What is Coming? A Forecast of Things after the War by H.G. Wells
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

H G Wells, the prominent British writer of early 20th Century, turns out to become a prophet in this book, prophesying and forecasting the future of Great Britain and other countries that are just about to enter into the Second World War.
This book comes out just at the time when the Allied Forces of Great Britain, France, Italy, Russia and Japan were on the verge of getting at war against the so called cruel and power thirsty Germany. The author foresees a need for a common World Peace maintained by a Common State having a Common Peace agenda for all the countries of the world to avoid future wars. As per him there is a need for coming together of world super powers to form a supreme lawful organization that ensures world peace. The author strongly rebukes the blood thirstiness of Germany to attack and conquer its weak counterparts and at the same time praises their abilities to create a strong military, scientific, industrial and social solution for the world to learn. He very clearly elicits how the British at large and other countries at war have suffered and would suffer for decades even after the war, that would result in a major change in the thinking and living pattern of all classes of the society. Bankruptcy of people and nations at War, depreciation of currency, rise in prices, and destruction of valuable properties has been prophesied after the war ends. Emergence of socialism, huge changes in the industrial policies, political shift from feudal lords to the masses, empowerment and creation of modern woman, decrease in birth rate, emergence of collective power of middle class and strengthening of free Press in bringing about social changes were some of the great forecasts of the author. The author also forecasts a revolution in Germany against the tyrant Hohenzollern and dynastic systems and unfolding of a democratic republic after the War. Finally, he concludes that Nations going at war achieve nothing in the end but have to resort to reconciliation of their so-called supremacies that have been destroying the faith of their people on them and also humanity as a whole.

Positives: The reader gets to know the reasons and ills of Second World War. The woes of Allied Forces against Germany and the forecasted aftermaths of various changes that could take place in these countries and also on the countries dependant on them have been precisely jotted down. The author’s intelligence on the future scenario of Great Britain, America, Russia, France, Japan and other Third World countries after the war ends many years later, when this book was written is outstanding. If one observes, almost more than eighty percent of his forecast has turned out to be true.

Negatives: There is an influence of the British arrogance in the author’s work. His demeaning language about German internal affairs and life styles of other Third World countries like Africa, Middle East and India depicted his attitude with respect to how the British treated other people of the world before the Second World War. The failure of the author in recognizing the sovereignty of countries like India on the basis of its diverse culture and languages and his forecast that it can never become a super power has turned out to be false in today’s world. Many other forecasts like the exponential rise of America in the world economic and military strength over European union could not be assessed accurately, though some of his points are valid. His repeated criticism of German policies and kingdom could not clearly counter the argument as to why the British occupied many so-called ‘barbaric’ countries across the world. Why there were still holding on to many countries under their tyrannical rule and at the same time going at war and also simultaneously seeking peace with Germany that wanted some of the territories of Great Britain and its surrounding countries. The double standards of Great Britain have been clearly exposed here.

My rating is 4 out of 5


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