Customer Reviews

The Twentieth Century: A People's History

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I often use this book in one of my university history classes, "US History Since 1877." It's biased. All history writing it biased. (George W. Bush's problems with "revisonist history" aside.) I tell the students about Howard Zinn and his biases. And I tell them to try and be as upfront and aware of biases as they are of Zinn's, and as Zinn is of his own. People are bombarded with so much yahoo, rah-rah, raise-the-flag, my-coumntry-right-or-wrong (the next part of that toast is usually---and very conveniently---ignored; check it out some time) that Zinn is as refreshing as a tequila mojito on a hot summer day. He may rant, but unlike many on the other sides he can be checked out for veracity and found to be correct. You have to be when you're taking shots from folks who prefer using cant, rhetoric and arrant nonsense to propel their own agendas. Highly recommended. But, if you use this book in a class, watch out; the Thought Police are watching.

The 20th century was a violent, disturbing time but one with many amazing developments. Zinn focuses only on the dark aspects and primarily on the U.S. role in international politics. I have enjoyed and been informed by Zinn's work in the past but I found this book overly simplistic. While my politics are left leaning, i find that many historians on the left write about the world as if everything that happens in the world is a conspiracy- human psychology, sociological trends, even religion never enter Zinn's mind as reasons for the march of history. The 'America is bad' view of life is irratatingly simplistic. That said, Zinn is an expert on Vietnam and his work is an antidote to the skewed history textbooks we were forced to read in high school. I recommend this but also think it is necessary to not accpet everything in the book as a rock solid truth.

With this book, I was expecting Zinn to go into more detail about America in the 20th century, but it is essentially the 20th century chapters of People's History of the United States taken out and labeled as a new and different book. If you have an older version of Pepole History of the United States by Howard Zinn, the Twentieth Century might be good because of the chapters relating to the elder Bush and Clinton administrations. The rest of the chapters are in people's history. However, recent version the people history of the united states do contain the extra chapters so if it would be better to just get a later version of People's History of the United States instead if you don't have a copy yet.

I have got nothing but respect for Professor Zinn's work. The absence of footnotes was at first puzzling, specially for someone making such an incisive and calm yet ruthless attack on the traditional approach to history. However, for the informed reader of American history, the lack of footnotes is not a problem, specially since the one point that comes across continuously while reading this book is: "I know this has happened, so that is not the point! Why did I not look at it THIS WAY or read more about it before?"!

Its all there. But not as you are used to reading it. As Zinn himself states at the beginning of the book, this book brings you a step closer to the desperate protester who used self-immolation as an extreme protest -- in extreme desperation.

Nothing is new! The way the institutions of this country work, the Dept. of Justice, the courts, the Congress... not much has changed through the 20th century. Sadly though, a lot more remains unchanged: the fate of poor immigrants, under-paid and over-exploited workers, the disparity between the richest and the poorest, the vulgar gulf between the haves and the have-nots, the hollow, much repeated and stale rhetoric that is often blared at the people!! Those people whose story this book tries to tell.

I am going to read the expanded version of Howard Zinn's "People's history" (the one from 1492 -- this one is only about the 20th century). Partly because, the sad removal and near-extinction of the Native Indians, in its saddening and brutal details, not only makes for "interesting" history reading, but also, among a more aware people, it would lead to a lot of soul-searching and self-examination, specially as the 'leaders' of the 'People' keep embarking on new wars, and 'crusades', against other 'people' of the world. However this book is more suited for the young and "impatient" American readers, who can only read and absorb so much!! No need to read about long-forgotten Native Indians... The 20th century is full of Vietnam, Hiroshima, Iraq, and other disgraces to get you interested in history.

Unfortunately, there can never be enough of books like these. The stupor that seems to have fallen upon the whole nation, which has turned into insensitive emotionless gears of a money-making machine, needs books like these as an antidote!!!

Even if all the above does not make sense to you, as an average reader, you will surely appreciate that Professor Zinn does what every historian SHOULD do: Let History Speak for Itself!! It is gloomy, dark, ironic, sad and bitter enough, that one only needs to present it with the calm, cold, impersonal and yet effective bitterness, with which Howard Zinn's pen presents it to you!!!

