Eric Hobsbawm: The Consolations of History
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.พ. 2025
- In this documentary, Anthony Wilks traces the connections between the events of Eric Hobsbawm’s life and the history he told, from his teenage years in Germany and his communist membership, to the jazz clubs of 1950s Soho and the makings of New Labour, taking in Italian bandits, Peruvian peasant movements and the development of nationalism in the modern world, with help from the assiduous observations of MI5. The film features contributions from Frances Stonor Saunders, Richard J. Evans, John Foot, Stefan Collini, Marlene Hobsbawm and Donald Sassoon, as well as Hobsbawm himself in extensive archive footage.
Read more in the LRB:
Hobsbawm on Weimar Germany: lrb.me/hobsbaw...
Hobsbawm on his days as a jazz critic: lrb.me/hobsbaw...
Hobsbawm on Hungary in 1956: lrb.me/hobsbaw...
Frances Stonor Saunders on Hobsbawm's MI5 files: lrb.me/hobsbaw...
Perry Anderson on 'The Age of' series: lrb.me/anderso...
Audio in the film courtesy of the Hay Festival. Find more here: www.hayfestiva...
Turkish subtitles kindly provided by Dr. Ugur Pece of Lehigh University.
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What a treat. Pity that the vulgarity of daily political discourses has been used to negatively frame his work. His contribution in understanding where we come from and who we are should be universally celebrated. Thanks for uploading this.
Dude you can’t lie about historical facts! Where did you go to school ?
🤣🤣
Thank you for making this available for free viewing
I knew Eric... He had perspective... He asked great questions... He knew vast things... and this was well worth watching. My book on The British Marxist Historians (1984, 1995) is being issued anew this coming fall 2021 with his 1995 Foreword included.
He was a sub-standard historian overegged by left-wing intellectuals. His scholarship is shockingly bad. In short he was a pathetic grifter who turned up at every corporate event and public school lunch laid on for him.
@@AminTheMystic I don't think the accusation of "grifter" makes sense, given how so much criticism of him by anti-communists portrays him as a deluded Marxist ideologue. If he was so well-known as a historian that even capitalists were willing to pay to hear him speak, what of it? How is that contrary to the writings of Marx and Engels?
@@IsmailofeRegime Grifter is just the right word. He preached but clearly didnt practice. He was well known, but his work is shoddy. Because the establishment him bought him out. You'd think a Marxist would go as far as possible to reject overtures by capitalists.
@@AminTheMystic I don't think one can demonstrate "the establishment bought him out" simply because he gave paid speeches though. Engels was the son of a capitalist and managed the family's textile business, becoming fairly wealthy from that and from investments in other companies. He also tried to increase sales of Capital Vol. 1 by penning anonymous reviews in bourgeois journals trying to convince German capitalists that Marx provided a detailed overview of English industry. Yet no one would claim Engels was a "grifter."
Saying Hobsbawm "clearly didn't practice" makes little sense either. He was actively involved in the CPGB, at least during the 1930s-50s, and never left the party until it ceased to exist. What was he supposed to do to be a "real Marxist" in your eyes?
@@IsmailofeRegime If he is not a sellout then what is he? his type turn out at posh private school by the bucket load and never at public schools. If Engles was a sellout he was a sellout. His words should be ignored. Hypocrites the pair of them.
Ah! he was paid party memeber. So what? And in personal life he was a practising capitalist. I think my view is far more accurate.
This was fantastic. Thank you for making it available to watch for free.
thanks for tweeting it.
Thank for the wonderful banquet of precious memories of the century
Your channel is great btw.
I don’t know
Awesome watch, very interesting
The first time I readed Hobsbawn was three years ago in the College, at the history class.
Im studying politic science and the perspective that brings the historian about the time and live gave me a love to the history.
Now Im reading Bloch and Judt.
Great documentary film.
And I thank you from Mexico 🇲🇽
He was an amazing scholar, a walking encyclopedia and the sweetest man ever.
@@Cinestesia1 se não fosses tão burro quererias ser uma besta quadrada pois parece que o facto de transportares um penico em cima dos ombros não te permite mais do que isso.
Sorry guys, say what you want, you didn’t know him. I did, he was my dear friend. An amazing man who despite have luminosity and could walk still pumped out three books while in his 90’s.
@@Cinestesia1 This is a great quote, but posting it once is enough.
Thanks to the maker of this documentary and to those who brought it out for viewing. It brings one close to the person and the era he lived in.
