Recently, I delved into Eric Hobsbawm's “The Age of Extremes,” a historical grand work that left me captivated and contemplative.

Hobsbawm, with his deep insights, takes readers on an intellectual odyssey spanning from the cataclysmic events of 1914 to the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. He combines the harsh realities of wars, economic upheavals, and political revolutions with the quieter nuances of societal shifts.

One should keep in mind that Hobsbawm was an avid Marxist, which reflected heavily on his books.

What struck me most was Hobsbawm's ability to weave together the threads of global history, providing a panoramic view of the century's extremes. From the devastation of the World Wars to the ideological battlegrounds of the Cold War, Hobsbawm fearlessly confronts the tumultuous periods that shaped the destiny of nations.

Content

Part I. The Age of Catastrophe
1. The Age of Total War
2. The World Revolution
3. Into the Economic Abyss
4. The Fall of Liberalism
5. Against the Common Enemy
6. The Arts 1914–1945
7. End of Empires

Part II. The Golden Age
8. Cold War
9. The Golden Years
10. The Social Revolution 1945–1990
11. Cultural Revolution
12. The Third World
13. "Real Socialism"

Part III. The Landslide
14. The Crisis Decades
15. Third World and Revolution
16. End of Socialism
17. The Avant-Garde Dies: The Arts After 1950
18. Sorcerers and Apprentices: The Natural Sciences
19. Towards the Millennium