For quarter-/semester-long advanced courses in Contemporary
World History. This brief text stresses the profound global
transformation that has occurred since 1945 as a result of the
collapse of the remaining great colonial empires, and the
emergence of nation-states throughout the world. Its thematic
emphasis makes clear as well the importance of the Cold War in
influencing the process by which these nation-states sought to
create new ideals and new institutions—to insure order and
justice within their boundaries, and find places within the
international community. The book also links the new nation-
states in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, with the ethnic
conflicts, local wars, and terrorist movements that became
increasingly prevalent toward the end of the twentieth and early
twenty-first centuries. Table of Contents (NOTE: Each chapter
concludes with a Summary, Dates Worth Remembering, and
Recommended Reading.) 1. Toward the Second Twentieth Century:
The Second World War. The Empires of Germany and Jap