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From Library Journal
Braudel was the most prominent member of the Annales school of history in post-World War II France. This history, originally published in 1963 as part of curriculum reform for French secondary students, was eventually judged by French school teachers as too hard for their students and was withdrawn. More than half the book is devoted to the development of Western civilization, and despite the judgment of French school teachers, it is suitable for serious high school students along with undergraduate and public libraries.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
A leader of the Annales school, which reacted against the prominence of politics and personalities in historiography, Braudel wrote based on la longue dur{‚}ee, emphasizing the material basis of daily life--the routine workings of commerce as it changes over the long term. This outlook has gradually permeated the profession, and, as so often happens when a good idea proves unstoppable, its proponent takes a turn at textbook writing. This is the late Braudel's 1962 lesson for French university students on the origin of European, Islamic, Indian, Asian, and New World civilizations. As a text it wasn't widely adopted, perhaps because France was then in a political uproar, pitting its colonialists--heirs to the civilizing mission of the nineteenth century--against decolonizers. And the book bears that sign of its time: The colonial motif pops up everywhere, presented as a timeless feature of ways of life in collision. So it was at the Battle of Tours in 732, which stopped the Muslim juggernaut; and so it is now in the anti-Western sentiments in the Arab world. Whether the conflict split religion and religion, town and country, or liberty and right, the colonial view benefits from Braudel's phenomenal depth of knowledge and synthesizing agility, and his palpable curiosity enlivens the sometimes deadly textbook form. For serious history collections. Gilbert Taylor
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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First Sentence
It would be pleasant to be able to define the word 'civilization' simply and precisely, as one defines a straight line. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
It would be pleasant to be able to define the word 'civilization' simply and precisely, as one defines a straight line. Read the first page
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Concordance
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Time Capsule,
By
This review is from: History Of Civilizations (Paperback)
This book attempts to give an overview of all the world civilizations. However this book is a little dated now. Originally this was published in the 1960's, so it reflects a Cold War era point of view. This especially comes through when he isn't talking about western cultures. For example, he expresses a fear that the Islamic cultures, due to the large number of desperate and poor people, would abandon their traditional religion, Islam, and take up the banner of Communism. Well, as we can see today, Islam will last a few thousand years longer than Communism. Also there are a few mistakes in this book. On a map showing the division of Spanish-speaking Latin America and Portuguese-speaking Latin America, countries such as Jamaica and Haiti are shown to be a part of Spanish-speaking Latin America.It's not all bad though. The section on the development of Europe is excellent. Also this might be useful as a sort of time capsule. Those who are interested in a Cold War view of history would like this. If you're looking for the history of civilizations though, you should look for a more modern and complete source.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Intro to a Better Understanding of the World,
By "rolihlahla82" (Wisconsin, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: History Of Civilizations (Paperback)
If you want a better understanding of how the world has come to be what it today is, then this book is a good first step in so doing. Braudel was an influential French historian specializing in the Mediterranean, so his insights into the evolution of Europe are more insightful than other regions he highlights (but he is insightful throughout). Excellent book to read while you bask in the sun with your feet dancing in Lake Michigan on a tourist beach (as I did). Maybe the atmosphere I had while reading made me enjoy it more; nonetheless, one should read this if they have any desire to.
2.0 out of 5 stars
Very unbalanced,
By Papagena (Cantabria, Spain) - See all my reviews
This review is from: History Of Civilizations (Paperback)
This essay is a classical book from the 1960s, about the idea of civilization and the different ones that Braudel considered that were in existence. Some descriptions are brilliant, others not quite. But they all are a good introduction to some of them, unknown to us, like Islam or Black Africa.He explains their history, their past and present. There're very surprising historical facts. For instance, about slavery and the enormous demographic tragedy that meant for Africa. Millions of men and women were captured and brought Westward to America and Eastward to Moslem countries (the Turkish Empire, Arabic peninsule) and he gives higher numbers in those sold as slaves to Moslem countries than those sent to America. Braudel considers that there are real alive Africas in America (in Brazil or the Caribbean islands) while no trace of those wretchs sent to Islamic lands can be found, as if swallowed up by the sands of hot desserts. We know a lot about slavery towards America but very few about that bleeding towards Arabic countries, some of them still defend and practice slavery, for instance in the Arabic peninsule. Those facts were the most touching for me because it shows the difference among civilizations towards the other one, the one that is different, and I was so disconcerted that for once I couldn't come to any conclusion about anything this book told me. Which I guess is a good starting point. Still, the second part told me nothing and it was dificult to finish. I'd put 5 stars to the chapters I-IX and none to the rest. So I guess 2 is a fair average.
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