Memories often go hand in hand with new beginnings, especially in the past one hundred years

The history of mankind has undergone earth-shaking changes. Therefore, the impact of looking back

The movement is so strong that it is hard to refuse. Today, according to different eras, we look back at some of the influential works of the 20th century. They either had epoch-making significance or hit the pulse of the times. Perhaps, we cannot discuss the masterpieces of the same era one by one.

Fortunately, our review focuses on display rather than comparison. After all, in the heart of every reader,

There is An unforgettable classic. It should be pointed out that our selection is limited to foreign works, but for Chinese people, many domestic works have also influenced our lives.

1900 to 1909

Breaking into the mysterious world

"If I cannot make the God in heaven bow, I will also make way for the devil underground."

--Virgil's famous saying is quoted in "The Interpretation of Dreams"

The 20th century is an era of the most dramatic changes in human life. However, in the initial period

At this moment, the world that has just entered the new century is still immersed in a soothing and peaceful life

. There is no roar of airplanes in the sky, and there is no hustle and bustle of cars in the city. There is no sign that human life will change much in the 20th century. Amidst the sound of the rumble of carriages

human beings enjoy the last tranquility.

However, this tranquility was soon broken. In 1900, a book received the most violent criticism from people. People talked about it and its author with contempt and almost mean language. The book sold only a few hundred copies in its first few years. This was the initial fate that Sigmund Freud and his "The Interpretation of Dreams" faced.

Freud openly admitted that his ideas "certainly disgust people", but he still confidently insisted that the book contains "viewpoints that psychoanalysis and every researcher must accept" >

And seek the most reliable basis for its training methods."

This book was originally planned to be published in 1899, but a far-sighted publisher

saw the value of the book and set its publication at a commemorative date. The year 1900 of significance.

The reason why "The Interpretation of Dreams" was widely criticized is that people at that time focused more

on the discussion of "sex" in the book. "The Interpretation of Dreams" focuses on the impact of "sex

" on people's behavior and thoughts, undoubtedly touching the most sensitive nerve in society,

"Oedipus Complex" Such a conclusion was obviously intolerable by the social morality at the time.

However, from today's perspective, "The Interpretation of Dreams" is a landmark work.

Its greatness does not lie in its understanding of "sex" Shocking discussions,

It is precisely those unique and novel insights about dreams that lead people to open the door of "dreams"

and truly enter the human world for the first time. The deep inner world reveals that the subconscious mind, which cannot be controlled by the conscious mind, actually contains such rich psychological content and huge creativity. Freud used the most rational voice to express the irrationality of human beings and elaborated on the living conditions of human beings at a deeper level.

Some people commented that although before Freud, subconscious issues had been looming

in some works, but as Leaf and Brendan had touched on To the American coast

Similarly, only Freud proved that the subconscious mind does exist and revealed its richness and horror. He was the Columbus of this field.

Freud explored human anxieties and nightmares in the 20th century from the perspective of human nature.

The school of psychoanalysis he founded became the most popular school of humanistic psychology in the 20th century.

It is an important source of the "critical theory" of the Frankfurt School in philosophy. Today, in the literary and artistic works of hyperrealism, naturalism, and abstraction, we can

Feel its huge impact.

1910 to 1919

Creating miracles by inference

"E=mc2"--Einstein

In 1905, A 26-year-old German named Einstein who works for the Swiss National Patent Office has published three consecutive papers in the German scientific magazine "Annals of Physics".

Among them, "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Objects" proposed a theory of space and time that was fundamentally different from traditional concepts. At that time, it only caused some repercussions in Germany. , and has not received the attention of most other physicists. Today, people comment that these three papers represent the most important achievements in theoretical physics in the world. Even if the author has never written a word before, these three papers alone represent the most important achievements in theoretical physics in the world. An article is enough to become a great man. Einstein became

synonymous with "genius".

In "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Objects", Einstein changed the previous concepts in people's minds and demonstrated that time and space are relative and can only be determined independently of each other. The speed of light outside the observer is constant. Einstein proved that when an object approaches the speed of light, its length decreases, its mass increases, and time slows down. It can be deduced from this that if

the speed of an object is the same as the speed of light, its length is 0, its mass will not increase, and time will stop. Einstein came to a conclusion based on this impossibility: No object can move at or above the speed of light. This theory, known as the "theory of relativity", made up for the two centuries of shortcomings of Newtonian physics. Einstein combined time and space to create a new The theory of the four-dimensional universe.

In 1916, Albert Einstein published "Foundations of General Relativity",

completed his revision of Newtonian physics. This time, Einstein introduced the concept of "matter" into his theory of relativity. He believed that matter is also an attribute of space and is also inseparable from time.

