton Deus) Dreaden burned, 1945 (Huo Dec) Hiroshima after the stom bomb, 1945 (Rex Feature) ‘Josip Bror, Marshal Tito (Rer Feature) ‘A Besh wartime poster Umpeil War Mascon) ‘Algiers, 1961 (Robert Harding Pictare brary) Premier Indra Gandhi (Res Feature) AUS cruise mise (Rex Feature) Al for Soviet SS missiles (Poppet) “The Berlin Wall (Poppers) Fidel Cass rebel army in Santa Clara (Magmen) Tnsrrectonris in El Salvador (alton Deed ‘Anti-Vietam War demonstration, London (Halton Deal) Iran, 1979 (ation Dec) Michael Sergeyevch Gorbacher (Res Feature)