The Origins of the Contemporary Global Order

From the Nineteenth Century to the Cold War

Carl J. Strikwerda

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Year: 2025
• Print ISBN:
  9783031638930
• eBook ISBN:
  9783031638947
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Economic History
• Index: History

This book offers a new interpretation of the origins of the contemporary global order - the set of institutions and international practices created by the USA and its allies after the Second World War. Previous interpretations have argued that the USA played the predominant role in creating the global order to fight the Cold War against the Soviet Union. The author argues that a broader perspective is necessary to understand both the origins of the global order, and its ongoing tensions up until today, a perspective that includes the legacy of both world wars, the role of imperialism, and the alternative strategy of globally oriented economic blocs. The cooperative tradition in the founding of the global order and the contributions of nations besides the USA provides useful insights for those interested in the current global order and the challenges it faces from Russia and China.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Front Matter
• 1. The Long Shadows of the Great War
• 2. Creating a Global World: Free Trade, Gold, and Peacemaking
• 3. Confronting a Global World: Empires and the Coming of War
• 4. The Great War: Stalemate on the Western Front
• 5. The Great War: The Global Conflict
• 6. The Impact of the Great War: Peace and War After the War
• 7. The Revenge of the Great War: The Crisis of the 1930s
• 8. The End of the Era of the Great War, 1944–1947
• 9. Rise and Flaws of a New Global Order, 1947–1950
• 10. Global Order, Great Powers, and Globalization Over a Century
• Back Matter