ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses initially on the great events of the period 1914–45: the two World Wars, the Depression, the wave of revolutions in China, Mexico, and Russia, the rise of new kinds of authoritarianism. The events had major but diverse impacts on the world’s regions, and ultimately would generate efforts to avoid some of the period’s blatant mistakes. Larger trends also warrant assessment: new attempts to modify globalization, new forms of agitation against the Western empires, enhancements of racism, significant changes in the rights of women. Alterations in the nature of war and its impact also receive attention.
