World Transformed & World Tranformed Documentary Reader: 1945 to the Present

by Michael H. Hunt

Through its lively and accessible narrative, The World Transformed provides students with an account of the political, socio-economic and cultural developments that have shaped global events since 1945. The volume's focus on three central and profoundly interconnected stories — the unfolding of the cold war, the growth of the international economy, and the developing world's quest for political and economic independence — offers students a framework for understanding the past and making sense of the present. Attentive to overarching themes, individual historical figures, and diverse nations, The World Transformed will find an enthusiastic reception in courses on post-1945 world history, international relations, or global concerns.

Genres: History, Politics, Nonfiction, Textbooks

448 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[cal · Rating 3 out of 5]

forgot that i finished this in the summer (for a course),,, whatever i gobble nuclear war down like a hawk anyways. love maps 👍🏼 pacts and proxy initiatives were listed chronologically, comprehensible (cool maps).

[Uhl · Rating 5 out of 5]

"History instructs us...to come to terms with the unavoidable fragility of life."

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an example of a well-written textbook that has an interesting premise based upon high-level academic work which is nonetheless accessible to non-specialist readers. It is good enough that I would recommend it to people interested in contemporary history even outside of the context of University studies. With the kind of information covered here, one need not be baffled by the International section of the newspaper ever again.

Hunt's work on this book began with teaching a course at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on "the world since 1945." As he puts it, the course "has proven popular for its historical immediacy and its relevance - as a vehicle for filling in the background on the world that students inherit and the issues that they, as part of an informed electorate, will have to address." He wrote this book because there was no basic textbook for the course, but also because he had come to believe that 1945 was a turning-point in global history far more significant than most of the recognized dates historians typically used. Hunt's perspective is perhaps significant, because his specialty is Asia, not Europe or North America, making his awareness all the more relevant for an even-handed perspective on world history.

Of course, "the world" is a big place, and one cannot cover 50+ years of its history comprehensively in just over 400 pages, so decisions had to be made regarding focus. The United States gets a great deal of attention, having emerged as a political and economic force for near-global dominance in 1945, and especially after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989-91. Russia gets its share of interest during the Cold War period as well. But Hunt also devotes a third of each chapter to the "developing" post-colonial world, such that events which drew the great powers into that world are given background explanations. Economic issues and international relations make up the other major themes explored. In all, this gives the reader a very useful resource to understand an important part of history - a history that still has great importance to the world of today.

[Terri Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this book and did find a lot of interesting information on how the world village has changed since 1945 and how the countries of the world have sorted themselves out with the Cold War, the Vietnam War, the tumultuous 1960's and 1970's on into the globalization of our world. I was absorbed in my reading of this book. How far we have come in such a relatively short time. Societies have transformed and the world is smaller now despite differences among countries and cultures. Satisfying read for a world history junkie like me.

[David Sexton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book during a history class and thought it was a good resource for the course. I would like to go back and read it again one day. We only read a selection from the book and I thought it added a depth into the course.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely written from an extremely liberal perspective but does provide fascinating information. It's a good book for facts but not for opinions and interpretation.

[David Sexton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book during a History class and thought it was a good resource for the course. I would like to go back and read it again one day.