A MUST-READ for EVERY American. For every person attending a college, don't think that you know about history, till you can appreciate and share the bitterness, sadness and introspection that this book would and SHOULD lead you to.

Hats off to Zinn for a great and gripping read. Can't wait to get my hands on more books by him.

I am just about to finish reading. This book is the first credible account of OUR history I've been exposed to that does not come from the perspective of wealthy, white, males. It won't be the last. I find this book to be of high value when trying to interpret current world events and trying to understand what motives could be at play. The history of our economic evolution alone makes this an important work, if you want my opinion. It chronicles the trends of concentration of wealth and power while offering insight into the causes of such trends. Additionally the exploration of various movements throughout the century was fascinating. There are numerous quotes from other authors or just letters written by ordinary people...often with extraordinary vision. I've been addicted to this book since I began reading it and at times, while considering the implications of MY government's actions, had to put it down...but never for long. The first step to solving a problem is to understand what is happening...and why.

Professor Zinn is a brilliant teacher. His view of American history is hardly mainstream. To that end, he offers a focus that probes beyond the accepted norms. Zinn writes with courage, honesty and a powerful intellectual intensity. Ultimately, Zinn pragmatically explains that it is our duty to examine political events with an open mind.

Zinn's revisionism is doubtless a salutary thing. But it carries with it a certain danger, which is demonstrated perfectly by our friend Brett Treible below, who says, "Your judgments cannot be wrong as long as you consider all things." I see. So what you would have me believe is there is some sort of positivistic TRUTH out there accessible to all who are brave enough to "consider all things". I think you might be listening to NPR a little too much. "All things" is at best an abstraction (and a metaphor) and at worst an ideological tool of the left. Don't get me wrong: I think Zinn's work is a welcome antidote to the generally sugar-coated literature on American history (although I should add that we're not alone in our taste for sugar -- it's a product of the nation-state and its voracious need for legitimacy), but the problem is that his work suggests, along with the rest of the left, that the truth is out there and it's just being hidden from you by greedy corporate titans and venal government bureaucrats. This conceit is really just a continuation of Marxist superstructure theories and the naive positivism of the Enlightenment, itself the endlessly replenishing source of all variants of Marxism. So I'm glad, Brett, that you feel enlightened by Mr. Zinn -- there's no doubt he has a lot to teach us all. But please don't let him convince you that history can be reduced to a good vs. evil paradigm that is there for anyone with eyes to see. Don't let him convince you that all you need to look for is "all things" and then the truth will be clear. All things cannot be comprehended, so there is inevitably some degree of CHOICE in what you present. This choice is in turn determined by a political agenda. In other words, deconstruction applies to the left, too.

As a prospective law students and a asian student, I've especially interested in American history. In addition, this totalitarian jingoism has made me very critical about US democracy. Do you think Sep 11th is a disaster? Then US attack to Afghan is a catastrophy!

This book is a few exception that US scholars think in their own independent way, not for the benefit of corporate.

It makes you think over 'What is real justice?'. Also, it is wholly readable.

As a prospective law students and a asian student, I've especially interested in American history. In addition, this totalitarian jingoism has made me very critical about US democracy. Do you think Sep 11th is a disaster? Then US attack to Afghan is a catastrophy!

This book is a few exception that US scholars think in their own independent way, not for the benefit of corporate.

It makes you think over 'What is real justice?'. Also, it is wholly readable.

After reading A PEOPLE'S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES, also by Howard Zinn, I wanted to learn more about our more recent presidents and their legacies. This volume offered some of the info from the original book, in order to keep continuity, but also continued to the Clinton presidency. Due to our current political problems in election 2000, I was able to reference my areas of interest. More specifically, the role of the electoral college, and how the vote is affected by voter turnout. I found, for instance, that due to low voter turnout, Geo. Bush, Sr. got into office with only 27% of the country's vote, claiming the election as "the will of the people". The same applies to Ronald Reagan. During massive budget cuts in social services, there were significant demonstrations all across the country during the Reagan administration. I hadn't been aware of this information since the media just didn't cover a lot it. The current political climate becomes clear when reviewing events from Zinn's historical perspective. Howver, this is a book written for the common man, not for the mythology of conservatism. If you like Rush Limbaugh or Chris Matthews, you won't like this book, although it isn't partisan, but rather clear and comprehensive.