War and Change in World Politics Reprint Edition

by Robert Gilpin (Author)

13 ratings

ISBN-13: 978-0521273763

ISBN-10: 0521273765

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War and Change in World Politics introduces the reader to an important new theory of international political change. Arguing that the fundamental nature of international relations has not changed over the millennia, Professor Gilpin uses history, sociology, and economic theory to identify the forces causing change in the world order. The discussion focuses on the differential growth of power in the international system and the result of this unevenness. A shift in the balance of power - economic or military - weakens the foundations of the existing system, because those gaining power see the increasing benefits and the decreasing cost of changing the system. The result, maintains Gilpin, is that actors seek to alter the system through territorial, political, or economic expansion until the marginal costs of continuing change are greater than the marginal benefits. When states develop the power to change the system according to their interests they will strive to do so- either by increasing economic efficiency and maximizing mutual gain, or by redistributing wealth and power in their own favour.

Editorial Reviews

Review

' ... Professor Gilpin provides in place of the tedious and vacuous theorizing common in the literature an intelligent and intellectually stimulating, if speculative, study of major issues in world politics. As such it can be highly recommended.' The Times Higher Education Supplement

'Gilpin has read widely and thoughtfully, and future analysis of big changes in the world political system will find that he has asked important questions and given provisional answers.' Political Science Quarterly

Book Description

Using history, sociology and economic theory to uncover the forces behind change in the world order, Gilpin demonstrates how and why the great powers and the growing powers interact in the contemporary world.

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Product details

Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Cambridge University Press; Reprint edition (November 25, 1983)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0521273765
ISBN-13: 978-0521273763
Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.9 x 9.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Customer Reviews: 12 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #86,208 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #38 in International Relations (Books)
- #717 in History (Books)
- #846 in International & World Politics (Books)

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12 customer reviews

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A Arnold

Decline of Empire

January 9, 2012

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I had to read this book for class. The sections on the decline of empire/hegemony are essential to understanding why the United States is doomed to fail. The author explains that the cost of maintaining empire eventually bankrupt the empire and a new hegemony replaces the old one. Although this can be done peacefully (collapse of USSR), the historical norm is total war between the hegemony/empire and the new challengers.

The chances of U.S. citizens electing somebody like Ron Paul who will drastically scale back overseas forces and end preemtive wars is not good. More likely than not status quo politicians like Bush, Obama, Romney, etc will get elected and continue to maintain America's 900 military bases in 130 countries; start new wars and expand old ones; spend vast sums of money on expensive military research and projects. According to Gilpin's chapter on empire decline, this means that the U.S. will eventually bankrupt itself and there will be a change in the international system. Hopefully the change will be peaceful (U.S. voluntarily bringing forces home as Ron Paul advocates), and not violent (U.S. goes to war with China, Russia or another rising power that threatens U.S. hegemony).

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Eric Gartman

The Weakness of Hegemonic Realism

August 2, 2001

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Robert Gilpin's work is the best-known and most influential within the Hegemonic Realist paradigm. Hegemonic Realism is a school of thought which views International Relations as organized hierarchically, with each state vying for the top position in order to gain the benefits of being the number one state. In Gilpins' words "Throughout history a principal objective of states has been the conquest of territory in order to advance economic, security, and other interests". War occurs when a rising state challenges the current hegemon, and seeks to overtake the priviliged postion. On the other hand, when one state is firmly in control, they institute a stable economic system which tends to keep the peace. There are serious problems with Hegemonic Realist theory, however, as well as Gilpin's own version of it. The first is the deductive logic behind the theory. Surely Gilpin is correct when he asserts that states have always sought conquest and territorial expansion. However, he is wrong about the motive. States seek security above all. Economic interests are not a main motive. Wars generally cost more than they could possibly gain in monetary terms. Major wars are especially costly, and no state would seek a major war with huge losses in order to gain a top position. Rather, states start wars to protect themselves from potential destruction. There are also major empirical problems with this theory, in that there really hasn't been a case of a rising power starting a war with the current hegemon. Part of this is due to the fact that Hegemonic theory only looks at the two strongest states, factoring out all the other Great Powers. But in a Multipolar system, the other states matter as well. Hegemonic Realism, for all its flaws, has made one major contribution to scholarship: The concept of state power as changing rather than fixed, as well as the concept of future expectations of power trends. This concept has been incorporated by Dale Copeland in "The Origins of Major War." Other than that however, Gilpin and his colleagues have little to offer.

16 people found this helpful

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Phillip Ferris

Outstanding

September 6, 2019

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Outstanding

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Julie

Gilpin is surprisingly easy to read and interpret

September 28, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Gilpin is surprisingly easy to read and interpret, this book is a great size to carry around for school. Great seller and very great shipping!

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Hook EM

Three Stars

September 7, 2016

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I am reading the book for school. I am just not interested in the material.

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german

Four Stars

October 19, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

nice product

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Jeneane Sorensen

Three Stars

March 6, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Book was in good condition and it came quickly. It is boring but political science readings usually are.

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not me

The Rise and Fall of Empires and Hegemons

August 17, 2019

Format: Paperback

This book is nicely written but it really beats to death a few basic ideas about structural change in international systems. (The main idea is that shifts in the distribution of power lead to changes in the international system.) The analysis is very abstract and is supported, for the most part, by examples semi-randomly drawn from world history. The upshot is a book that lacks a high level of rigor but is at least free of the regressions and faux-scientific modeling that blight contemporary IR literature. Bottom line: IR students should read this book, but I'm not sure whether anyone else would want to.

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Editorial Reviews

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