“The Age of Extremes: The Short Twentieth Century (1914–1991)” is one of the main works of the famous British Marxist historian Eric Hobsbawm. Together with the trilogy about the “long nineteenth century,” it is rightfully considered the pinnacle of world historiography. Hobsbawm divides the short twentieth century into three main stages. “The Age of Disasters” begins with the First World War and ends with the Second; followed by a “golden age” of progress, decolonization and increased prosperity throughout the world; the third stage, a crisis for both poles of the post-war world, ends with its complete collapse. Deep erudition and unique cultural experience allow Hobsbawm to use examples from a variety of areas of historical knowledge: the history of science and art, economics and revolutionary movements. A contemporary of the century, a cosmopolitan and a communist who had a hard time saying goodbye to the Soviet myth, Hobsbawm pays equal attention to Europe and the Americas, Africa and Asia. He has the gift of speaking to the reader on an equal footing, enlightening without condescension and instilling the ability to think systematically. A sober analysis of the processes at the end of the second millennium takes on a new meaning at the beginning of the third: the future that appears on the pages of the book has become a reality today. A fascinating and strikingly contemporary book, The Age of Extremes is an indispensable tool for understanding it.