ABSTRACT

The number of common global experiences affecting most or all of the major regions increased rapidly between 1945 and 2000, though they did not all push in the same direction. This chapter covers the evolution of the Cold War; the acceleration of globalization; the massive process of decolonization; the spread of the industrialization process and many facets of industrial society to a variety of new regions, along with a decline in regional economic inequality, particularly after 1980, and new environmental problems; and the partial expansion of democratic political forms. More parts of the world were dealing with a shared agenda by 2000 than ever before, even if their responses sometimes varied.