The general theory of relativity has caused shock in the global scientific community, and doubts have followed one after another. Love

Einstein's theory of relativity is a purely theoretical exploration completed entirely by his extraordinary wisdom.

All his hypotheses are not derived from observation, but from speculation and can be verified There are very few experiments on it. For this reason, some people even lamented: "General relativity is such a beautiful theory, but there are so few experiments that it is embarrassing." Some people say that general relativity is a paradise for theoretical physicists and a hell for experimental physicists.

Compared to those great geniuses who remained unrecognized throughout their lives, Einstein

was lucky. According to the theory of relativity, Einstein predicted that when a beam of light passes through the surface of the sun, its bending degree will be twice that of Newtonian mechanics and its explanation.

. Only three years after the theory of relativity was proposed, his hypothesis was verified during a solar eclipse in 1919, making general relativity instantly famous around the world.

The theory of relativity has completely changed people's understanding of space and time, bringing about a revolution in the entire physics

. It is worth mentioning that although the theory of relativity is obviously a difficult theory for most people, Einstein never gave up introducing it to ordinary people. A popular effort.

Starting in 1916, Einstein continued to revise and reprint a pamphlet on the theory of relativity until three years before his death. In this booklet,

there are very few mathematical and scientific citations. The logic of the article is natural and perfect. "It seems that someone has shown the author the operation of the universe, and he just recorded what he saw." People I can't help but marvel at this.

The theory of relativity is considered "one of the greatest achievements in the history of human thought".

The most familiar famous formula, E=mc2, laid the foundation for mankind to master nuclear technology. Theory

Basics. Throughout his life, Einstein was recognized as the greatest thinker of this century.

1920 to 1929

Being more confused due to thinking

“A person is not born to be defeated, you can eliminate him as much as you can. But

I just can’t defeat him.”--Ernest Hemingway

The world in the 1920s had just experienced the suffering of war. The most brutal war in human history has left the world devastated, and the trauma left in the hearts of mankind will never be healed. It seems to be an unchanging rule: war can make people realize things that were not cherished in peacetime, but what is left to people after the war is often spiritual disillusionment.

Although the world economy in the 1920s did not recover quickly from the war,

The young people who participated in the war were indulged in enjoyment. The horror of war and the betrayal of one's own ideals caused an entire generation to lose the goal of life. Therefore, when Ernest Hemingway's novel "The Sun Also Rises" was published in 1926, the term "The Lost Generation" was quickly accepted by people. This novel is regarded as the "Bible" of young people. The use of Hemingway's short and world-weary language has become a fashion for people to talk.

And the rough and sensitive narrative style is also loved by people.

"The Lost Generation" comes from the preface of the novel, which the author borrowed from the famous female writer Gert

Ruud Stein. Objectively speaking, "The Sun Also Rises" made Hemingway a rising star in the international literary world, but it is by no means the author's best novel. However, it is the author's work that most keenly captures the pulse of society

. As a highly autobiographical writer, Hemingway himself was one of those young people who grew up in a moral environment severely ravaged by war. He participated in that unforgettable war. He witnessed military medals being sold cheaply on the post-war market. The young people around him spent their days having fun. Drunken life and dreaming of death. This made Hemingway even more confused and heartbroken.

The prototype of "The Sun Also Rises" is the author's circle of writers, artists and

social celebrities who need stimulation. But it writes about the real living conditions of ordinary people

. The characters in his works cannot devote themselves to any great cause, but can only seek the meaning of survival in heroic, magnificent, and sometimes cruel scenes.

The "lost generation" is not a chaotic generation. It is precisely because of thinking that it becomes confused.

Throughout Hemingway’s life works, the protagonists also experienced a process from confusion and emptiness to brave struggle. In fact, the vast majority of the "lost generation" devoted themselves to the anti-fascist struggle for justice and survival more than ten years later. "The Sun Also Rises" keenly and accurately captures the spirit of the times, and its significance has gone far beyond the scope of literature. To this day, readers will still be moved by the desolation contained in it.

1930 to 1939

Escape from the Ark

“There is a basic psychological law that we can be sure of. Generally speaking, when

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When income increases, people will increase their consumption, but the increase in consumption will not be as much as the increase in their income

"

--J.M. Keynes

In 1929, an unprecedented economic crisis swept across the West, plunging the capitalist world into a whirlpool of severe depression and unemployment. The collapse of the stock market left people with lifelong problems

Savings vanished in an instant. However, economists still believe that the capitalist system is a self-regulating system and any interference is harmful. Therefore, in the first few years, Western governments adopted a stand-alone attitude and even firmly believed that "prosperity is just around the corner." The crisis was overwhelming. In 1933, the number of unemployed people in Western countries reached 30 million, more than five times that of 1929. For ordinary people, in the early 1930s, finding a job was the most urgent thing. People are asking: When will this Great Depression end, and how can we stop the economic recession?

