Engagement with the Past : The Lives and Works of the World War II Generation of Historians

Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., John Hope Franklin, Daniel Boorstin, C. Vann Woodward, Edmund S. Morgan, Barbara Tuckman, Eric Hobsbawn, Hugh Trevor Roper, Lawrence Stone -- aside from carrying the distinction as some of the most successful and well-respected historians of the twentieth century, these scholars found their lives and careers evolving amid some of the world's pivotal historical moments. Dubbed the World War II Generation, the twenty-two English and American historians chronicled by William Palmer grew up in the aftermath of World War I, went to college in the 1930s as the threats of the Great Depression, Hitler, and Communism loomed over them, saw their careers interrupted by World War II, and faced the prospect of nuclear annihilation. They gained from their experiences the perspective and insight necessary to wrtie definitive histories on topics ranging from slavery to revolution. Engagement with the Past offers biographies of these individuals in the context of their generation's intellectual achievement. Based upon extensive personal interviews and careful reading of their work, Engagement with the Past is a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at a generation of historians and how they helped record and shape modern history. Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., Richard Hofstadter, Daniel Boorstin, Kenneth Stampp, C. Vann Woodward, John Hope Franklin, Edmund Morgan, Barbara Tuchman, Geoffrey Elton, Lawrence Stone, Hugh Trevor-Roper -- aside from carrying the distinction as some of the most successful and well-respected historians of the twentieth century, these scholars found their lives and careers evolving amid some of the world's most pivotal historical moments.Dubbed the World War II Generation, the twenty-two English and American historians chronicled by William Palmer grew up in the aftermath of World War I, went to college in the 1930s, and suffered interrupted careers during World War II. They lived through the Great Depression, Hitler, Communism, and the prospect of nuclear annihilation, and they gained from their experiences the perspective and insight necessary to write definitive histories on topies ranging from slavery to revolution.A historiography of amazing scope, Engagement with the Past offers biographies of these individuals within the context of their generation's intellectual achievement. Basing his study on dozens of personal interviews and careful readings of original historical texts, William Palmer gives an insider's glimpse into the lives of these men and women -- their battles for tenure, the opportunities and hardships of academia, and the juxtaposition of writing about the past while themselves living through significant moments in history. Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., Richard Hofstadter, Daniel Boorstin, Kenneth Stampp, C. Vann Woodward, John Hope Franklin, Edmund Morgan, Barbara Tuchman, Geoffrey Elton, Lawrence Stone, Hugh Trevor-Roper -- aside from carrying the distinction as some of the most successful and well-respected historians of the twentieth century, these scholars found their lives and careers evolving amid some of the world's most pivotal historical moments. Dubbed the World War II Generation, the twenty-two English and American historians chronicled by William Palmer grew up in the aftermath of World War I, went to college in the 1930s, and suffered interrupted careers during World War II. They lived through the Great Depression, Hitler, Communism, and the prospect of nuclear annihilation, and they gained from their experiences the perspective and insight necessary to write definitive histories on topies ranging from slavery to revolution