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A masterly synthesis of the history of the contemporary world, The World Since 1945offers the ideal introduction to the events of the period between the end of the Second World War and the present day. P. M. H. Bell and Mark Gilbert balance a clear narrative with in-depth analysis to guide the reader through the aftermath of the Second World War, the Cold War, decolonization, Détente and the Arab-Israeli Conflict, up to the on-going ethnic strife and political instability of the 21st century.
This compelling history of Europe’s Cold War follows the dramatic arc of the conflict that shaped the development of the continent and defined world politics in the second half of the twentieth century. Focusing on European actors and events, Mark Gilbert traces the onset of the Cold War, the process of Stalinization in the Soviet bloc, and the difficulties of legitimation experienced by communist regimes in Hungary, Poland, and East Germany even after Stalin’s death. He also shows how Washington’s leadership and worldview was contested in Western Europe, especially by Great Britain and French president Charles de Gaulle. The book charts the growing weakness of the communist system in Eastern Europe and the economic and moral reasons for the system’s eventual collapse. It highlights the central role of European leaders in the process of détente and in the diplomatic endgame that concluded the Cold War in 1990. Rather than simply a strategic standoff between the superpowers, Gilbert argues, the Cold War was a social and ideological conflict that transformed Europe from Lisbon to Riga. Fast-paced and readable, this political, intellectual, and social history illuminates a conflict that continues to resonate today.
A fully revised and updated edition of Surpassing Realism: The Politics of European Integrationsince 1945, this book remains the standard for concise histories of the European Union. Mark Gilbert offers a clear and balanced narrative of European integration since its inception to the present, set in the wider history of the post-war period. Imperial decline and decolonization, the threat and then fall of communism, the impact of American policy, and the democratization of the Mediterranean and central European countries are just some of the contemporaneous historical developments whose intersecting stories have been woven into this book's fabric. The European Union remains a remarkable experiment in regional cooperation, but the aura of success that has enveloped the process of integration for much of the period since the 1950s is dissipating in the wake of dire economic collapses and heated immigration debates. Gilbert concludes by examining the mood of crisis that has taken hold in the EU since 2005 and considers the Union's future.
Italy is a country that exercises a hold on the imagination of people all over the world. Its long history has left an inexhaustible treasure chest of cultural achievement. The historic cities of Rome, Florence, and Venice are among the most sought-after destinations in the world for tourists and art lovers, and Italy's natural beauty and cuisine are rightly renowned. Italy's history and politics are also a source of endless fascination. Modern Italy has consistently been a political laboratory for the rest of Europe. In the 19th century, Italian patriotism was of crucial importance in the struggle against the absolute governments reintroduced after the Congress of Vienna, 1814-15. After the fall of Fascism during World War II, Italy became a model of rapid economic development, though its politics has never been less than contentious and its democracy has remained a troubled one.
Professore associato di Storia contemporanea presso la facoltà di Sociologia dell'Università di Trento, autore di saggi e volumi in lingua inglese, Mark Gilbert analizza l'integrazione europea nel contesto delle evoluzioni geopolitiche ed economiche degli ultimi decenni. Lo studioso cerca di rispondere a domande come "perché gli Stati europei l'hanno preferita alle tradizionali soluzioni nazionali?".
The Lega Nord and the Northern Question in Italian Politics (2001)
The Lega Nord and the Northern Question in Italian Politics (2001)
Since the late 1980s, the Lega Nord has broken the mold of Italian politics. Federalist, secessionist, populist, it has succeeded in mobilizing the entrepreneurial class of Northern Italy in a campaign against the Italian state. In 1996, it launched the idea of Panadia, a separate Northern Italian nation. This proved to be a step too far, but the Lega remains a political force to be reckoned with, and has propelled "the Northern question" on to the national stage.
The Italian Revolution: The End of Politics, Italian Style? (1995)
The Italian Revolution: The End of Politics, Italian Style? (1995)
Since 1992, Italy has been rocked by the disintegration of its traditional ruling elite as dozens of leading politicians have been accused of corruption, extortion, and Mafia ties. The two linchpins of the former governing coalition, the Christian Democrats and the Socialists, have been shattered by scandal and humiliated at the polls. New political forces, such as the Northern League, have rushed to fill the vacuum. The traditional opposition, the Communist Party, changed its name to the Democratic Party of the Left in 1991 and has since emerged as the leader of a coalition of progressive forces that may yet prove itself as Italy's natural government. The neofascist Italian Social Movement, profiting from the chaos, has become the largest party in Italy's economically depressed South. All these political disturbances have taken place against a backdrop of mounting economic worries and an internecine war between the state and the Mafia.These political convulsions could well be designated a revolution. Since the fall of the Fourth Republic in France, no Western nation has undergone such a dramatic period of upheaval. This clear and balanced book provides both a historical account of the circumstances that led to la rivoluzione italiana and an explanation of why it took place after decades of complacency.
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