Modern Times by {author}: summary and why it matters
Paul Johnson's 1983 history of the twentieth century, tracing its tragedies to relativism and the rise of the all-powerful state.
Also known as The World from the Twenties to the Nineties
The book
| Author | Paul Johnson |
|---|---|
| First published | 1983 |
| First publisher | Harper & Row |
| Kind of book | History |
What it argues
Johnson opens with the year 1919 and Einstein's confirmation of relativity, which he claims, somewhat provocatively, was widely taken to mean a moral relativism. He argues that when the old religious and moral certainties weakened, the way was open for the secular messiahs of the century, such as Lenin, Hitler and Mao, and their ideologies, who claimed to remake man and took power over millions.
The book moves through the first war and its settlement, the rise of the totalitarian states, the Depression, the second war, decolonization, the Cold War and the failures of the postwar welfare and planning states. He praises the postwar recovery of the West and the economic success of free societies and treats Reagan and Thatcher as sources of renewal.
Johnson's judgments are blunt and personal, and critics find them one-sided.
Why it matters
The book is a conservative reading of the century that shaped a generation's view of totalitarianism and liberal-democratic recovery. Readers should check it against other histories, since its thesis is strong and its confidence high.
About the author
Paul Johnson (1928-2023) was a British journalist and historian who had edited the New Statesman, a left-wing magazine, before moving to the political right in the 1970s. He wrote prolifically on history, art and religion, including A History of Christianity and The Birth of the Modern. Modern Times was published in 1983 and revised in 1991.
Who should read it
Readers of history who want a vigorous argument, and students comparing interpretations.
Sources
Profile last reviewed November 8, 2026