Political and Diplomatic History of the Modern World

The post-Cold War era began with a decade of conflicts often mediated by the United States as the world's only remaining superpower. The September 11 terrorist attacks, however, marked the dawning of a new era. The United States became preoccupied by the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, while around the world, new challenges and threats emerged a more assertive Russia, an increasingly powerful China, dangerous terrorism organizations, and a refugee crisis in the Middle East that spilled into Europe. The story of this fraught era, in which the world was beset by millennial anxiety and destabilized by geopolitical shifts in the balance of power, is told here with great insight and a sure understanding of the complex interplay of action and reaction that characterized the proliferation of conflicts at the turn of the 21st century.

Lingering resentments from the First World War, economic unease, and the sweeping racist agenda of Germany's Nazi Party are just some of the many factors that shaped the trajectory of the Second World War. This far-reaching volume examines the major battles, events, and agreements of World War II, the Final Solution, and the legacy of the war from political and diplomatic angles. Readers will learn how European imperialism, American isolationism, the German policy of Anschluss, and much more impacted global approaches to the war and how the boundaries determined by postwar agreements have influenced the geopolitical landscape of today.

Immediately following World War II, former allies the United States and the Soviet Union began an open yet restricted rivalry that became known as the Cold War and played out around the world until the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991. Many conflicts, such as the Chinese Civil War, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Arab-Israeli wars, acted as proxy wars for the U.S.-Soviet competition. Other major issues explored in this examination of the Cold War include Europe's Iron Curtain, the nuclear arms race, decolonization in Africa, and the spread of communism into Latin America and Southeast Asia.

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand is often cited as the event that triggered World War I, the massive global conflict that ensued shortly after his death. However, the First World War is more accurately described as a culmination of political tension that had been building across various European nations for decades. This comprehensive volume considers the political and diplomatic underpinnings of "the war to end all wars," from its buildup to its conclusion and into the interwar era. The major events of the war and currents of thought that shaped prewar and postwar international relations are examined in depth.