In the midst of bitter expectations, in 1936, the British economist J.M. Keynes finally launched a plan to save the capitalist economy in his

The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money. The "prescription" is out

. In the book, Keynes launched a fierce attack on the laissez-faire economic policies of various governments. Keynes asserted that markets are not omnipotent. After conducting detailed research on the Great Depression, Keynes proposed the theory that a country's total output and employment depend on "effective demand." He believes that the key to increasing capital is to increase demand, which requires large and stable employment. The direct cause of unemployment is that society's demand for the products produced by enterprises continues to decrease, causing capitalists to no longer increase investment, which leads to a decrease in employment, causing workers to become unemployed. The way to eliminate unemployment lies in state intervention. When monetary

policy is not strong enough to stimulate investment growth to fully realize market regulation, the country must

use fiscal policy to directly invest funds in "public *** projects" in order to Expand domestic demand

.

"The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money" is a landmark work in Western economics

It caused a huge sensation in Western countries and was quickly adopted by various countries. Keynes is even known as the "Copernicus of economics." Some people say: "If you don't read Keynes's works, you are not qualified to talk about economics." Facts have proved that Keynes's economic views not only avoided the consequences of the Great Depression The capitalist economy suffered a devastating disaster,

Moreover, in the 1950s and 1960s when economic growth was high and unemployment was low, Keynesianism and its derived macroeconomic theories

Proven surprisingly fruitful.

As the most influential economist in modern times, Keynes's "General Theory" is compared with "The Origin of Species" and "Das Kapital" in the West. To this day, it is still Western

Economics provides an academic source.

1940 to 1949

Being and being free

"My position will not be a focus, but a starting point."

--Jean-Paul Sartre

War has come to the world again. The disaster caused by the Second World War was far beyond what could be compared with the previous world war. Humanity once again faces a turbulent world

and witnesses a man-made tragedy. At the same time, various contradictions brought about by the development of science and technology in this century have also begun to emerge. A crisis of faith and a crisis of science are coming to the world at the same time.

Where is the way out for mankind

? People who had experienced the baptism of the "World War I" were no longer confused. On the ruins of various disillusioned beliefs, they longed to find the true meaning of human existence.

In 1943, the French thinker Jean-Paul Sartre's book "Being and Nothingness" set up the banner of existentialism and called on people to seek freedom and freedom in crises. bright. Since the 1930s, Sartre has been considered a social rebel, someone who "continuously protests against the modern world in the name of the individual and in the name of people's freedom. A philosopher who wants to restore human value.

Sartre's thoughts changed throughout his life, but "man" and "freedom" have always been the starting point of his theory. In Sartre's view, the reason why people are nobler than things is because people can freely determine their own existence and freely choose their own essence. Sartre expressed the psychological feelings of many people of that era: the world is disappointing and life is full of absurdities. But Sartre did not despair. He told people that the hope of mankind lies in using one's own actions to resist the absurd world. Because people are free and the creators of all values. There is no God, no superhuman power, and no one else can change your destiny.

Whether a person becomes a hero or a coward is entirely up to you. Everyone should be

free to choose their own path and create unique value for their own life.

In "Being and Nothingness", Sartre puts people as the center and calls on people to continuously create their own existence through free choices and assume the responsibility of freedom in situations that cannot be changed

Take responsibility for yourself and the whole world. This philosophy aroused a strong outcry among the confused generation who were traumatized by the war and witnessed the brutal trampling of human nature. Thousands of young people call themselves "existentialists", wear "existentialist clothes" and live an "existentialist life". People talk about existentialism in cafes and watch existentialism in theaters. Previously, no philosophical trend had been so deeply rooted in people's hearts. The existential movement expanded from a philosophical and literary movement to a mass movement.

1950 to 1959

Seeking relief from ecstasy

“I didn’t know until now that in Iowa, the boys were always Turmoil

Noisy, because it is the land that makes them unable to calm down." - Jack Kerouac

In the 1950s, whether it was the victor or the defeated country in World War II, They are all busy healing

the wounds of the war. After several years of rapid economic development, they have entered a stage of relative prosperity. However, in stark contrast to the stability of life, People's mental state

is extremely tense. The shadow of war has not disappeared, and the terrifying atmosphere of the Cold War is even more suffocating. The crazy anti-*** farce of McCarthyism has caused many innocent victims.

