Cometh the Hour

History has not been kind to us. “right side.” It does not follow a predetermined course and has no end in sight. This can be frustrating for those who are trying to find meaning in time’s march, but it leaves room for one individual to make a significant impact on history.

In Personality and powerIan Kershaw, the distinguished British historian, is best known for his two volume biography of Adolf Hitler. Here, Kershaw identifies 12 individuals who achieved this feat in one time and one place. This book is an attempt to see the world. “the history of the twentieth century in Europe through the prism of some of the century’s outstanding—for better or, often, worse—political figures.” But it is less a portrayal of the continent’s relatively recent past than an examination of the roles played by some of those who shaped it. Each were “either a head of state or head of government,” a demarcation that excludes those lower down the pecking order—Trotsky, purged Please try again—as well as artists, scientists, and military men.

The list also includes chairmen, presidents, and ayatollahs not from Europe. Kershaw leaves out representatives from “a different caste of political leaders … mostly social democrats or liberals,” They have contributed little, but they are important. “to advances in social justice and of human rights.” Kershaw believes in the historical sweep enough to say that for a leader or group of people to change its direction, it must have already been markedly disrupted. This would typically not be the moment when a benign reformer takes control. Kershaw instead gives his readers Vladimir Lenin and Benito Mussolini as well as Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin and Winston Churchill. No Piłsudski?

A quick five second glance at the list should discredit the notion that the accomplishments and achievements of the people on it must be attributed to them. “greatness,” If this concept is laden with any notion of the heroic, noble, or admirable. Kershaw explores the remains of the “Great Man” School of History to demonstrate how fragile its foundations were. When making his selection, he forgot about morality and focused solely on the effect these leaders had.

The majority of Personality and Power is accompanied by brief, perceptive descriptions of

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