David Kenneth Fieldhouse, FBA was an English historian of the British Empire who between 1981 and 1992 held the Vere Harmsworth Professorship of Imperial and Naval History at the University of Cambridge.

"The West and the Third World will be enjoyed by a wide audience. Richly flavoured with comparative insights, this book will appeal to specialists and students alike." English Historical Review"This is an impressive and useful work, providing historical perspective for crucial contemporary issues of economic development in the Third World." The Historian "This is a large project requiring deep understanding of the way in which the world economy has evolved and of the changing political relations between Europe, America and the rest of the world. Indeed, it is difficult to think of anyone better qualified for this task than Fieldhouse; and the result is a book of great authority ... The book is also written clearly and can be easily followed by the non-expert." History "Recommended for general readers; lower division undergraduate through beginning graduate students." Choice "An interesting introduction for students from a range of disciplines interested in the relations between different world regions." Progress in Development Studies

• Introduction. Part I: The Debate over an Integrated World System:.1. The Optimists.2. The Pessimists.Part II: Instruments of Empire:.3. Imperial Government and the Development Imperative.4. Imperial Economies and Third World Development.Part III: Trade, Colonialism and Development:.5. Trade and Development in the Settler Societies.6. The Concept of a Colonial Economy.7. The Colonial Economy in Practice: Trade and Development in India and Ghana.Part IV: After Colonialism: The New International System: .8. Aid and Development.9. The Multinational Corporation and Development.10. Trade and Development after 1950: Black Africa and India.11. Trade and Development after 1950: East and South-East Asia.12. Some Conclusions.Select Bibliography.