The 20th Century

I finally finished Twentieth Century, a history by J.M. Roberts published by Viking.  It took me quite some time; the book is 856 pages long.  What I took from the book are the amazing developments of the past 100 years.  In 1900 much of the world was divided into empires--British, French, Spanish, Ottoman, Portuguese, and others. Monarchies were more common than democracies.  Most of the world’s population could look forward to a short life of hunger, disease, and pain.  Women were second class citizens even in the most advanced countries.

In the 20th century the world became interdependent as never before.  Television and the internet were world-wide.  Men walked on the moon.  The population was four times larger in 2000 than in 1900.  We had developed a truly global economy.  We were destroying our environment.

In the 20th century barbaric actions took more lives than ever before.  World War I and II killed millions.  Toward the end of the 20the century barbarism in Rwanda and Kosovo were clear evidence that ethnic prejudice still retained its power. At least seven nations had nuclear weapons.  

Dr. Roberts wrote his history before the World Trade Towers were destroyed, before the U.S. engaged in torture, before Facebook and Smart Phones, before the Arab Spring, before the clear evidence of global climate change.  What will the world be like in 100 years from now, when my grandson Gavin is 94?  I am not optimistic.