The People's Century

Godfrey Hodgson

The twentieth century has been the people's age. During the last ten decades most men and women have gained the vote. Education has been made available for children outside wealthy elites. Mass production has been the common denominator of wealth, and poverty, for millions of people. Mass communications have revolutionized the world economy and expanded our sense of the world beyond our own experience. Now, more than ever before, we have access to images of the successes and struggles of people Ilinked to us by what we are learning to recognize as the common thread of humanity. We are beginning to see history as the story of people like ourselves, rather than an account of the achievements and mistakes of rulers, elites and famous rebels. Illustrated with nearly 500 powerful images and personal photographs that help to bring first-hand accounts to life, People's Century is an unforgettable story of the ebb and flow of conflict and calm, of despair and hope, during a period of tumultuous and far-reaching change.