The San Diego World Affairs Council Presents
A Virtual Distinguished Speakers Series Program Featuring
Acclaimed Author & Historian
Michael Mandelbaum
Tuesday, November 12th, 2024
12:00pm - 1:30pm
VIRTUAL PROGRAM PRESENTED VIA ZOOM
Zoom link to be sent to all registrants one day before the program
About the Program
During this virtual event we will hear from author Michael Mandelbaum about his most recent book, Titans of the Twentieth Century: How They Made History and the History They Made. Mandelbaum has created an engaging and original historical portrait of eight of the most influential political figures of the twentieth century: Woodrow Wilson, Lenin, Hitler, Churchill, FDR, Gandhi, David Ben-Gurion, and Mao.
The Titans of the Twentieth Century addresses an age-old question: what is the impact of individuals on history? The first half of the twentieth century offered political leaders enormous scope for changing the world. This book consists of essays about eight who, for better and for worse, did just that.
A few highlights from the various chapters are below:
- Woodrow Wilson had a vision for a cooperative world order that failed after the First World War but gained in influence after the Second.
- Vladimir Ilich Lenin founded the totalitarian communist political system that controlled a large part of the planet for much of the twentieth century.
- Adolf Hitler started history's worst war and presided over history's worst atrocity, the Holocaust.
- Winston Churchill provided inspiring leadership to Great Britain, which made it possible to defeat Nazi Germany in World War II.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt steered the United States through the Great Depression and the Second World War.
- Mohandas Gandhi led the movement, and developed the philosophy of non-violence, that ended British rule in South Asia, paving the way for the end of empires throughout Asia and Africa.
- David Ben-Gurion led the miraculous restoration of Jewish sovereignty in the Holy Land.
- Mao Zedong, imposed totalitarian communist rule on China and became history's most egregious mass murderer.
Individually, each chapter offers fresh and often surprising portraits of the twentieth century's titans. Collectively, the essays present a vivid and revealing portrait of a turbulent half-century that shaped the world of today. Join us in this special opportunity to hear from Mandelbaum first hand, and learn how we can forge a better future by reviewing lessons from the past.
Free to members & the public, available via Zoom. Pre-registration required.
About Michael Mandelbaum
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Michael Mandelbaum is the Christian A. Herter Professor Emeritus of American Foreign Policy at The Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. He is the author of seventeen previous books, including Mission Failure (Oxford, 2016), The Rise and Fall of Peace on Earth (Oxford, 2019), The Four Ages of American Foreign Policy (Oxford, 2022), and That Used to Be Us (with Thomas L. Friedman, 2011). His latest book, Titans of the Twentieth Century, was published by Oxford University Press in September 2024.
To purchase his book,Titans of the Twentieth Century, please go here.