Thank you so much for releasing this documentary. Regards from argentina!
an excellent documentary about a fascinating figure who gave us a rich, deep understanding of modernity. Thank you for making this available to watch for free
Loved watching this. I returned from living in Japan in the 80s-90s, broken by the experience and frustrated to capacity about the party line that both Japanese and Japanophile foreigners were always touting. And then I read a piece by Hobsbawn about "invented tradition". That broke open the freedom I needed to call bullshit on Japan`s myths about itself and understand what I had really seen there. I will forever be grateful to him for that.
I like that phrase and this is the first I've heard it: frustrated to capacity . Thx
This is a fascinating and beautifully achieved biography of Eric Hobsbawm.
beautifully accomplished; beautifully realised.
I met him when Past&Present asked me to contribute a couple of articles on good riots in XVIIIth century Spain, part of my research for my dissertation at Oxford. He helped me so much, as board member of the prestigious periodical. I always admired his historical work and him as a man with so many interests. Witty, curious and funny. Thank you
Food riots, sorry.
@@rodriguezdiazlaura Thanks for making the correction. I was wondering how a person differentiates the good riots from the not so good riots. :) That's pretty impressive you were able to get the dissertation help from Eric Hobsbawm. By the way, the three dots you may see on the right margin of your comments is a link that will show you you have the option to edit your comments if you push on it.
@@Cyallaire thanks
One of the best documentaries ever.
A remarkable portrait of the man. Calm, balanced, intriguing. Thank you.
a marxist. very intriguing. The current disaster of a world we live in is also due to people like him and their subversive ideas.
@@amoreazione3563 The "current disaster of a world we live in" is attributable to capitalism's own inherent contradictions. Blaming "subversive ideas" is fruitless; those ideas are themselves the consequences of capitalist development. It's akin to feudal reactionaries whining that their supposedly harmonious and "natural" societies were being undermined by liberals, Freemasons, Jews, and other "subversives."
Great work! It should definitely be subtitled in Portuguese, bc Hobsbawm's books are very popular in Brasil. In fact, he was an editorial phenomenon among Brazilian public.
Since we have a global audience,
It is very easy to get subtitles in "ANY LANGUAGE"
if you first "GO TO SETTINGS" (to the right of CC on most computers,)
then click on "SUBTITLES/CC,"
then check "ENGLISH (UNITED STATES),"
then check "AUTO-TRANSLATE,"
then, from the drop-down menu,
"PICK THE LANGUAGE" that you want
then click on it to put a "CHECK-MARK" in
(next to your language,)
then turn the "CC" setting off and on again,
which will reset the subtitles into your language.
That's all there is to it!
@@RobertCFried Hello Mr Fried, sorry for not having noticed it before. Thank you for your professorial ilumination to this poor third-world Hobsbawm fan.
Are you from Brazil? How is that?Why EH became so popular there? That should be an interesting story
@@labraham1025 I'm not from Brazil, but I read somewhere that Hobsbawm sold over a million books in Brazil. I do not know the reason for it though.
@@labraham1025 I´m a Secondary school head where history teachers use EH as a source and reading material for international exams
Thanks for posting this! Where else could a Yank see one of his favorite authors in the flesh? American TV? Not, as you say, bloody likely.
Absolutely brilliant analysis. So lucid and enlightening.
Thank you for making this documentary publicly available. (İlgilenenler için Türkçe altyazı var 🇹🇷)
This is a truly masterful documentary and I've thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. I can't think of a better introduction to a life such as this one. Thanks so much for making it available to me.
A truly fantastic documentary: it outlines respectfully the intellectual and social biography of one of the most brillant historians of the twentieth century. His ability to intertwine the political, economic, social and cultural dimensions of human life and society are not matched by many others. He was consequent and open about his political viewpoints and he did never hide him self behind a false stance of a so called "impartiality" or "a non bias" that supposedly a great number of historians take.
@@Cinestesia1 Thank goodness someone is prepared to say this: the fawning on here is nauseating.
Terrible historian, terrible person
A Turkish translation of the subtitles has kindly been provided by Dr. Ugur Pece and you should also find very rough, automated Spanish and Portuguese translations, but other automated translations might stop halfway because of a glitch in youtube. Sorry about that!
xx
I'll check the Brazilian Portuguese subtitles. May I send you recommendations for changes? Thanks!
@@maxheadrom3088 That would be very kind - thank you!
Great documentary about this great historian. Congratulations to the staff that made it possible.
gxvc
This has been a joy to watch. Thanks for publishing.
maravilloso documental, con los tiempos necesarios y justos para este enorme historiador. Muchas gracias por los subtítulos en castellano. Gracias.
