A Radical History of the World
A history of the world that proves that nothing can stay the same.
History is a weapon. The powerful have their version of events, the people have another. And if we understand how the past was forged, we arm ourselves to change the future.
This is a history of struggle, revolution and social change: of hominids, hunters and herders; of emperors and slaves; of patriarchs and women; of rich and poor; of dictators and revolutionaries. From the ancient empires of Persia and Rome to the Russian Revolution, the Vietnam War, and the 2008 Crash, this is a history of greed and violence, but also of solidarity and resistance.
Many times in the past, a different society became an absolute necessity. Humans have always struggled to create a better life. This history proves that we, the many, have the power to change the world.
Neil Faulkner was a historian and archaeologist. He is the author of numerous books, including A Radical History of the World, A People's History of the Russian Revolution and Lawrence of Arabia's War.
'In a world of deepening danger where reactionary narratives continue to hijack the mainstream, Neil Faulkner makes a powerful and necessary case reminding us of the truly radical history driving human social and political evolution'
- Rachel Holmes, author of 'Eleanor Marx: A Life''One of the finest historians on the left'
- John Newsinger, author of The Blood Never Dried: A People's History of the British Empire (Bookmarks, 2006)'Staggeringly ambitious'
- New InternationalistIntroduction
1. Hunters and Farmers c. 7 million-3000 BP
2. The First Class Societies c. 3000-1000 BC
3. Ancient Empires c. 1000-30 BC
4. The End of Antiquity c. 30 BC- AD 650
5. The Medieval World c. AD 650-1500
6. European Feudalism c. AD 650-1500
7. The First Wave of Bourgeois Revolutions 1517-1660
8. Absolutist Europe and Capitalist Globalisation 1660-1775
9. The Second Wave of Bourgeois Revolutions 1775-1815
10. The Rise of Industrial Capitalism c. 1750-1850
11. The Age of Blood and Iron 1848-1873
12. Imperialism and War 1873-1918
13. The Revolutionary Wave 1917-1928
14. The Great Depression and the Rise of Fascism 1929-1939
15. World War and Cold War 1939-1967
16. The World on Fire 1968-1975
17. The New World Disorder 1975-2008
18. Capitalism’s Greatest Crisis? The Early Twenty-First Century
Conclusion: Making the Future
Timeline
Sources
Bibliographical Notes
Select Bibliography
Index
eBook ISBN: 9781786803283
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