Content area
Full Text
The Cold War and the New Imperialism: A Global History, 1945-2005, by Henry Heller. New York: Monthly Review Press, 2006. $65.00; paper, $22.95. Pp. 366.
"History clearly has not ended," writes Henry Heller in the Preface to his book. "Indeed, the future has never been of greater concern to humanity, and yet it appears more confusing, less certain, and more pregnant with change than ever." To shed light on the current world disorder, the author set himself the ambitious goal of describing and analyzing the primary political and economic events and trends of the entire post-World War II era. The purpose of this book, the author states, "is to order and explain the kaleidoscope of recent events." While there may not be all that much that is new for the seasoned activist who has lived through most of the period described, the book is aimed more at a younger audience, thirsting for a deeper understanding of the current world situation. As such, this synthesis scores over most of its rivals through its broader scope and deeper understanding.
Inevitably in a book of this size, topics tend to be covered in short summary form, and the reader occasionally yearns for more detail than can be provided. Yet it is remarkable how much information has been included, and the book as a whole is a masterly distillation of a lifetime of learning and prodigious research. That so much material has been organized into a coherent whole is an impressive achievement.
Heller convincingly demonstrates how decolonization brought only formal independence to African and Asian nations formerly under the European heel. "Third World exports increased dramatically, but...