International Politics Since World War 2 A Short History

The past half-century has seen many hopes raised and some dashed, a succession of fears and false alarms, and both triumphs and calamities that were almost entirely unexpected. This work offers a short but sweeping history of world politics since 1945: America's postwar pre-eminence and the hopes that attended the creation of the United Nations; the Cold War and the emergence of a volatile Third World; economic transformations and the twin threat of nuclear and ecological disaster; the crumbling of the Soviet system and the short-lived promise of a peaceful, prosperous and democratic new world. The author describes these momentous changes concisely in an effort to show how we got here from there and what we might have learned along the way.

The authors argue for the appropriateness of viewing the era after World War II as a separate historical epoch because of seven major consequences of the war. Specifically these were the end of Europe as the center of international power, the rise of the United States and the Soviet Union to superpower status, the emergence of the Cold War, the beginnings of the nuclear age, the rise of nationalism and independence movements in Asia and Africa, and a renewed effort to use international organizations to secure peace. Some of the topics treated include the origins and development of the Cold War in Europe and Asia, the development of Arab and Israeli nationalism, the Sino-Soviet split of the 1960s, the Vietnam War, Third World debt, South African apartheid, the rise of militant Islam, Japan's emergence as an economic power, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and the collapse of the Eastern Bloc. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

When do states choose to adopt a penitent stance towards the past? When do they choose to offer apologies for historical misdeeds, offer compensation for their victims, and incorporate the darker sides of history into their textbooks, public monuments, and museums? When do they choose not to do so? And what are the political consequences of how states portray the past? This book pursues these questions by examining how governments in post-1945 Austria, Germany, and Japan have wrestled with the difficult legacy of the Second World War and the impact of their policies on regional politics in Europe and Asia. The book argues that states can reconcile over historical issues, but to do so requires greater political will and imposes greater costs than is commonly realized. At the same time, in an increasingly interdependent world, failure to do so can have a profoundly disruptive effect on regional relations and feed dangerous geopolitical tensions.

International Relations since 1945 offers undergraduate students a comprehensive and accessible introduction to global political history since World War II. Clearly structured, and with a balance of description and analysis, the text is also supported by a range of helpful learning features and an accompanying website.

Published to commemorate the 70th anniversary of World War II, this completely new account of one of the deadliest conflicts in history opens with the buildup of hostility leading up to the war and concludes with the war's impact on modern history. 1,200 photos.