Disclaimer:
This review will contain spoilers of the content discussed. In case you did not know that the Eighty Years' War coincided with the Thirty Years' War, then you do now.
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This review will contain spoilers of the content discussed. In case you did not know that the Eighty Years' War coincided with the Thirty Years' War, then you do now.
~~~
'A History of the Modern World', written by an illustrious trio of historians (the late R.R. Palmer, Joel Colton and Lloyd Kramer), is western-centric, often anecdotal, suggestive and charged. For the student of history, it is probably one of the most horrible books to introduce oneself to a certain and specific era in the history of the world.
It is also a brilliant piece of historic literature, which deserves its place as the unofficial 'bible' of historiography. The flaws summed up in the above paragraph, which might have confused, infuriated or 'tickled' the reader are, for the most part, the results of that which comes naturally with the package. 'A History of the Modern World' (from hereon referred to by its more informal title in the academic/historical world: 'Palmer') attempts to tell a history of how the modern world came to be, and does it in a grandiose fashion.
The 'facts' (i.e. history as accepted by academical consensus) are there. 'Palmer' quickly glosses over ancient and medieval times, before picking up the pace in treating the 16th to early 18th centuries. Little time is wasted in dealing with medieval times, with the center of gravity revolving around the so-called 'New Monarchies' of Europe and the destruction of the Late Roman/Medieval world, which itself stays only barely described. The main argument, however, is solidly made. The New Monarchs and the conceptualization and creation of 'the state' are the foundation on which the great mass of 'Palmer' rests.
What follows is the great quality of the work. The story of the late 18th to early 21th century is made understandable and sensible. Great importance is ascribed to the French Revolution (of which R.R. Palmer was a scholar of note) and its far-flung consequences, permeating the entirety of history up to the early 21th century. To Palmer, Colton and Kramer, virtually all of history must be seen as an event, not on its own, but as a result of the French Revolution. This is true to an enormous extent, although I myself would not argue likewise with such immense certainty.
Of course, part of this certainty comes from the narrative structure employed by the authors. They tell a history, which itself implies a causal connection from beginning to end. 'Palmer' attempts to uncover the red thread of modern society, and to make this thread visible and understandable. A Herculean effort, in which they succeed remarkably. The narrative is gripping, interesting and rarely dull.
The choice for such a narrative comes at a price, however. One gets the impression by reading 'Palmer' that the modern world was created in Europe, since all other continents only feature when they are being colonized and de-colonized. America, for obvious reasons, being the exception. This makes this history of the world awefully western-centric, with little regard to the contribution of (especially) Asia.
Another (un)intended consequence of the narrative structure is that 'Palmer' is, for the most part, a socio-political history. Certainly, too much detail and information would bury the red thread Palmer tries to lay bare, but it creates a history that is focussed, perhaps too much, around individuals and ideas. And, finally, the 'law of unintended consequences' is pretty much absent in the narrative. Most of the events are described as both the cause and the consequence of individual action, and often intended by the historical actors.
Or, in other words, shit never 'just happens'. It always happens for a reason. This way figures like Louis XIV and Otto von Bismarck are presented as larger than life, as opposed to the hapless individuals, constrained by society and the world they too were.
To conclude it suffices to say that 'A History of the Modern World' is just that: a history of the modern world. It is not the history, nor the history to end all histories. A great read and a great scholarly work, I can recommend this to anyone interested in history. Especially because it is so wonderfully accessible to the lay-man historian. Concepts and events are explained in understandable terms.
History must be popular for the past to be relevant, and if any work has the potential to be both popular and relevant, then it must be A History of the Modern World.
