Establishing the Post-War International Order, 1944-1961
Global governance, geopolitics, and international political economy during the early Cold War
This resource will be of great use to researchers and students from different disciplines who wish to understand the treaties, institutions, and norms that led to the emergence and endurance of the post-war order and Cold War.University of Leicester
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Study the institutions, treaties, and events that shaped the post-war world, from Bretton Woods to the Berlin Wall
This collection, curated in association with The National Archives (UK), provides an unparalleled insight into the political, economic, and military foundations of the post-war international order. The materials, which are diverse in nature, cover a wide range of subject matter, shedding light on the perspectives of various state and non-state actors during periods of both cooperation and conflict. The United Nations (UN), Marshall Plan, World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), and European Economic Community (EEC), to name but a few examples, are all accounted for.
In addition to diplomatic files relating to key organisations, agreements, and events, records of global commodity prices, including gold, oil, and food, feature heavily. Most of the documents are derived from the annals of the British Board of Trade (i.e. BT 64), Cabinet Office (i.e. CAB 128), Foreign Office (i.e. FO 371), and Treasury (i.e. T 274). Brought together here for the first time, these files are intended for use by academics working across the humanities and social sciences, from History and International Relations, to Economics and International Law.
Contents
Establishing the Post-War International Order, 1944-1961...
Global governance, geopolitics, and international political economy during the early Cold War
Volumes & Documents
Highlights
Insights
- In the aftermath of the Second World War, the triumphant Allied powers agreed to create a series of multilateral institutions and regimes to peacefully govern the emerging international system.
- While some found support on either side of the so-called Iron Curtain, others were very much the product of the West and its particular interests.
- The records in this collection illuminate the ideas, alliances, and antagonisms underpinning those interests, demonstrating how they influenced policymaking and ultimately shaped the post-war world.
- Most of the documents come from the annals of the Government of the United Kingdom, and as such, provide a distinctly British and Commonwealth perspective on events.
- This perspective includes civil society groups, such as industry bodies and labour unions, which had an important stake in the international situation, especially when it came to trade agreements and commodity markets.
- That said, a significant proportion of the material was either produced by foreign governments and international organisations or deals directly with their concerns, influence, and behaviour.
The search function works best at volume level. For those requiring further information, this collection can be used in conjunction with the National Archives’ Discovery catalogue.
