Eric Hobsbawm

Eric Hobsbawm CH FRSL FBA
Hobsbawm in 2004
Born	Eric John Ernest Hobsbawm (1917-06-09)9 June 1917 Alexandria, Sultanate of Egypt
Died	1 October 2012(2012-10-01) (aged 95) London, England
Occupation	Historian
Citizenship	British
Alma mater	King's College, Cambridge
Genre	World history, Western history
Notable works	The Age of Revolution: Europe 1789–1848 The Age of Capital: 1848–1875 The Age of Empire: 1875–1914 The Age of Extremes: 1914–1991 Bandits Echoes of the Marseillaise
Spouse	Muriel Seaman ​ ​ (m. 1943; div. 1951)​ Marlene Schwartz ​ (m. 1962)​
Children	3, including Julia and Andy

Eric John Ernest Hobsbawm CH FRSL FBA (/ˈhɒbz.bɔːm/; 9 June 1917 – 1 October 2012) was a British historian of the rise of industrial capitalism, socialism and nationalism. His best-known works include his tetralogy about what he called the "long 19th century" (The Age of Revolution: Europe 1789–1848, The Age of Capital: 1848–1875 and The Age of Empire: 1875–1914) and the "short 20th century" (The Age of Extremes), and an edited volume that introduced the influential idea of "invented traditions". A life-long Marxist, his socio-political convictions influenced the character of his work.^[1]

Hobsbawm was born in Alexandria, Egypt, and spent his childhood mainly in Vienna and Berlin. Following the death of his parents and the rise to power of Adolf Hitler, Hobsbawm moved to London with his adoptive family. After serving in the Second World War, he obtained his PhD in history at the University of Cambridge. In 1998, he was appointed to the Order of the Companions of Honour. He was president of Birkbeck, University of London, from 2002 until his death.^[2] In 2003, he received the Balzan Prize for European History since 1900, "for his brilliant analysis of the troubled history of 20th century Europe and for his ability to combine in-depth historical research with great literary talent."