How is that a plagueridden, wartorn peninsula on the western fringe of the eurasian land mass grew in wealth and power to an extent never seen before in human history. Fergusons brilliant 90page introduction doubles as a manifesto on the methodology of counterfactual history. He is the milbank family senior fellow at the hoover institution, stanford university, a senior faculty fellow of the belfer center for science and international affairs at harvard, and a visiting professor at tsinghua university, beijing. Niall ferguson argues that the british empire was an overall good entity and todays modern world needs another nation to step up and be a world leader. Ferguson approaches this conclusion as well, recognizing that counterfactuals are important for understanding the significance of com plexity and chaos theory for historiography. But, beginning with the fall of the berlin wall in 1989, the east has now caught up, according to niall ferguson. These include the pity of war on wwi, the war of the world about the major conflicts in the 20th century including a stunning chapter on the armed slave labor camp that was the soviet union, and this book virtual history on counterfactual or what if history. See all 11 formats and editions hide other formats and editions. Niall ferguson pronounced neal was born in glasgow in april 1964 and was educated at glasgow academy.
Virtual history niall ferguson is fellow and tutor in modern history at jesus college, oxford. The house of rothschilds and basic s own the pity of war. Language and sources info in this extract ferguson takes these different essays and weaves them into a counterfactual narrative history. First the german states themselves were merged into a single state in 1938. Niall ferguson is wrong about the national curriculum. Alternatives and counterfactuals by ferguson, niall from amazons fiction books store. Futurist on human progress by the long now foundation from desktop or your mobile device. Niall ferguson has written several fine books that are mustreads for educated people. He remembers that the decision turned on comparing hamlet with the thirty years war. It is separated into six chapters, each of which describes a killer application.
Niall ferguson talked to des dearlove about the relevance of history to business leaders. What if nazi germany had defeated the soviet union. He has also written numerous articles on nineteenth and. A critical essay on niall fergusons treatment of marxism. When the german challenge came therefore, it found angloamerica unready. In niall fergusons 2002 book empire, ferguson argues that while the british empire had its faults, it was better for the people over whom it ruled and for the world as a whole. The elevator pitch for niall fergusons civilization. Nber researchers new nber affiliates are appointed through a highly competitive process that begins with a call for nominations in january. Niall ferguson is one of britains most renowned historians. What would the world be like if communism had never collapsed. Interestingly, niall ferguson, who is a professor of history at harvard university and the london school of economics, does not emphasize the triumph of the west so much as the weakness of the rest, which, he argues, made it relatively easy for. World heritage encyclopedia, the aggregation of the largest online encyclopedias available, and the most definitive.
Dave rubin of the rubin report talks to niall ferguson historian and author about his background, his thoughts on the intellectual dark web, his. History of networks and power applies to silicon valley. Niall ferguson national bureau of economic research. Niall fergusons acclaimed empire brilliantly unfolds the imperial story in all its splendours and its miseries, showing how a gang of buccaneers and golddiggers planted the seed of the biggest empire in all history and set the world on the road to modernity.
Virtual history by niall ferguson penguin books australia. Paraphrasing mcneill, i conclude that no better overarching analysis of twentiethcentury. The rise and demise of the british world order and the lessons for global power by robin melville e te fabula narratur. The west and the rest, popular and controversial historian niall ferguson sets out to explain why western civilization, roughly understood as the set of peoples and nations that live in the earths northern hemisphere, reaching from the u. As an adolescent in the 1970s, he felt that he wanted to write books but did not know what kind. Illustration by jillian tamaki the historian, biographer and author, most recently, of the square and the tower. Michael goves new national curriculum is out, and already the big guns of oxbridge are blasting the changes it proposes to the way english kids are taught history.
He is the author of paper and iron, the house of rothschilds, and the pity of war. A regular contributor to television and radio, ferguson wrote and presented a sixpart history of the british empire, plus a twohour documentary, american colossus. He is an intrepid thinker and is quite prepared to challenge the norms of historical research. Niall ferguson, author of the highly acclaimed the pity of war, leads the charge in this historically rigorous series of separate voyages into imaginary time and provides farreaching answers to these intriguing questions.
