1. The rise and fall of Communism in Russia (1917-1991)

The Bolshevik Revolution established the Soviet Union and brought about struggles between Communism and capitalism and between totalitarianism and the open society. These struggles dominated the century and ended with the victory of the open society and free-market economies. The nature of Communism led to a great cultural debate among intellectuals and artists. They argued intensely about whether culture is autonomous or is the product of economic and social forces and must be engaged for or against "progress" as defined by leftist political opinion.

 

Donald G. Marshall is a Professor and the Head of the Department of English at the University of Illinois at Chicago. His top 10 events of the 1900's reflect a general historical approach. Professor Marshall emphasizes the impact of technology on the century and points out one chilling effect : "The fear that humankind's highest scientific achievements will destroy us becomes very real."

1.

The rise and fall of Communism in Russia (1917-1991)
2. The invention of electronic communications media (early to middle 1900's)
3. The collapse of colonialism and the struggle for racial equality (middle to late 1900's)
4.

The development of the automobile and the airplane (early 1900's)
5. The development of the computer (middle to late 1900's)
6. The new physics (throughout the 1900's)
7. The impact of World War II and the Holocaust (middle to late 1900's)
8. The development of biomedical science (mid-1900's)
9. The emergence of "modern" architecture, art, literature, and music (throughout the 1900's)
10. The outbreak of World War I (1914-1918)