World Contemporary History

Author: Duan Binglin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1994-09-01
Features: World Contemporary History is the history of the world from the end of World War II in 1945 to the present. It is a part of world general history and also the history of human society transitioning from capitalism to socialism and communism. As is well-known, this transition began with the victory of the October Socialist Revolution in Russia during World War II, which was a long and winding historical era. During this time, countries with different social systems—capitalism and socialism—coexisted for a long period, competing with each other. Therefore, World Contemporary History also belongs to the category of world modern history that began with World War II and the October Revolution in Russia, marking the second period of modern world history, the post-World War II era. However, due to the unique characteristics and laws of world historical development in the more than 40 years after World War II, academia has generally treated this period of world history as an independent new discipline in recent years, naming it World Contemporary History. Peace and development are the two major themes of the contemporary world. Development requires peace, and peace requires development. For the people of the contemporary world, who have suffered disasters from two world wars, the desire for world peace, national development, social progress, economic prosperity, and improved living standards has become a common aspiration. The struggles of governments and people around the world to achieve world peace and promote the social, political, and economic development of their societies have become the central focus of World Contemporary History. This book is one of the specialized textbooks compiled by teachers from the Department of World Modern History at Beijing Normal University for undergraduate, evening, and correspondence students in the department. It is also suitable for history students at all higher education institutions and readers who are interested in the contemporary social, political, and economic development of the world.