World Politics since 1945

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 Calvocoressis 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 ONeill, 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 internati...