
How the West Lost the Peace: The Great Transformat ion Since the Cold War
The Great Transformation Since the Cold War
Ther(Author)
Polity Press
1st Edition
Published on 13. April 2023
Book
Hardback
288 pages
978-1-5095-5059-3 (ISBN)
Description
When the Berlin Wall was stormed and the Soviet Union fell apart, the West and above all the United States looked like the sole victors of history. Three decades later, the spirit of triumph rings hollow. What went wrong?
In this sequel to his award-winning history of neoliberal Europe, the renowned historian Philipp Ther searches for an answer to this question. He argues that global capitalism created many losers, preparing the ground for the rise of right-wing populists and nationalists and their remarkable successes in the 'annus horribilis' of 2016 and its aftermath. He shows how the promise of prosperity and freedom did not catch on sufficiently in Eastern Europe despite material progress, and how the West lost Russia and alienated Turkey. Neoliberal capitalism also left the world poorly prepared to cope with Covid-19, and the pandemic further weakened the Western hegemony of the post-1989 period, which is now brutally contested by Russiäs war against Ukraine. The double punch of the pandemic and the biggest war in Europe since 1945 has brought to an end the age of transformation that was inaugurated by the end of the Cold War.
Drawing inspiration from the great economic historian Karl Polanyi, this penetrating analysis of the disarray of the post-1989 world will be of great interest to anyone who wishes to understand how we got to where we are today and the great challenges we now face.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 218 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 28 mm
Weight
476 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5095-5059-3 (9781509550593)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
04/2023
1st Edition
Wiley
€18.99
Available for download

Ther
How the West Lost the Peace: The Great Transformat ion Since the Cold War
The Great Transformation Since the Cold War
Book
04/2023
1st Edition
Polity Press
€24.00
Shipment within 15-20 days
Person
Philipp Ther is Professor of Central European History at the University of Vienna and the author of many books, including Europe Since 1989.
Content
Preface: The Great Transformation after 1989
1. From Neoliberalism to Antiliberalism: The Enduring Relevance of Karl Polanyi
2. Lost Social and Political Equilibrium: The USA after the Cold War
3. The Price of Unity: Germany's Shock Therapy in International Comparison
4. La Crisi: Italy's Decline as a Portent for Europe
5. The West, Turkey and Russia: A History of Estrangement
6. Eastern Europe as a Pioneer: Polanyi's Pendulum Swings to the Right
7. Systemic Competition during the Covid-19 Pandemic
Afterword: A Bad End: The War against Ukraine
Postscript and Acknowledgements
Notes