Thank you for this excellent reconstruction of the life and work of Prof.Eric Hobsbwam. I remember attending his seminar at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes in Paris in the early 80's. His simplicity, his remarkable ability to read history with a wide angle lens which was sharp and dialectical at the same time is deeply missed today. He was a historian who read history with a sharp devotion to facts as well making possible a political rendering of history with compassion for the peasantry and the underclass.
A rare documentary, artfully constructed by the digital producer for the London Review of Books Andrew Wilks, screamingly relevant themes, engagingly paced, accompanied by music with a purpose. At the center is a life of a historian, a multilinguist with big ideas and a torch fuelled by personal heritage and experience, pointed at phenomena, movements that propel change since modern history began.
Well said.
حقيقة هذا الرجل خلاني احب التاريخ و الاهم احترام التاريخ و قيمة التوثيق و كذلك الموضوعيه بالنظر للاحداث
Ha ha th - th- th -b-b-b-b-p-p-p-p
I'm glad to find this documentary here
Absolutely stellar documentary. So interesting.
So very glad I found this. I have a number Eric's books which I delve into on occasions. To me he is was a fascinating man and historian. Interesting documentary. Thank you.
What a life. I have read his books and learned to "see" history in the way in which he presented it. It helps that his writing is clear yet profound, and built upon by a superb scholarly mind keen to pass on what he had learned. I came to like Eric Hobsbawm through his writing and his books and i'm sure if i met him i would have liked him as a person. Thanks for posting this documentary, for those who know only a small amount about EH its a perfect personal and professional encapsulated biography.
fantastic and precious film footage of Lenin addressing a street meeting!
Thanks for the documentary. Fascinating.
Very profound and absolutely brilliant. Thank you so much for this documentary!
Dishonest hagiography.
Fantastic piece of work. Best thing I’ve seen in TH-cam in recent memory. Thank you
This documentary and his views are very relevant and valid in understanding our contempory world, at least the contempory Europe.
I know this ignorant American learned History never heard or known before. Really great documentary. Beautifully filmed and on a very special man. Thanks
His books are great, very readable - not stodgy at all. I've only read Age of Empires but great one to have around - find myself always re-reading it
You know an ignorant American who
learnt about history, and he's never been heard about, or known before?
Thank for this and for transporting me back to a happier time when History occupied the place it deserves in school curricula and I dreamed of sharing my love of the subject with my charges.
I wouldn't call the first half of the 20th century a "happier time" though !
I've had the great honor of watching Hobsbawn giving a lecture at Parati's international literary fair in 2004.
Que beleza João! Inveja aqui kkk
@@cytata5359 Valeu.
Que privilegio, un saludo desde MX
A wonderful historian and I believe a gentle soul.
A fine biographical portrait of a historian, of great merit.
Phenomenal Film. Thanks for making it public!
Un excelente trabajo. Gracias por publicarlo. Saludos...
Inspiring historian. Hobsbawm's work was instrumental in my MA in British Cultural Studies
Raymond Williams' 'Culture and Society' is a favourite for me.
@@hazelwray4184 : Indeed,I read the book while doing my research too
Great documentary you old chaps! Even this work does not explain to me about how he could stay with Stalinists in the same Party! But, he has left such a great intellectual footprint with his work that I don’t care!
I suspect he was yet another Continental Jewish giant, in the mold of Erik Fromm and not really an Englishman! That’s the only thing this bio misses about him.
The parts about Latin America are very interesting. I know Hobsbawn from High School in Brazil where his texts are the basis for a lot of teaching books - even the ones used by the private school I went to.
Fascinating documentary. Thank you, LRB!
Wow, this was so inspiring! Thank you for making this
amazing and compelling documentary. thank you.
Fascinating. Thank you for posting. :)
Thanks for making this documentary. Remarkable presentation of intellectual achievement as to why emphasis should be made to study history and connect the dots and tread the path as to how we have reached this point.Superb presentation.
This is great. Thank you very much. Though I wish there was a little bit more about his personal life, it is really well-made.
Since we have a global audience,
It is very easy to get subtitles in "ANY LANGUAGE"
if you first "GO TO SETTINGS" (to the right of CC on most computers,)
then click on "SUBTITLES/CC,"
then check "ENGLISH (UNITED STATES),"
then check "AUTO-TRANSLATE,"
then, from the drop-down menu,
"PICK THE LANGUAGE" that you want
then click on it to put a "CHECK-MARK" in
(next to your language,)
then turn the "CC" setting off and on again,
which will reset the subtitles into your language.
That's all there is to it!
Subtitles/Captions
This was awesome, thanks from Brazil.
I love history. Irs amazing. And, no one can hurt you. Theyre all gone.
This documentary was magnificent! Stellar, top class! Much like the historian it is about. Well done everyone involved!
