Heather Gorsett’s Reviews > Modern Times Revised Edition: The World from the Twenties to the Nineties > Status Update
Heather Gorsett
is on page 176 of 880
Chapter 4: Legitimacy in Decadence really highlighted colonialism and imperialism. The great age of imperialism began in the 1870s and included France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Portugal, and of course Britain. It was a highly visual phenomenon, abounding in flags, exotic uniforms, splendid ceremonies, postage stamps, and colored maps. It bred grandiose illusions but was made of lath and plaster, waiting to crack.
— Mar 04, 2025 04:56PM
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Heather’s Previous Updates
Heather Gorsett
is on page 544 of 880
Chapter 15: Caliban’s Kingdom” deliberately evokes Shakespeare’s The Tempest, where Caliban is the native inhabitant of a conquered island—both savage and pitiable, resisting colonial authority yet morally ambiguous. Johnson casts postcolonial Africa in a similar light: a land rich in potential, but plagued by internal disorder, violence, and exploitation after the departure of European powers.
— Oct 29, 2025 07:11AM
Heather Gorsett
is on page 506 of 880
In Chapter 14: The Bandung Generation, the 1955 Bandung Conference symbolizes the rise of a post-colonial world, as newly independent nations sought solidarity and autonomy from both Western and Soviet powers. Yet instead of delivering freedom and peace, the movement often gave rise to regimes more brutal than colonial rule. Algeria stands as a stark warning of what happens when ideology overrides morality.
— Oct 10, 2025 04:05AM
Heather Gorsett
is on page 466 of 880
Chapter 13: Peace by Terror shows how the post-WWII peace of the 1950s was maintained not through diplomacy, but through nuclear threats, secrecy, manipulation, and fear. It marks the start of the Cold War, with the rise of NATO, the Marshall Plan, the fall of nationalist China, and growing U.S. global involvement. At home, McCarthy's hysteria clashed with Eisenhower’s quiet, calculated leadership.
— Sep 01, 2025 05:07AM
Heather Gorsett
is on page 432 of 880
Chapter 12: Superpower and Genocide, examines the pivotal final phase of World War II, covering the Holocaust, the collapse of Nazi Germany, the atomic bombings, and the handling of war crimes. It explores Japanese and Soviet atrocities, the treatment of POWs, and the post-war tribunals. The chapter reveals how realpolitik and moral compromise ultimately undermined the Allies’ claim to a purely just victory.
— Aug 20, 2025 04:16AM
Heather Gorsett
is on page 372 of 880
Chapter 10: The End of Old Europe, tells of the aftermath of WWI and the collapse of traditional monarchies in Europe. The profound transformation gave way to new political entities like Lenin and Stalin in the Soviet Union, Mussolini in Italy, and Hitler in Germany. These totalitarian regimes reshaped society through radical ideologies and centralized power, marking a departure from the previous political order.
— May 31, 2025 06:35PM
Heather Gorsett
is on page 341 of 880
Chapter 9: The High Noon of Aggression, examines the escalation of global conflicts during the 1930s, focusing on the aggressive expansionism of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. These nations' actions marked a critical juncture in the lead-up to WWII, highlighting the failure of appeasement and the international community's inability to effectively counteract totalitarian ambitions.
— May 28, 2025 06:41PM
Heather Gorsett
is on page 309 of 880
Chapter 8: The Devils returns to Europe, where we see Stalin and Hitler in full force at their peak.
"Stalin had acquired a pupil, admirer and rival in the shape of Hitler, controlling a similar autocracy and planning human sacrifices to ideology on an even ampler scale. For Americans, then, it was a case of moving from a strict Arcadia to an active pandaemonium. The devils had taken over."
— May 14, 2025 06:10AM
"Stalin had acquired a pupil, admirer and rival in the shape of Hitler, controlling a similar autocracy and planning human sacrifices to ideology on an even ampler scale. For Americans, then, it was a case of moving from a strict Arcadia to an active pandaemonium. The devils had taken over."
Heather Gorsett
is on page 262 of 880
Chapter 7: Degringolade, followed America’s roaring 20’s up with its turbulent 30’s. The Great Depression began with the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and plunged the economy into collapse. The conservative duo Harding and Coolidge in the 20’s is contrasted with the progressive combo Hoover and Roosevelt. Despite Hoover’s republican position he was no different than FDR in policy; both were interventionists.
— Apr 29, 2025 05:11PM
Heather Gorsett
is on page 230 of 880
Chapter 6, The Last Arcadia described America’s prosperity in the 1920’s and what the ingredients were: America was one of the least totalitarian societies on earth; hard work, frugality, freedom of conscience, freedom from government, and respect for serious culture were present; and Harding / Coolidge were a dynamic duo of cutting government spending, limiting government, and preserving the ideals of freedom.
— Apr 22, 2025 01:26PM
Heather Gorsett
is on page 203 of 880
In Chapter 5, Infernal Theocracy, Celestial Chaos we meet China and Japan and their radical reform (a distinct version of their own Marxist theory).
“The tragedy of China illustrates the principle that when legitimacy yields to force, and moral absolutism to relativism, a great darkness descends and angels become indistinguishable from devils.“
— Apr 15, 2025 01:34PM
“The tragedy of China illustrates the principle that when legitimacy yields to force, and moral absolutism to relativism, a great darkness descends and angels become indistinguishable from devils.“