It also makes it impossible for people to express their views on public life. The entire society is shrouded in an atmosphere of personal repression. The routine but almost numb life is in sharp opposition to the spiritual crisis prevalent in the entire Western world after the war.

In the late 1950s, represented by the publication of the novel "On the Road" and its author Jack Kerouac, a group of so-called "Beat Generations" took the lead in facing this kind of Paralysis initiated the

challenge. They believe that they have been defeated by a repressive society, and their attitude towards life is very simple, which is "contrary to everything recognized by society." "On the Road" focuses on the crazy and contented life of a group of homeless people who live on the margins of society and are not doing their jobs.

They despise those who gain social recognition by following rules. They are indifferent to politics, abandon all traditional social morals and values, and only pursue unrestrained self-expression. . This is undoubtedly a kind of rebellion against society. However, they

After all, they have gone too far. Sex, drugs, and crazy jazz have become synonymous with them.

And they finally He also became a victim of this crazy life.

The "Beat Generation" is a tragedy. Today, some people still regret their

absurd behavior; however, it was the society at that time that created this tragedy. . All humankind

should learn lessons from this.

1960 to 1969

Pay attention to life and the environment

"If the "Bill of Rights" does not guarantee that every citizen has the right to be free from lethal poisons

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The right to be harmed by drugs is definitely because our ancestors, despite their resourcefulness and foresight

could not imagine such a problem. ”

- -Rachel Carson

The development of modern society often exceeds people's imagination, and behind the so-called progress of civilization

the damage caused by human beings to their own living environment , it is often easy to be "ignored" intentionally or unintentionally.

In the 1960s, pesticides were widely used in farms and households around the world. However, people are still debating the pros and cons of whether

it is necessary to control the use of pesticides. debates, not to mention a complete ban on the use of these toxic products.

In 1962, Rachel Carson, who was originally a marine biologist, had realized the seriousness of the problem and published the book "Silent Spring" that year. In the video, Carson called out loudly, please pay attention to life and the environment, and stop plans that destroy lives due to the use of toxic chemicals. Otherwise, "silence" will no longer represent "tranquility" and become synonymous with "chilling". She asks readers to imagine a place where there are no birdsong, eggs cannot hatch, apple trees cannot bear fruit, cows lie dead in the fields, and children die on the playground. Then, she told everyone that "this place" does exist and that all of this is a true story that is happening.

“For the first time in history, every living being, from the moment of thought until death, is destined

to deal with dangerous chemicals. Young and old alike, these chemicals are now

They are stored in the bodies of most people. They appear in breast milk and may be released in the blood vessels of unborn children." "Silent Spring". The deafening voice

calls for human beings’ environmental awareness. In a sense, it also strives to change the destiny of mankind.

Despite pressure and slander from various interest groups, Carson never gave in.

She actively helped found environmental organizations. With the joint efforts of Carson and many environmentalists, after nearly 10 years of hard work, in the 1970s, the importance of environmental protection gradually became recognized by various countries. The government recognizes that environmental protection is increasingly becoming a global theme. And all of this may have started with Carson and her book "Silent Spring". No wonder some commentators said: "She only used a few thousand Words have taken the world in a new direction."

Because of this, we should never forget this pioneer of the modern environmental movement.

1970 to 1979

Revealing the Origin of the Crisis

“People quite naturally welcome and adopt ideas that can improve productivity and living standards

New technologies, however, people refuse to accept the social changes necessary for new technologies.

”

--Stavrianos

World civilization is the greatest wealth of all mankind. However, the study of world history, as a

an independent discipline, but it has never gotten rid of the Western-centered research perspective. Therefore, when Stavrianos's "Global History" was published in 1970, it was particularly interesting

Attention. This general history is considered to be the first world history written by historians using a global perspective and encompassing

global civilization.

Global History. "History" is divided into two parts: "The World Before 1500" and "The World After 1500

". The author believes that the entire world is an indivisible whole. Therefore,

He focused on those historical events that had a huge impact on the course of human history, and focused on analyzing the organic connections and interactions between various historical events. While recording the development of Western civilization, it also makes a comprehensive analysis of the politics, economy, and culture of various countries under the influence of Confucian culture, Arab civilization, etc., and fully affirms the people of all countries.

The contribution of ethnic groups to the process of world civilization. The author believes that before 1500, various

civilizations developed relatively parallelly, and after that, with the "discovery of the New World", various

civilizations developed in parallel. >

Regional civilizations have truly embarked on the road of mutual exchange.

