International Relations Since 1945

Second Edition

John W. Young and John Kent

A comprehensive and accessible introduction to global political history since World War II that balances description with analysis.
Clearly structured, taking the reader through the period both chronologically and by region, so that it is easy to draw links between places and times.
Supported by a range of helpful learning features, including biographies of key figures and chronologies of events, as well as an accompanying website which features additional teaching and learning materials.

New to this Edition:

A new final section covering the period between 2001 and 2012 outlines broad developments including changes in the international order and financial crises.
Three new chapters add material on terrorism, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the rise of major new powers.

International Relations Since 1945

Second Edition

John W. Young and John Kent

Description

International Relations since 1945 offers undergraduate students a comprehensive and accessible introduction to global political history since World War II.

The new edition is comprehensively updated to cover the period between 2001 and 2012. Discussing the World Trade Center attacks and concluding with the run up to the 2012 US presidential elections, a new final section outlines broad developments including the changing world order and the global financial crises. Three new chapters look at terrorism, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the rise of major new powers including China.

Student learning is supported by a range of helpful learning features including biographies of key figures and chronologies of events.

Online Resource Centre

The text is also supported by an Online Resource Centre which includes:

For students: biographies of key figures; links to international relations documents; maps of key regions; self test questions; annotated further reading guide; interactive timeline.

For lecturers: PowerPoint slides; question bank.

International Relations Since 1945

Second Edition

John W. Young and John Kent

Part I
The Origins and Development of the Cold War 1945-53
Introduction
1: Tensions in the Grand Alliance and the Growing Confrontation, 1945-47
2: Two Worlds East and West, 1945-48
3: Empire, Cold War, and Decolonisation, 1945-53
4: The Cold War Intensifies: Containment Superseded, 1948-53
Part II
Cold War: Crises and Change, 1953-63
Introduction
5: Soviet-American Relations: Avoiding Hot Water and the Search for Stability
6: Maintaining the Spheres of Influence
7: Fighting the Cold War: The Offensive Strategies
8: Collapsing Empires: The Cold War Battle for Hearts and Minds, 1953-63
Part III
The Cold War of Peaceful Co-Existence and the Rise of Multipolarity, 1963-71
Introduction
9: The Eastern and Western Blocs in the 1960s
10: The Vietnam War
11: Other Regional Conflicts
Part IV
The Détente Era, 1972-80
Introduction
12: An Era of Negotiations, 1972-73
13: Stagflation and the Trials of Détente, 1973-76
14: Détente in Decline, 1977-79
15: The Return to Confrontation, 1979-80
Part V
From Confrontation to Communist Collapse, 1981-89
Introduction
16: The 'Second' Cold War, 1981-85
17: Middle East Conflicts in the 1980s
18: Instability in Latin America
19: The Decline of the Cold War, 1985-89
Part VI
The Post-Cold War World, 1990-2001
Introduction
20: Europe and the Former Soviet Union
21: US Predominance and the Search for a Post-Cold War Order
22: Stability and Instability in the Developing World
Part VII
The Age of Terror, 2001-2012
Introduction
23: The 'War on Terror' and the War in Afghanistan
24: The Iraq War and the Middle East
25: The Shifting Global Balance

International Relations Since 1945

Second Edition

John W. Young and John Kent

Author Information

John W. Young, School of History, University of Nottingham, and John Kent, Department of International Relations, London School of Economics & Political Science