The Vertigo Years - Europe 1900-1914

Informationen zum Autor Philipp Blom holds a doctorate from Oxford University and is the author of To Have and To Hold and Enlightening the World. He frequently contributes articles to The Financial Times, The Independent, and The Guardian among others. He lives in Vienna. Klappentext From 1900 to 1914! Europe was a world adrift. In this short span of time--between the death of Queen Victoria and the outbreak of World War I--a new world order was emerging. In "The Vertigo Years!" historian Philipp Blom chronicles this conflicted epoch year by year! creating a unique anatomy of a pivotal era.From the advent of fascism to cubist painting! from the theory of relativity to consumer culture! Blom shows how the years between 1900 and 1914 molded the entire twentieth century. With deftly-told anecdotes and a novelist's sensitivity for poignancy! Blom's work brings the wonders! horrors! and fears of the early twentieth century vividly to life. Zusammenfassung Europe! 1900-1914: a world adrift! a pulsating era of creativity and contradictions. The major topics of the day: terrorism! globalization! immigration! consumerism! the collapse of moral values! and the rivalry of superpowers. The twentieth century was not born in the trenches of the Somme or Passchendaele!but rather in the fifteen vertiginous years preceding World War I. In this short span of time! a new world order was emerging in ultimately tragic contradiction to the old. These were the years in which the political and personal repercussions of the Industrial Revolution were felt worldwide: Cities grew like never before as people fled the countryside and their traditional identities science created new possibilities as well as nightmares education changed the outlook of millions of people mass-produced items transformed daily life industrial labourers demanded a share of political power and women sought to change their place in society!as well as the very fabric of sexual relations. From the tremendous hope for a new century embodied in the 1900 World's Fair in Paris to the shattering assassination of a Habsburg archduke in Sarajevo in 1914! historian Philipp Blom chronicles this extraordinary epoch year by year. Prime Ministers and peasants! anarchists and actresses! scientists and psychopaths intermingle on the stage of a new century in this portrait of an opulent! unstable age on the brink of disaster. Beautifully written and replete with deftly told anecdotes! The Vertigo Years brings the wonders! horrors! and fears of the early twentieth century vividly to life. ...

About the author

Philipp Blom is the author of several award-winning books, including A Wicked Company, and The Vertigo Years, which has been made into a three-part television documentary. A frequent lecturer at European and American universities, he also contributes to international newspapers and hosts a radio show on Austrian national radio. Philipp Blom lives in Vienna.

Summary

Europe, 1900-1914: a world adrift, a pulsating era of creativity and contradictions. The major topics of the day: terrorism, globalization, immigration, consumerism, the collapse of moral values, and the rivalry of superpowers. The twentieth century was not born in the trenches of the Somme or Passchendaele -- but rather in the fifteen vertiginous years preceding World War I.

In this short span of time, a new world order was emerging in ultimately tragic contradiction to the old. These were the years in which the political and personal repercussions of the Industrial Revolution were felt worldwide: Cities grew like never before as people fled the countryside and their traditional identities; science created new possibilities as well as nightmares; education changed the outlook of millions of people; mass-produced items transformed daily life; industrial laborers demanded a share of political power; and women sought to change their place in society -- as well as the very fabric of sexual relations.

From the tremendous hope for a new century embodied in the 1900 World's Fair in Paris to the shattering assassination of a Habsburg archduke in Sarajevo in 1914, historian Philipp Blom chronicles this extraordinary epoch year by year. Prime Ministers and peasants, anarchists and actresses, scientists and psychopaths intermingle on the stage of a new century in this portrait of an opulent, unstable age on the brink of disaster.

Beautifully written and replete with deftly told anecdotes, The Vertigo Years brings the wonders, horrors, and fears of the early twentieth century vividly to life.

Product details

• Authors: Philipp Blom
• Publisher: Basic Books Inc.
• Languages: English
• Age Recommendation: ages 13 to 99
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 02.11.2010
• EAN: 9780465020294
• ISBN: 978-0-465-02029-4
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > General, dictionaries; Non-fiction book; HISTORY / Europe / Eastern, HISTORY / Europe / Western, HISTORY / Modern / 20th Century / General