The History of the World

I’ve read about one-third of Twentieth Century:  The History of the World, 1901-2000 by J. M. Roberts.  At 906 pages, this is not a book, it’s a tome.  Nonetheless, I find it riveting.  

I am struck with how much can change in 100 years.  In 1913, one year before my father was born, the world was largely at peace.  Communism was a dream of a few radicals.  Hitler was an unemployed youth in Austria.  Africa was divided up into colonies.  India belonged to Great Britain.  China was a basket case.  The Ottoman empire ruled most of the Middle East, and the Austro-Hungarian empire ruled much of Eastern Europe.

What will the world be like in 2100?  Will the sea level rise as predicted?  Will one of the seven or eight countries that now possess nuclear weapons use them in war?  Will the world’s population stabilize, or will it continue to outstrip resources?  Will the U.S. and Russia be second-rate countries in a world dominated by China, India, and Brazil? 

In 1913, no one could have imagined the horrors of World War I or World War II.  No science fiction writer would have predicted the internet, or N.S.A. spying, or D.N.A.,

or G.P.S., or cell phones.  

I won’t be around to see the changes, but my grandson will.  And I worry for his sake.