Christopher Dawson wrote The Judgment of the Nations in 1942; in the midst of the horrors of World War II. He took four years in the writing of it; years; he claimed; "more disastrous than any that Europe had known since the fourteenth century." By his own admission it had cost him greater labor and thought than any other book he had written. It is; perhaps; his most characteristic work.Dawson argues in compressed form for what he laid out more systematically in other books: his view that the West was at an hour of crisis and was fighting for its life as a civilization. He did not view the disasters of the two World Wars as the cause of that disintegration; they were rather symptoms of a much deeper malaise; that of the loss of the spiritual vision that had created and sustained Western culture through the centuries. He lays out his understanding of what might be necessary for the West to reengage its spiritual and cultural roots and find a new way forward. For Dawson; such a restoration could not be coercive; but needed rather to be based upon a new perception of the inherent cultural creativity of Christianity. The Judgment of the Nations was widely praised upon publication. The Guardian called it "an appraisement of the contemporary situation by an historical thinker of the first importance;" and the Irish Independent "a monument; alike of historical and of philosophical erudition." It was Dawson's hope in this work to describe the nature of the spiritual struggle Europe was facing; to map out its true lines; and to point the way through an impending and perhaps probable disaster to a renewal of European life; a renewal whose success or failure would have a decisive impact on the entire world.ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Christopher Dawson (1889-1970) is recognized as one of the most important Catholic historians of the twentieth century; authoring numerous books; articles; and scholarly monographs. Dawson was lecturer in the History of Culture; University College; Exeter; Gifford lecturer; Charles Chauncey Stillman Chair of Roman Catholic Studies at Harvard University from 1958 to 1962; and editor of the Dublin Review.
#2048532 in Books The University Press of Kentucky 2010-05-21Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x 1.13 x 6.00l; 1.35 #File Name: 0813125820352 pages
Review
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. grat book; inadequate titleBy hamachiI bought this book because of a radio interview with the author. It has two fascintating; parallel tracks The track suggested by the title describes the outreach by (primarily) Kentucky men's and women's organizations as they pursued a place of refuge for injured; and now-elderly;confederate soldiers in the late 1890s and early 1900s. These veterans were; outrageously; constitutionally prevented from receiving pensions and many were unable to work. The more interesting track is the overall evolution of the the south. Postwar; it was humiliated; downtrodden; impoverished; two decades later; its communal psyche had been transformed; as former confederate soldiers; having gained positions of influence in business and commerce; celebrated their fallen colleagues; often in newly-sewn Confederate uniforms) with statues; parades; and commemorations of all types; transforming what had been a nightmare to "The Lost Cause." I am not a civil war buff by any stretch; but a biography by Douglas Southall Freeman; (himself the quintessential biographer of Lee) sparked my interest and this book; with its excellent character profiles and storytelling; was a great follow-up. I loved it.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. I recently ordered this book to add to my collection ...By Sandie BeechI recently ordered this book to add to my collection of family history and documentation because it was written by my cousin that I have not scene since I was 10. I have found his work to be factual and interesting and adding depth to our southern roots.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. lost cause; but not forgottenBy Terry M. HugheyTruly great read for anyone interested in the Confederacy and the soldiers who fought as they aged in the homes the former Confederate states sought to provide. The author did a magnificent job in researching the Kentucky Confederate Home and the way he tells its story is interesting; enlightening; and most enjoyable.
