First published in 1968, "World Politics since 1945 "is a classic and authoritative study of contemporary political history that has helped to divert, educate, and inform two generations of political scientists, historians and general readers. The ninth edition has been expanded and updated to take into account the developments of the last 10 years, including the ugly incursions of global terrorism; the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Sudan; the accelerating emergence of India and China as major powers; the major political developments in Latin America; the march of globalisation; the expansion eastwards of the European Union; instability in the Middle East; and the vexed question of oil and energy supplies.
The book has long been a staple of bookshelves and reading lists across the world, and provides a reliable and interconnected account of the great sweeps of contemporary history. Marked throughout by Calvocoressi's characteristic erudition and elegance, it will continue to be essential reading for students of international politics and for all of those who simply wish to understand better the path the world has taken since the end of the Second World War.
"The book compels admiration for its thoroughness, its scope, the masterly ordering of its immense material."
The Sunday Times
"This is a famous book, and has been for forty years, as it has grown steadily in scope and colour. Ninety-something per cent of political commentary is cribbed and confined by a lack of historical and geographical context. Here, for once, are the dots joined, the movements explained and the details returned to the world-sized landscape."
"Andrew Marr"
"Peter Calvocoressi's book is an invaluable guide to global politics since the Second World War. It has reminded me of things I had forgotten and taught me things I did not know. I will be a constant user of this interesting book."
"Chris Patten "
"Lucid narrative, coherent structure and an enlightened liberal viewpoint."
"Sir Con O'Neill"," The Observer"
"This is the most lucid, comprehensive, intelligent, and reliable account of post-war modern history on the market."
Teaching Politics
"Peter Calvocoressi has a remarkable record of providing concise, pithy, shrewd and accessible analyses of contemporary history. World Politics demonstrates fully the range of his knowledge and the sagacity of his judgement."
"Professor Sir Lawrence Freedman."
About the author
Peter Calvocoressi, a distinguished figure in the field of International Relations, was born in 1912 and educated at Eton and Balliol College, Oxford, where he received a First in History. He was called to the Bar in 1935. During the Second World War he worked in Ultra intelligence at Bletchley Park and later attended the Nuremberg trials. Since then he has divided his time between publishing and international affairs.
In the post-war period he succeeded Arnold Toynbee as author of the annual "Survey of International Affairs." He was a partner in Chatto & Windus and the Hogarth Press and Chief Executive of Penguin Books. He has been a reader in International Affairs at the University of Sussex and has served on the Councils of the Royal Institute of International Affairs, the International Institute for Strategic Studies and Amnesty International, and on the UN Sub-Committee on Discrimination and Minorities. He has been chairman of the London Library and the Africa Bureau.
In addition to this he is, of course, the author of many books, including the "Penguin History of the Second World War"; "Fall Out: World War Two and the Shaping of Post-war Europe"; "A Time for Peace"; "Top Secret Ultra," a memoir of his time at Bletchley Park;"Nuremberg: The Facts, the Law and the Consequences"; and "Threading My Way."
