The Ebbing of European Ascendancy: An International History of the World 1914-1945

Description

In the decades between the World Wars, the global power structure was transformed. The once great European powers were no longer ascendant, even if they had not yet acknowledged it, and the U.S., a regional power as of 1914, now belonged to a new category: "superpower." What happened in this short period to usher in such a dramatic change? The Ebbing of European Ascendancy explores the crucial factors, including the international history of the period in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, as single interlocking whole to clearly examine one of the most dramatic, worldwide power shifts in the last century. In the decades between the World Wars, the global power structure was transformed. The once great European powers were no longer ascendant, even if they had not yet acknowledged it, and the U.S., a regional power as of 1914, now belonged to a new category: "superpower." What happened in this short period to usher in such a dramatic change? The Ebbing of European Ascendancy explores the crucial factors, including the international history of the period in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, as single interlocking whole to clearly examine one of the most dramatic, worldwide power shifts in the last century. In the decades between the World Wars, the global power structure was transformed. The once great European powers were no longer ascendant, even if they had not yet acknowledged it, and the U.S., a regional power as of 1914, now belonged to a new category: "superpower." What happened in this short period to usher in such a dramatic change? The Ebbing of European Ascendancy explores the crucial factors, including the international history of the period in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, as single interlocking whole to clearly examine one of the most dramatic, worldwide power shifts in the last century. "Sally Marks has rendered a great service to students and general readers alike in this incisive and insightful survey of global politics in the first half of the twentieth century. Her lively prose and shrewd judgements make it a most readable and valuable introduction to the themes of modern diplomacy, war and the relations between Europe and the wider world. Gordon Martel, Professor of History, University of Northern British Columbia "A most thoughtful and comprehensive analysis of how Europe's dominance of the globe dissolved in the twentieth century. Readers are carefully led through the thickets of war and diplomacy with due attention to economic and cultural factors and the perceptions - and misperceptions - of key actors as well as the public in Europe and around the world."—Gerhard L. Weinberg, Historian, Professor Emeritus, University of North Carolina  "An incisive and insightful survey of global politics in the first half of the twentieth century."—Educational Book Review