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Eric Hobsbawm was born in 1917. Member of the British Academy and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, holder of honorary degrees from universities in different countries.

Age of Extremes: The Short Twentieth Century (1914-1991) is consistently featured in every catalog of world history books. The key to this phenomenal success is simple: the English scientist has created a detailed and original survey of the most important phenomena and processes characteristic of world society between 1914 and 1991. At the same time, he not only summarized the facts, but also tried to fit them into the system of historical synthesis, recreating the spirit of the times.

The main issues Hobsbawm focuses on are the onset of total war, the revolution in Russia, the Great Depression, the decline of liberalism and the rise of dictatorships, the unification of anti-fascist forces in World War II, decolonization and the end of empires, the "golden age" of the post-war rise and the period subsequent economic crises, the development of third world countries, the emergence and collapse of the socialist system. Separate chapters are devoted to the cultural revolution, science and art.

With the same internal logic, the author describes how radio changed the lives of the poor, talks about the course and significance of the Spanish Civil War, or explains the impact of the development of the world economy on agriculture. But the main thing is that it is never boring.