Those that are fond of history and question purported historical facts will love this book. The rise and demise of the british world order and the lessons for global power new york. Niall ferguson is a historian who wrote the pity of war, virtual history and. The author first lays down the ground rules and looks at probable events that did not happen but could have happened and would have changed the course of history. Niall ferguson thinks standards of history teaching have fallen to an alltime low. Hoover institution fellow niall ferguson provides a briefing on covid19 in the light of history and network science. Lse ideas appoints professor niall ferguson to chair in international history one of the worlds most eminent scholars, professor niall ferguson, is joining the staff of the london school of economics and political science lse. One fine example is his book empire, which argues, quite against the current fashion, that the british empire left many a good legacy which we in the modern world have inherited.
The implications of virtual history deserve to be meditated by every historian. Alternatives and counterfactuals by niall ferguson. Alternatives and counterfactuals kindle edition by niall ferguson author visit amazons niall ferguson page. He is also a senior fellow at the hoover institution, stanford university. Niall ferguson biography life, family, children, parents. How would england look if there had been no cromwell. By going in hard on the cultural issues, trump is forcing the democrats, increasingly, into the identity politics that you find on american campuses. You might not require more era to spend to go to the ebook establishment as competently as search for them. If there is a sufficiently large number of such studies, it may become possible to make some tentative generalizations about contingency in history.
He was a senior research fellow at jesus college, oxford and is a visiting professor at the new college of the humanities. A leading british historian has called for a jamie oliver. He is also a senior fellow at the hoover institution, stanford university, and a senior research fellow at jesus college, oxford. Fergusons stated purpose is to write the history of globalization as it was promoted by great britain and her colonies, not to write yet another history of the british empire p. Niall ferguson is fellow and tutor in modern history at jesus college, ox ford. In 1997, however, niall ferguson edited a collection of essays that launched the idea of counterfactual history on the world. Niall ferguson on historical interpretation youtube. Niall ferguson, virtual history faculty of history. Alternatives and counterfactuals paperback may 1, 2011. Stream peter schwartz, niall ferguson historian vs. Niall ferguson is fellow and tutor in modern history at jesus college, oxford. The reality was that the german centralisers led by hitler were able to transform the federal europe created in 1916 into an increasingly centralised leaderstate without paying the slightest heed to angloamerican views. Essays and criticism on niall ferguson further reading.
What if britain had stayed out of the first world war. The most brilliant british historian of his generation. Mcneill states that no better introduction to the study of balkan and ottoman history exists. Edited by niall ferguson, virtual history applies counterfactual arguments to decisive moments in modern history. Nevertheless, in his introduction to the 1977 edition of nobelist ivo andrics the bridge on the drina cited several times by ferguson, william h. Candidates are evaluated based on their research records and their capacity to contribute to the nbers. Western civilization has risen to dominate world affairs over the last five hundred years, a record unmatched in world history and at odds with its population and geography relative to other countries and civilizations, due to six killer apps that have provided an advantage on the. Virtual history alternatives and counterfactuals niall.
Hamburg business and german politics in the era of inflation 18971927 which was shortlisted for the history today book of the year award. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Professor ferguson will take up the philippe roman chair in history and international affairs, for 20102011. Virtual history is the brainchild of niall ferguson, a fellow and tutor in modern history at. In the quote, ferguson departs wildly from any authentic attempts at rational or academic interpretation of history, and jumps feet first into a partisan, political view of modern society. Doing so, ferguson placed virtual history within the limits of past perceptions. In this extract ferguson takes these different essays and weaves them into a counterfactual narrative history. Niall ferguson, stanford universitys hoover institution senior fellow and the square and the tower author, discusses. He tries to explain the origins of wwi, arguing that german paranoia of encirclement, a disparity of domestic financial constraints among european powers, and british miscalculations of germanys longterm interests were among the primary catalysts of the outbreak of war in august 1914.
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