The United Nations: A Concise History (Anvil Series (Huntington, N.Y.).) [Paperback]

CHRISTOPHER D. O'SULLIVAN (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2005 | ISBN-10: 1575242230 | ISBN-13: 978-1575242231

A concise history of the United Nations is presented in two parts. Part One features an original narrative and analysis of historiographical questions, emphasizing the impact of the Cold War on the United Nations, the emergence of a postcolonial Third World bloc, the U.N.'s role in the Middle East and Africa, and the prospects for change and reform in the post-Cold War era. Part Two contains the most significant U.N. resolutions of the last 60 years, including dramatic General Assembly and Security Council debates and memorable addresses.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Krieger Publishing Company (September 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1575242230
• ISBN-13: 978-1575242231
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #879,092 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Christopher O'Sullivan is the author of the forthcoming FDR and the End of Empire: The Origins of American Power in the Middle East (Palgrave/Macmillan, 2012), as well as Colin Powell: A Political Biography (Rowman & Littlefield, 2010) and other books about world affairs including Sumner Welles, Postwar Planning and the Quest for a New World Order (Columbia University Press, 2009) which won the American Historical Association's Gutenberg-e Prize, and The United Nations: A Concise History (2005). He teaches history and international studies at the University of San Francisco and is the recipient of their 2011 distinguished teaching award. He is a visiting research fellow at the Center for International Studies at the London School of Economics and was recently a Fulbright Visiting Professor at the University of Jordan. He has lectured at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library, the Library of Congress, and delivered the keynote address at the UN's official 60th anniversary session. He received his BA in history from the University of California, Berkeley, and his MA and Ph.D. in history from the University of London, London School of Economics.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Quick Historical Summary, June 15, 2009

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Tunnelpet "justindr660" (Forestville, CA, US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The United Nations: A Concise History (Anvil Series (Huntington, N.Y.).) (Paperback)

Professor O'Sullivan's book and the small book that you can get when you tour the actual UN containing the Charter of the UN and the ICJ Statute might be all the documentation for the UN you will ever need as this sprightly little volume has a healthy measure of official UN documents that comprise the last third of the book. This volume should satisfy scholars, foreign policy and world affairs buffs. Similar in spirit to the "Cambridge Concise History" series, the reader is taken through a very logical and brisk tour of the UN and consequently 20th Century world history. Time is sometimes compressed in a such a way as to make the reader feel events going by like O'Sullivan is today's Livy writing some found pages for us reading in the late 21st Century. Those of you out there who find the International Court of Justice too European will be disappointed to find out that US President Roosevelt designed it with the help of Washington Bureaucrats and was happy with it more or less to boot. Whether one loves the United Nations or hates it, this should reflect one's attitude towards humanity in general as this is mostly what the United Nations seems to be comprised of.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, April 11, 2011

By 

ksrien - See all my reviews

This review is from: The United Nations: A Concise History (Anvil Series (Huntington, N.Y.).) (Paperback)

In a little over 200 pages, Christopher D. O' Sullivan's book "The United Nations: A Concise History" takes a complex organization and presents it in an easy and manageable read.

As an undergraduate history major, I found this book to be useful in almost all of my research papers. These papers have included UN action (or inaction) amidst the turmoil of Palestinian refugees after the 1948-1949 war and the Rwandan genocide.

Chris also supplements his work with official UN documentation, which gives this succinct and well-written book a dense body of knowledge.

I highly recommend this book to students, professors, or anyone wanting to learn more about the history of the United Nations. This book offers a lot of useful information in a short volume, and is probably the only book you will ever need on this topic.