Britain and the Post-War World

Abstract

In the middle of this twentieth century the world is passing through a curious, disjointed phase in its history. Moreover, when every allowance is made for the natural inclination always to regard one’s own age as a time of crisis, it also seems almost certainly a crucial phase. Four revolutionary developments, completely changing the whole character ofworld affairs, have made themselves apparent since the end of the recent war; the reason why the new phase seems disjointed is the fact that, while three of these are closely inter-related, the fourth appears to be totally opposed to them. The four developments are these: the outmoding of nationalism as the main dynamic of the more advanced countries, resulting in a pressing need to reorganise their activities upon an international scale; the emergence of the two ‘super-powers’ — the United States and the Soviet Union — that now dominate the world to a degree quite unprecedented; the attainment — for good or for evil — of the ability to release nuclear power; and the emergence of nationalism among the large group of more backward countries where previously it has not been an important force.