About the Book

New emphasis on the impacts of globalization, events in the Middle East, and political and economic changes in East Asia-as well as new information and maps throughout- are among the features of this thoroughly revised edition of The World Since 1945.
The text traces the major political, economic, and ideological patterns that have evolved in the global arena from the end of World War II to the present, providing the background needed for a solid understanding of contemporary international relations. Written to be student friendly, it has made its place as the text of choice in scores of introductory IR and world history courses.

About the Author

Wayne C. McWilliams and Harry Piotrowski are emeritus professors in the Department of History at Towson University.

Table of Contents:
• List of Maps • Introduction Part-1 The Origins of the Cold War Chapter-1 The End of World War II and the Dawn of the Nuclear Age • History’s Most Destructive War • The Atomic Bombing of Japan • The Political Fallout Chapter-2 The Cold War Institutionalized • The Yalta Conference • The Potsdam Conference • The Truman Doctrine • The Marshall Plan • Limits of Soviet Power Chapter-3 The Cold War in Asia: A Change of Venue • The Allied Occupation of Japan • The Civil War in China • The Korean War • The United States and the Cold War in Asia Chapter-4 Confrontation and Coexistence • West European Economic Integration • NATO: The Military Integration of Western Europe • East European Integration • The First Attempts at Détente • Moscow’s Response to Containment • The Cuban Missile Crisis Part-2 Nationalism and the End of Colonialism Chapter-5 Decolonization in Asia • The Impact of World War II • Independence and the Partition of India • The British and Dutch in Southeast Asia • The French in Indochina • The First Indochina War Chapter-6 Decolonization in Sub-Saharan Africa • The Rise of Nationalism • The British Departure • The French Departure • The French in Algeria • The Belgian and Portuguese Departures • Apartheid in South Africa Chapter-7 Decolonization in the Arab World • The French Exit from Algeria • Morocco • Tunisia • Libya • Egypt • Lebanon • Syria • Jordan • Iraq Chapter-8 The Arab-Israeli Conflict • The Rebirth of Zionism • The Arab-Israeli Wars • The Israeli-Palestinian Impasse • The Search for a Political Solution Part-3 The Shifting Sands of Global Power Chapter-9 The Communist World After Stalin • Khrushchev and Stalin’s Ghost • Eastern Europe: The Satellites • The Sino-Soviet Split • The Thirty-Year Feud Is Ended Chapter-10 The War in Indochina • Downfall • Johnson’s War • The Tet Offensive of 1968 • Nixon and the Vietnamization of the War • Negotiations • Hanoi’s Victory • The Continuing Tragedy of Indochina • The Plight of Cambodia Chapter -11 Détente and the End of Bipolarity • Washington and Beijing: The Normalization of Relations • Détente Between East and West Part-4 The Global South Chapter-12 The Challenges of Economic Development • The Population Factor • The Agrarian Dilemma • Prerequisites for Industrialization • Debt and the Global South: Africa and Latin America • The South’s Continuing Poverty Chapter-13 Africa • Political Instability in Sub-Saharan Africa • The Biafran War • Foreign Intervention • The Worsening Economic Plight of Sub-Saharan Africa • Africa in the Early 1990s: The Call for Democracy • Flash Points in Africa in the 1990s • Ethnic Violence in Burundi and Rwanda • AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa Chapter-14 Latin America • The Colonial Heritage • “Yanqui Imperialism” • Economic and Political Patterns • South America: Oscillation Between Military and Civilian Rule • The Shift to the Left • Mexico • Revolution and Counterrevolution in Central America • Latin American Drug Trafficking • The Panama Connection Chapter-15 The People’s Republic of China and Taiwan • Mao Zedong’s Quest for a Communist Utopia • The Great Leap Forward • The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution • The Tiananmen Square Massacre • Taiwan—The Other China • Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China • Hong Kong • China and Its “Autonomous” Western Regions • The South China Sea Chapter-16 The Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia • India’s Economic Development • India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh • South Asia Since 1980 • Southeast Asia • Dictatorship and Revolution in the Philippines Part-5 The Emergence of a New Landscape Chapter-17 The Globalization of the Economy • The European Union • The 1980s: Three Economic Superpowers • Globalization: Remedy or Curse? • The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries • Insurmountable Debts • Global Environmentalism • The Global Economy and the Great Recession Chapter-18 The Rise of East Asia • Strains in US-Japanese Economic Relations • The Four Tigers of Asia • Taiwan’s Economic Growth • Deng Xiaoping’s Economic Reforms Chapter-19 Russia: The Legacy of Soviet Empire • Gorbachev’s “New Thinking” • The End of the Soviet Union • The Yeltsin Presidency • The Putin Presidency • The Retreat from Empire • Poland and Solidarity • Annus Mirabilis • German Reunification • Yugoslavia Chapter-20 The Nuclear Arms Race • The SALT Treaties • The Correlation of Forces • Intermediate-Range Weapons • Star Wars: The Strategic Defense Initiative • Gorbachev’s Peace Offensive • START • The Expansion of NATO into Eastern Europe • National Missile Defense • Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction • The Quest for a Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Chapter-21 The Emergence of Political Islam in the Middle East and North Africa • Islam: Theory and Practice • The Shiites and the Sunnis • The Revolution in Iran • The Iran-Iraq War • Terrorism in Lebanon and Libya • The Gulf War Chapter-22 September 11 Afghanistan, and Iraq • Afghanistan: The War Against al Qaeda • Detour to Iraq • “Mission Accomplished” • The Sunni “Awakening” • The “Surge” • Kurdistan • Afghanistan • Pakistan Chapter-23 The Arab Spring: Turning to Winter? • Tunisia • Libya • Morocco • Egypt • Syria • Recommended Readings • Index • About the Book