An Historian in the Twentieth Century: Chapters in Intellectual Autobiography

Overview

Max Beloff, one of Britain's most distinguished historians, here offers an eloquent account of the relationship between history and politics in the twentieth century as seen through the perspective of his own professional life. The book opens with an account of Lord Beloff's own route to professional history and the reasons he became involved in specific areas of historical specialization. He reflects on the nature and purpose of historical study in the light of current controversies on both sides of the Atlantic. Beloff discusses the problems of the nations he has studied during his half-century as a working historian, and explores the challenges they present to historians: Britain, France, the United States, Russia, and Israel. The final chapters of the book deal with two major themes that have formed a bridge between Beloff's scholarly contributions and his activity in politics - the quest for European unity and the collapse of the European empires that culminated in the disintegration of the Soviet Union. The book concludes with Beloff's provocative opinion that, in the light of the current sufferings of 'Third World' peoples, the end of European imperialism is a matter not for rejoicing but for regret.

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