Modern Times Audiobook By Paul Johnson cover art

Modern Times

The World from the Twenties to the Nineties

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Modern Times

By: Paul Johnson
Narrated by: Nadia May
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Named one of the Best Books of the Year in 1983 by the New York Times, this fast-paced, all-encompassing narrative history covers the great events, ideas, and personalities of the six decades following the end of World War I. It offers a full-scale, if controversial, analysis of how the modern age came into being and where it is heading.

Beginning with May 29, 1919, when photographs of the solar eclipse confirmed the truth of Einstein's theory of relativity, Johnson goes on to describe Freudianism, the establishment of the first Marxist state, the chaos of "Old Europe", the Arcadian 20s, and the new forces in China and Japan. Also discussed are Karl Marx, Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Roosevelt, Gandhi, Castro, Kennedy, Nixon, the '29 crash, the Great Depression, Roosevelt's New Deal, and the massive conflict of World War II.

©1983 Paul Johnson (P)1988 Blackstone Audio Inc. 20th Century Modern World Self-Determination War Imperialism Interwar Period Soviet Union Russia Military China Socialism Capitalism Stalin Middle East Africa Latin America Social justice Refugee Roosevelt Family Imperial Japan Middle Ages

Critic reviews

"Johnson's insights are often brilliant and of value in their startling freshness." (Los Angeles Times)
"Frequently surprises, even startles us with new views of past events and fresh looks at the characters of the chief world movers and shakers, in politics, the military, economics, science, religion, and philosophy of six decades." (The Wall Street Journal)
"Truly a distinguished work of history...Modern Times unites historical and critical consciousness. It is far from being a simple chronicle, though a vast wealth of events and personages and historical changes fill it....We can take a great deal of intellectual pleasure in this book." (The New York Times)
Comprehensive History • Engaging Narrative • Pleasant Voice • Insightful Analysis • Contrarian Perspective
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Overall the book is great. Very well read but sound lacks volume. I certainly recommend it.

A must

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Johnson has a great sense of narrative and real moral outrage about the evils of communist and fascist totalitarianism. For this liberal it was a stunning and provocative view of history from the conservative angle.

That said, he refuses to criticize dictators who were on the US side and even excuses their crimes in a way he never excuses communists. The chapter on the Spanish Civil War is absurd, and his critiques of intellectuals and "east coast elites" are simplistic and Nixonian in their transparent resentment.

Challenging for a liberal to read

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on the 20th century. A compelling read.

More conservative take

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Undoubtedly one of the most compressive views of one the most transformative (and violent) times in the collective history of humanity.

Amazing view of the XX century.

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Paul Johnson is a historical genius in the wilderness. However, you should listen to the narrator sample before purchasing this. I may be old and losing some of my touch on hearing, but I found the narrator often hard to understand, or let her strong voice tail off at the end of sentences.

Listen to the Sample first

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As someone born in the 70s and raised in the 80s, this book recounts my history. It synthesizes much of what I lived through as a young American watching the world, and what I learned as a young American about 20th century history in school. (Although Johnson is much more thorough and much more in depth than anything I learned in school.) Johnson's critique of political zealotry and false hope in Marxist ideology is spot on. The possibility of leaving the evils of the 20th Century for a more hope-filled 21st century, which Johnson pines for in the final paragraph of the revised edition of this book, seem doubtful at best.

Fantastic overview of 20th-century history

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Very well studied and researched even though I did not agree with ieverything. Probably understated the impact of Kissinger on American foreign policy. Overall I would recommend this book which covers a vast amount of events over nearly a century. Even during the course of one century there is large amount of empirical evidence suggesting the greater degree of economic freedom in the greater the rule of law the better off and more prosperous a people will be. A good acknowledgement of the flaws in social engineering and the social sciences more broadly

Very well studied and researched

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This was one of the influential books on my political and historical thinking when I read it in college in the late 90s. This presentation is first-rate, and the lady reading it is delightfully pleasant to listen to.

However, I wanted to point out that Audible has this mistitled. The cover photo and titling show the sub-title as "From the Twenties to the Nineties". Yet this is a 1988 recording of the original 1983 text sub-titled "...to the Eighties". While Johnson seems cautiously to predict the end of the Soviet regime, he wrote this before it happened. Later, he added a chapter to the 2nd edition which covered the revolutions of the late 80s/early 90s which discussed various events and figures that brought about the end of the Soviet Communist Bloc, and that 2nd edition saw the "Eighties" changed to "Nineties" in the title.

While I thoroughly enjoyed this presentation, I would recommend finding a recording of the 2nd edition instead as it seems a more fitting end to this narrative history of the 20th Century..

Great in almoat every way, except this is mistitled on Audible.

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This is a very entertaining history, well read and well recorded. It offers a fresh look at some familiar personalities and events. You might also enjoy The Glory and the Dream by William Manchester.

Unconventional wisdom

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Nadia may's voice can not be heard unless turned way up if you're driving on the freeway or working with motor equipment... Other than that call Johnson did out standing except for the parts that he Affirms evolution stupidity

Good insights, weak narration

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