Events That Changed the World in the Twentieth Century

The aftershocks of the volatile 20th century will be felt for generations to come. In order to understand the current and future direction of the world, it is imperative to reflect on this century's seminal events and their lasting impact. Designed for students, this unique resource offers detailed descriptions and expert analysis of the 20th century's most important events: World War I, the Russian Revolution, the Rise of Fascism, the Great Depression, World War II, the Cold War, the Chinese Revolution, the end of Colonialism and the Rise of the Third World, European unification, and the collapse of the Soviet Union. Each of the events is dealt with in a separate chapter. An introductory essay presenting the facts about each event precedes an interpretive essay by a recognized authority on the event. Exploring beyond the traditional textbook treatment of history, these interpretive essays consider the immediate and far-reaching ramifications of each event. Through this innovative approach, students will be inspired to further analyze these events not only from a historical perspective, but also in the context of the world in which they live today. The volume also contains four useful appendices, making it perfect for the high school, community college, and undergraduate library reference shelf, as well as supplementary reading in social studies and world history courses.

FRANK W. THACKERAY is coeditor of the Greenwood Press Events That Changed the World Series, coeditor ofStatesmen Who Changed the World: A Bio-Bibliographical Dictionary of Diplomacy(Greenwood Press, 1993), and author of Antecedents of Revolution: Alexander I and the Polish Congress Kingdom, 1815-1825 (1980). He is Professor of History at Indiana University Southeast. He received a Fulbright Doctoral Dissertation Research Grant to Poland and has written extensively about Russo-Polish relations in the 19th and 20th centuries.

JOHN E. FINDLING is coeditor of the Greenwood Press Events That Changed the World Series. He is the author ofDictionary of American Diplomatic History (Greenwood Press, rev. ed., 1989), andClose Neighbors, Distant Friends: U.S.-Central American Relations (1987). He is the editor ofHistorical Dictionary of Worlds Fairs and Expositions (1990) and coeditor ofStatesmen Who Changed the World: A Bio-Bibliographical Dictionary of Diplomacy (Greenwood Press, 1993). He is Professor of History at Indiana University Southeast.