East, West, North, South: Major Developments in International Politics Since 1945

By Geir Lundestad

Book Overview

This is the fourth edition of Geir Lundestad's successful textbook on the history of international politics after 1945, which has established itself as one of the leading works on the international history of the post-war era. The book concentrates on two main lines of development: on the one hand, the rivalry between the superpowers and the effects of their power and influence even in the most remote corners of the globe; and on the other hand, the weakened position of the superpowers and the developments leading up tothe dissolution of the Soviet Union and the Eastern bloc. This new edition covers international developments up to mid-1998, explaining the end of the Cold War, and describing the many post-Cold War crises as well as recent political and economic developments in Russia, the EU, and East Asia. East, West, North, South offers the ideal introduction to the subject for all students of modern history and international relations, as well as the general reader with an interest in post-war history and international affairs.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0198782381
• ISBN13: 9780198782384
• Release Date: October 1999
• Publisher: Oxford Univ Pr
• Length: 362 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 0.8" x 5.3"

Customer Reviews

perhaps future editions should mention China more prominently?

Here is a recap of world history since 1945. Revolving around the Cold War. The focus is on the US-Soviet Union up to 1990, and on the US-Russia relations after that. The chapters are not in chronological order. Mainly because there is a chapter on decolonisation that fits awkwardly into the overall layout of the text. It is very difficult to write about world history in this time without splitting off various topics into different chapters, that span different times. The "North, South" of the title refers to the developed and developing countries. Despite this prominent equivalence to the "East, West" of the Cold War, only 2 chapters out of 12 are about north-south issues. This relative underplaying may be correct, given the overriding central aspect of the Cold War. China and its massive economic gains since 1979 gets relatively little discussion, and mostly in those 2 chapters on north-south. Future editions of this book might want to devote more space to China.

Brilliant summary, but lacks in depth.

Lundestad's book about world politics from 1945 to this day is a fairly complete summary of major events. His post-revisionist point of view does not disturb the objectivity of his work. However the book lacks in depth, and is first and foremost an introduction to the subject. Highly readeble and enjoyable.