Idea Ripper // ArchiveCards: 1555 [Live] | Updated: 2026-10-14
Card #c46IR // #c46Synthesis

The time covered by this book seems to this historian to fall into three periods: the nineteenth century from about 1814 to about 1895; the twentieth century, which did not begin until after World War II, perhaps as late as 1950; and a long period of transition from 1895 to 1950.

— In our words · Source: Tragedy and Hope (Carroll Quigley)

[Use when]

When periodizing any era — date it by the system change, not the round number.

[Why it matters]

Quigley's dating refuses the calendar: the 'twentieth century' is not 1900-1999 but the postwar order — and 1895-1950 was a 55-year transition, one of the most awful periods in all human history.

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