The Origins of the Contemporary Global Order - From the Nineteenth Century to the Cold War

This textbook offers a new interpretation of the origins of the contemporary global order - the set of institutions and international practices created by the United States and its allies after the Second World War. Previous interpretations have argued that the United States played the predominant role in creating the global order in order to fight the Cold War in Europe against the Soviet Union. By contrast, the author demonstrates that a broader perspective is necessary to understand both the origins 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. Looking at the origins of the contemporary global order in light of the Great War reveals that the global order, both in the nineteenth century and today, has rested, not on hegemony by Britain or the United States, but on cooperation among nations. Today-s challenges to global order