"Global History" is not simply a summary of the process of human civilization. Its essence is

, through the analysis of historical phenomena, the author puts forward his own creative insights into the development of history, especially from the Second World War to the 1970s. This period of history has paid special attention to the increasing number of social problems faced by mankind. The author believes that their root causes are the rapid technological revolution on a global scale.

It is the time lag between these two revolutions that has plunged the entire world into an unprecedented crisis.

With a strong sense of social responsibility, "Global History" received high praise and was hailed as the "salvation motto" of today's society from 1980 to 1989.

Cracking the spell of time

“Time-space begins at the Big Bang singularity and will end at the Big Crunch singularity or the black hole

Ending at a singularity. Anything thrown into a black hole will be destroyed at the singularity

”

--Stephen Hawking

For most people, a popular science book "A Brief History of Time" published in 1988 made them I began to know the name of Stephen Hawking, the British physicist and cosmologist. In fact, Hawking attracted people's attention as early as 1974. >Proposed a conclusion that shocked everyone. He asserted that black holes can release radiation

And according to the "common sense" of the scientific community, black holes are hypothetical weak stars that absorb

Gravity is so strong that even light cannot escape its influence, how can it be possible to release radiation

It is said that Hawking did this at an astronomy conference held near Oxford University

This speech once made one of his colleagues furious.

In fact, Hawking has been trying to synthesize Einstein's theory of relativity with quantum theory.

This is also true. An area where Einstein and other scientists had eluded them.

Hawking's equations help reveal why the universe expanded from a point to a point in 15 billion years. Infinity, and why it shrinks itself in a way called "cosmic danger"

Because of his research, Hawking is known as the successor of this century.

The most important general relativity scholar and cosmological philosopher after Einstein.

"A Brief History of Time" is a popular science book about the mysteries of the universe, trying to answer the oldest question of mankind: Does time have a beginning and an end? Is the universe infinite? In the new picture of the universe that Hawking presented to people, he proved the inevitability of black holes and big bang singularities within the framework of classical physics; and Within the framework of quantum physics

, the black hole radiation theory he studied proved that the singularity of the big bang was not only smoothed out by quantum effects

but also that the universe began at this.

Like Einstein, Hawking tried his best to avoid using obscure academic terms in his "A Brief History of Time" and even discarded all theoretical formulas. . He jokingly said that others warned him that every time an equation was added to the book, the book's sales would be reduced by half. In any case, Hawking was successful, and "A Brief History of Time" has sold tens of millions of copies worldwide.

People's admiration for Hawking also comes from Hawking's persistence in science and his courage in

life. Hawking was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis when he was 20 years old. The disease

will lead to paralysis. Doctors even predicted that he would only have two years to live. However, Hawking was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Worked miracles. Although now he can only sit in a wheelchair equipped with a motor and rely on a brain-generated voice synthesizer to "talk" to people at one-tenth the speed of normal people, he still

>

Like other scientists, he uses his own experience to tell the world that the persistent spirit of exploration is the greatest driving force of life

1990 to 1999

Listen to the call of the future

“This is a wonderful era of survival, and there have never been so many opportunities.

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Let people

achieve things that were impossible before.”--Bill Gates

In the 1990s, for us today, It's really too close, too close to

have time to reflect carefully, too close to see clearly what impact everything we experienced yesterday will have on the future

. Therefore, the more important reason for choosing Bill Gates' "The Road to the Future" is not because it is extraordinary, but because it represents the belief that mankind will enter the future.

Beliefs in the information era and vision for the future.

When it comes to Gates, some people will say with complicated expressions: "Oh, that guy who didn't finish

college." But no one will deny that this is a legend. The name of the color

. Gates, 45, has been the world's richest man for a long time. In just 20 years, going from scratch to having a personal fortune of US$15 billion is not so much a miracle created by Gates as it is a miracle created by information technology.

The use of simple production tools has allowed people to extend their limbs; the use of steam and electricity

has enhanced people’s physical strength; and the revolution in information technology has expanded people’s Vision

enables personal intelligence to be extended. Compared with the industrial age, in the information age, society's production and wealth accumulation methods will undergo earth-shaking changes. At the turn of the century, mankind is also completing the leap between these two eras.

In "The Road to the Future", the president of Microsoft hopes to bring his "vision of the future of technology

and the ideas that pop up from time to time with this era** *Enjoy" . Gates

explained in detail the impact of the "information superhighway" on human life in the future. "More importantly, we can extensively discuss the advantages and disadvantages of technological progress so that society can become a whole..."

We are looking forward to what the future will bring.