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A People’s History of the World

From the Stone Age to the New Millennium

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A People’s History of the World

By: Chris Harman
Narrated by: Napoleon Ryan
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About this listen

Chris Harman describes the shape and course of human history as a narrative of ordinary people forming and re-forming complex societies in pursuit of common human goals. Interacting with the forces of technological change as well as the impact of powerful individuals and revolutionary ideas, these societies have engendered events familiar to every schoolchild - from the empires of antiquity to the world wars of the 20th century.

In a bravura conclusion, Chris Harman exposes the reductive complacency of contemporary capitalism, and asks, in a world riven as never before by suffering and inequality, why we imagine that it can - or should - survive much longer. Ambitious, provocative and invigorating, A People's History of the World delivers a vital corrective to traditional history, as well as a powerful sense of the deep currents of humanity which surge beneath the froth of government.

©2017 Verso (P)2017 Tantor Freedom & Security Politics & Government World Human Rights Socialism Capitalism Imperialism War Middle Ages Self-Determination Middle East Africa Ancient History Soviet Union Taxation Latin America Refugee Iran Russia Winston Churchill Liberalism Colonial Period Social justice China Interwar Period British Empire World History Nonfiction Science

Critic Reviews

“I have had many people ask me if there is a book which does for world history what my book A People's History of the United States does for this country. I always responded that I know of only one book that accomplishes this extremely difficult task, and that is Chris Harman's A People's History of the World. It is an indispensable volume on my reference bookshelf." (Howard Zinn)
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excellent narration for a compact yet illuminating history, one rarely told from the perspective of workers

socialism or barbarism!

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This book is indispensable for any student of history. The physical book has many suggested further readings. I reread bits that I missed in the audio. Excellent and grand narration too.

Essential and brilliant

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Focussed on western civilisation. Not really about everyday people. More about political, socialist movements. Disappointed.

Regret buying this title

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I'm about 15 minutes into what sounds like a fascinating and long overdue book that has been written well and in a flowing and easy to read style. However the reader is absolutely mashing it up! He's reading it like a cross between an advert for a new film and child who pauses where there's no commas. If a narrator misses obvious cues to emphasis or in this case NO emphasis, it makes the thing unintelligible. I can't bear it. It needs to be re-done with a person that can read properly, following the conventions of punctuation!

Is this read by a robot?

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.