ABSTRACT

This book has focused on two interrelated themes: the influence of politics on international economic relations and the political management of the world economy in the years since World War II. The examination of international economic relations in recent decades has revealed the many ways in which political factors have shaped economic outcomes. We have seen that the postwar security system significantly affected the postwar economic system. The creation of a bipolar diplomatic-security system following the outbreak of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union led to the separation of the Eastern and Western economic systems and provided a base for the dominant role of the United States in the Western system and of the Soviet Union in the Eastern system. The end of the Cold War has led in turn to a deeper integration of the formerly Communist countries and China into the world economy.