A must for everyone interested in world politics
A very well made documentary of a great public intellectual whom I owe enormous debt for the enlightenment he brought in me through his remarkable understanding and articulation of more than two hundred years of history of which I have lived nearly the last quarter. Respect and gratitude.
Excellent documentary, well researched with fantastic talking heads.
Would also recommend *The Stuart Hall Project (2013)* by John Akomfrah, which is similarly approached.
th-cam.com/video/MA-og9_-Yro/w-d-xo.html
Great Documentary!
Great doc, thank you!
Great stuff! Learnt a lot!
A wonderful fantastic film. I learned a great deal watching and how world historical events have shaped the world we live in today. Deep appreciation ❤
Wonderful. Thank you for sharing.
Such an interesting documentary. It has made me reflect, especially in regard to my personal ideology and beliefs.
Completely enthralling piece
A fantastic portrait of Hobsbawn!
One of my favorite historians of the modern world! Marxism hardly ever gets in the way of his clear outlook, and his prose is always a delight. This has been a splendid look at the life.
well done....thank you for sharing....
Great watch. Thank you
Hobsbawm is excellent on Nations and Nationalism and the lies Historians tell you to construct your past.
he also accurately foresaw the things to come , that we witness nowadays. the closing chapters of the Age of Extremes clearly depict the processes in motion now.
Great documentary.Tysm.❤🙏
As a tribute to Hobsbawm 's plurilinguism I will write this comment in french (my native language ). J'ai beaucoup aimé ce documentaire. Comme beaucoup de Français j'apprécie les livres et travaux d'Eric Hobsbawm depuis longtemps. Ce qui était assez original pour un historien anglais dans les années 1950-1960, il a très vite été intéressé par les méthodes et les thématiques initiées par certains historiens français avant que cela ne deviennent à la mode dans les années 1960 et 1970. Il a participé au séminaire de Braudel au collège de France dans les années 1950 je pense. Et il pouvait lire les livres de Febvre, Braudel, Goubert, Ladurie avant qu'ils ne soient traduits en anglais et le documentaire explique bien (mais trop rapidement à mon goût) ces influences réciproques. If you can understand french you might be interested to listen to this 2 hours long interview which was broadcast on France Culture in 2003 (by the way his french is as good as his english or german !). Here it is with a dot missing - cuttly/hobsbawm-in-french-2003
Beautiful film
Great work. Subscribed.
Outstanding
I ADORE READING
Hell yes!
Liked, Subscribed, and Shared. ... Thank you very much.
thankyou Will and Ariel
Great work!
I have always been keen on reading Real books (Hard Copy) rather than electronic ones. I always wish I could write several books in several topics. But the life pace is much faster than I could aford to do so. This film was very inspiring as I get familia4 with this great Personage. Thanks
What an interesting man he was, and Sophisticated Lady by Duke Ellington to round it off. Wonderful.
Does anyone know the name of the jazz piece at the end credits?
Yes, it's Sophisticated Lady by Duke Ellington
@@londonreviewofbooks Thanks!
thank you LRB
By far one of the best political documentaries on an individual ever made. It could be the basis for a college course, but alas, the children of "The Enlightenment", like Hobsbawm, have been kicked to the curb by Critical Theory and the Relativists. Would have loved to seen a debate between Hobsbawm and Herbert Marcuse; anyone know of one?
1:10:53 - 1:13:00 - predicts NOW perfectly
beautiful! thank you!
Really great documentary if only for the fantastic footage used historical and modern
Awesome documentary, I’m currently studying EH in one of my disciplines in college in Brazil.
Wonderful doc.
Humans' never-ending search to the future!
A matter of looking forward to the past...
A universal human trait; endeavour? Or ostensibly, a mindset that's been spread across continents due to Western European expansionism, the age of enlightenment and the industrial revolution.
Splendid!
Eric a historian&educationist,his articles and insights on historical events are indeed the door to an impact towards intellectual progress,against the exploitative capitalist forces.
#respectfromIndia🇮🇳
How lovely he got to thank his wife.
To paraphrase the blurb on my old copy of Aldous Huxley's _Island_ ('better and truer than _Brave New World_'): "better and truer than Adam Curtis". :)
True. The social role of a historian is a deeply important one, where the talents and attributes of the individual historian lends itself to either illuminating or obfuscating receptive minds. Curtis, for all his charms, falls more into the latter category.
Great historian!
a brilliant scholar &apologist of the most awful
things in"recent"history
Splendid. Well paced and painfully relevant as scholarship itself comes under threat from a nationalist right playing from same book as their forebears.
Much thanks from Brooklyn. Beautiful mind