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A review by jmatkinson1
Centuries of Change: Which Century Saw the Most Change and Why it Matters to Us by Ian Mortimer
5.0
This is really original and fascinating concept, looking at the last thousand years of Western history, which century has seen the most change?
Ian Mortimer is an excellent historian, his works on the Middle Ages are both entertaining and academic. here he has widened his remit to look at the key factors causing change over time and the proportionate effects. Taking each century in turn Mortimer explores the changes that took place economically, societally and scientifically and looks at their impact on life. He also considers which individuals had the biggest influence through their work.
What makes this book more that just a personal view of history is the attempt to quantify some of the information and actually produce a more scientific conclusion than mere opinion. Using Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and a range of statistical sources Mortimer actually comes up with an answer.
Ian Mortimer is an excellent historian, his works on the Middle Ages are both entertaining and academic. here he has widened his remit to look at the key factors causing change over time and the proportionate effects. Taking each century in turn Mortimer explores the changes that took place economically, societally and scientifically and looks at their impact on life. He also considers which individuals had the biggest influence through their work.
What makes this book more that just a personal view of history is the attempt to quantify some of the information and actually produce a more scientific conclusion than mere opinion. Using Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and a range of statistical sources Mortimer actually comes up with an answer.