THE WORLD, WOVEN
English
Start reading

Part V

Why the World Looks Like This

How imperialism, world wars, institutions, the Cold War and decolonization produced much of today’s map.

Institutions, cities and borders representing the formation of the modern world.

The reading path

Chapters in this part

  1. 20Why Do Empires Divide Up the Planet?Industry, naval power, finance and medicine make a new wave of imperialism possible. Africa and Asia are incorporated into colonial systems that leave lasting borders and dependencies. 13 min read
  2. 21How Can an Assassination Redraw the Planet?Sarajevo is the spark, not the explanation. Alliances, nationalism, imperial rivalries and industrial mobilisation turn a local crisis into a war that brings down four empires. 13 min read
  3. 22Why Does Peace Fail?Versailles, economic crisis, fascism, Nazism and Japanese imperialism combine in another global conflict, shifting the centre of power from Europe towards the United States and the Soviet Union.12 min read
  4. 23Who Writes the Rules After a Catastrophe?After 1945, a system of institutions, alliances and rules emerges that still structures much of the world order: the UN, Bretton Woods, the dollar, the Marshall Plan and NATO.12 min read
  5. 24What Happens When the World Splits in Two?Nuclear deterrence prevents an all-out war between the United States and the Soviet Union, but pushes their competition into alliances, technology, space and regional conflicts from Korea to Afghanistan.13 min read
  6. 25Who Drew the Countries We Have Today?The end of the colonial empires produced much of today's map. India, Africa, the Middle East and the Non-Aligned Movement reveal how difficult it is to build new states upon inherited territories and institutions.12 min read