The Long Nineteenth Century, 1750-1914: Crucible of Modernity

by Trevor R. Getz

The Long Nineteenth Century, 1750-1914 is a global history textbook with a difference. It is a guide for students to the actions and experiences by which communities and individuals in different parts of the world constructed, contested, and were affected by major trends and events in the global past.

The book explores the global history of the 19th century holistically. Its content is framed in chapters that tackle themes rather than geographic regions or chronological sub-divisions. Moreover, in order to connect human experiences and perspectives with global trends and events, each chapter - whether it focuses on politics or religion, economics or environment - is underpinned by an approach emphasizes social and cultural history.

Through its pages, students critically encounter important global trends and key events from the Industrial Revolution to the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. The book ends with an epilogue on the First World War that brings all of the themes of the volume together in one place and also provides a segue into the mid-20th century.

Genres: History

256 pages, Hardcover

First published February 8, 2018

Reviews

[Andrea Engle]

Revisionist history textbook marred by poor editing ... the Crystal Palace’s Great Exhibition was held in 1851, not 1885 ... describing Vladimir Lenin as a “leading Socialist” is odd, to say the least ... several typos and ungrammatical sentences ... although flawed, and painted in extremely broad brush-strokes, the book addresses its subject globally, which is refreshing... more thumbnail biographies and illustrative examples to flesh out nebulous generalisations would have improved the book, but probably doubled its length ...

[Mark]

I don't understand how this many typos end up in a book like this. There's a serious lack of analysis; the reader is rarely told the broader "why" (of second-wave colonialism, for example) in any convincing terms, if at all. It reads more like an unedited wikipedia page instead of something marketed as a serious historical work.

There is just a lot of strange and nonsensical prose throughout, so strange that it sheds doubt on the author's true grasp of and/or passion for the history. A genuinely infuriating read.

[Andrew]

From one history lover to another, any book where I can learn is a treat. Read this for a college class, and it left me hungry for more while also wanting a more in-depth view of specific points.

[Mark]

A good overview of the subject, with a global perspective, marred by a distracting number of typos.

[David]

informative but is it worth the money?

Expansive on the topic of the 19th century but expensive considering it’s length and lack of depth on any particular subject

[Jack R White]

This was a very comprehensive text book on the long 19th century with a critical lens on capitalism, consumerism, empire, industry, and colonization. This book served tasteful critique and commentary, focusing on marginalized communities and the effects the large spread of industrialization had on these groups. I appreciate this book for what it is, however If you're searching for a piece completely devoid of opinion I would look elsewhere, with that being said I loved this book and the critical perspective.