People of History, Personalities and the Course of History

When looking at history, there is another element that should be taken into consideration as much as the plot: Individuals. Although focusing on the role of individuals in history is an approach that the scientific method stays away from, can we understand how the American people coped with the Great Depression without mentioning the persuasion skills of Franklin Delano Roosevelt? Is it possible to understand the Germany or Soviet Union of the period by ignoring the power drunkenness, paranoia and arrogance of Hitler and Stalin? Or is there any tool that can better explain the great events that left their mark on history, such as the genocide, than the diary of a citizen who witnessed them first-hand? People of History, written by historian and academician Margaret MacMillan, focuses on what individuals, from leaders to ordinary citizens, tell about themselves, their contemporaries and the world they live in, and their choices at historical turning points. Reading the memoirs of an Englishman who fell in love with the Albanian mountains and local culture, the records kept by the first settlers in Canada, the memoirs of Babur or the diary of a genocide survivor, not only evoke the naughty feeling of gossiping, but also serve a much greater purpose. : to show that people like us are actually history itself. “I hope that the people I have chosen from the past will help to illuminate for us in the present the complex nature of humanity, its countless contradictions, inconsistencies, evil and stupidity, but also its virtues. Most importantly, the people of history will make us aware of the good and evil that exists in all of us.”

(From the Promotional Bulletin)

Media Type: Paperback

Number of Pages: 248

Size: 15x21

First Printing Year: 2017

Dough Type: 2nd Dough

Number of Printings: 1st Edition

Language: Turkish