Age Of Hatred

History
Spring Semester 2015

The Age of Hatred

Authors
BV
NM
SR
TB

Introduction
This essay 's purpose is to investigate the causes of violence in the twentieth century. To do so,
Niall Ferguson 's The War of the World, History 's Age of Hatred was used as a basis for research.
Afterwards, it was complemented with different points of view from other authors such as Mazower,
Kershaw, Berghan and Hobsbawm, who trace similar roots to the unprecedented brutality.
The focus of this essay is mainly on events like modernization, economic volatility, different ideologies, religion and the fall of empires, given that several authors share the belief that these circumstances triggered - or at least had a huge role in - the violence in this era.
As
Conclusion
Ferguson theorizes that the three main causes for violence in the twentieth century arose from the three E’s: ethnic conflict, economic volatility and empires in decline. However, the author leaves out important features, in which other authors seem to agree upon. Ferguson explained in great detail the decline of empires as an important aspect in this era. Nevertheless, he fails to mention other points such as modernization as an amplifier of ethnic conflict and ideologies as playing a role in the process.
In conclusion, we can observe that each author has a different explanation for the occurrence of such violence and it is necessary to complement their works to better understand the period in question.
However, one point seems to be recognized by all - the brutality in Europe was not accidental, but a developmental phase in the history of the continent. All in all, not only is important to recognize the large number of features that led to violence in the twentieth century but also to understand their dynamics and outcomes.

Bibliography
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Ferguson, N., 2006, ‘The Next World of War’, in Foreign Affairs, viewed 21 March 2015, from http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/61916/niall-ferguson/the-next-war-of-the-world 9

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Hobsbawn, Eric, 2004, The Age of Extremes: The Short Twentieth Century, Abacus Publishing,
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Ferguson, Niall, 2006, The War of the World: History 's Age of Hatred, Allen Lane, London.

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