Best twentieth century authors biography

You’ve been studying world leaders who had a big impact on the 20th century and investigating to what extent individuals—as opposed to broader forces—determine the course of history.

After looking at these eight leaders, what was your ultimate conclusion?

History is made by the encounter of individuals with great historical forces.

Best twentieth century authors biography

But what I argue in my book is that the first half of the 20th century was the era in all of history when individuals could have maximal impact. The reason for that is that the first half of the 20th century was the era of the two World Wars, the Great Depression and the beginning of decolonization.

These epochal trends acted collectively as a giant bulldozer, knocking down existing political and economic structures and giving individuals a greater opportunity than they’ve had before or since to build new political and economic structures on the ruins.

The eight individuals whom I discuss in The Titans