Introduction: "The Problem of the Twentieth Century"

The problem of the twentieth century will be the problem of the color line-the relation of the darker to the lighter races of men in Asia and Africa, in America and the islands of the sea. Racial prejudice cannot always be singled out as a clearly identifiable and independent variable, somehow completely isolated from the other elements that seek to divide one from another. Both the racial and racist factors have profoundly influenced global politics, diplomacy, and discrimination. Nearly one hundred eighty governments, for example, went as far as to conclude that racial discrimination and racism still represent the most serious problem for the world. For them, and for others, there exists substantial evidence to demonstrate that the power and the prejudice surrounding "the problem of the century" not only has dramatically influenced past politics and diplomacy of racial discrimination but is likely to influence future as well.