The Twentieth Century: A World History PDF
Preview The Twentieth Century: A World History
The Twentieth Century: A World History The New Oxford World History The Twentieth Century: A World History R. Keith Schoppa 1 3 Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide. Oxford is a registered trade mark of Oxford University Press in the UK and certain other countries. Published in the United States of America by Oxford University Press 198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, United States of America. © Oxford University Press 2021 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press, or as expressly permitted by law, by license, or under terms agreed with the appropriate reproduction rights organization. Inquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent to the Rights Department, Oxford University Press, at the address above. You must not circulate this work in any other form and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer. Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data Names: Schoppa, R. Keith, 1943– author. Title: The twentieth century : a world history / R. Keith Schoppa. Description: New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2021] | Series: New Oxford World history series | Includes index. Identifiers: LCCN 2020058375 (print) | LCCN 2020058376 (ebook) | ISBN 9780190497354 (hardback) | ISBN 9780190497361 (paperback) | ISBN 9780190497385 (epub) | ISBN 9780197571958 Subjects: LCSH: History, Modern—20th century. Classification: LCC D421 .S337 2021 (print) | LCC D421 (ebook) | DDC 909.82—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020058375 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020058376 DOI: 10.1093/ oso/ 9780190497354.001.0001 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2 Paperback printed by LSC Communications, United States of America Hardback printed by Bridgeport National Bindery, Inc., United States of America Frontispiece: The bombing of Nagasaki, August 9, 1945. World History Archive/ Alamy Stock Photo EC80X4 For you, dear grandchildren, Laurel, Noah, Luke, and Eli— My wish is that you can help transform the spirit of your century— the twenty- first— to bring unity that values diversity, where people, above all, are humane, and where the environment is honored as a harmonious and protected space for productive lives well- lived. Contents Editors’ Preface..............................ix Introduction .................................1 Chapter 1 The Great War and Social Change, 1900–1 919......13 Chapter 2 Claustrophobia: Totalitarianism and the Great Depression, 1920– 1936........................32 Chapter 3 Worlds Blown Apart, 1937– 1949 ................51 Chapter 4 A New Day? Revolution, Cold War, and Decolonization, 1950– 1965.....................71 Chapter 5 Struggling for Equality, Freedom, and Peace, 1966– 1979 .................................93 Chapter 6 Bright Triumphs, Dark Disasters, 1980– 1991 ......111 Chapter 7 Written on the Darkest Pages of Human History, 1991– 2000 ................................130 Acknowledgments...........................151 Chronology................................153 Notes ....................................157 Further Reading ............................167 Websites ..................................171 Index ....................................173 Editors’ Preface T his book is part of the New Oxford World History, an innova- tive series that offers readers an informed, lively, and up-t o- date history of the world and its people that represents a significant change from the “old” world history. Only a few years ago, world his- tory generally amounted to a history of the West—E urope and the United States— with small amounts of information from the rest of the world. Some versions of the old world history drew attention to every part of the world except Europe and the United States. Readers of that kind of world history could get the impression that somehow the rest of the world was made up of exotic people who had strange customs and spoke difficult languages. Still another kind of “old” world history presented the story of areas or peoples of the world by focusing pri- marily on the achievements of great civilizations. One learned of great buildings, influential world religions, and mighty rulers but little of ordi- nary people or more general economic and social patterns. Interactions among the world’s peoples were often told from only one perspective. This series tells world history differently. First, it is comprehen- sive, covering all countries and regions of the world and investigating the total human experience—e ven those of so-c alled peoples without histories living far from the great civilizations. “New” world historians thus share in common an interest in all of human history, even going back millions of years before there were written human records. A few “new” world histories even extend their focus to the entire universe, a “big history” perspective that dramatically shifts the beginning of the story back to the Big Bang. Some see the “new” global framework of world history today as viewing the world from the vantage point of the moon, as one scholar put it. We agree. But we also want to take a close- up view, analyzing and reconstructing the significant experiences of all of humanity. This is not to say that everything that has happened everywhere and in all time periods can be recovered or is worth knowing, but that there is much to be gained by considering both the separate and interrelated stories of different societies and cultures. Making these connections is still another crucial ingredient of the “new” world history. It emphasizes
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