Stephanie James – författare

This book discusses various aspects of World War I. It focuses on topics proposed by contributors resulting from their own research interests. Nevertheless, as a result of common efforts, re-visiting those chosen aspects of the Great War of 1914–1918 enables the presentation of a volume that shows the multidimensional nature and consequences of this turning point in the history of particular nations, if not all mankind. This book, if treated as an intellectual journey through several continents, shows that World War I was not exclusively Europe’s war, and that it touched – in different ways – more parts of the globe than usually considered.

This volume is a collection of thirty papers written by authors from around the world. The writers focus on topics related to their own research interests. As a result, readers obtain a worldwide perspective on World War II from academics working on nearly every continent, proving that World War II was, probably, the first ever truly global experience for humanity. Present are many and different perspectives on the war. Eighty years after the end of World War II, these academics share their knowledge and reflections about a gruesome, but still not very remote time. In the new millennium, their studies should remind readers that the ‘end of history’ has been an impossible illusion and warn that peace and stability in international relations are not a given.

This book highlights multiple perspectives related to the Cold War presented by scholars from almost all continents. They discuss a variety of consequences of the Cold War for various countries and regions focusing on politics, economy, culture, and memory – according to their own professional interests. Driven by research curiosity and a desire to look at events of the Cold War from different angles, they combined their efforts and prepared this volume. Through this process, the wide and multidimensional perspective of the Cold War has been highlighted. Its legacy appears to be increasingly important today, when the world, just three decades after the collapse of the USSR and the Soviet model of Communism, is experiencing another wave of dangerous tensions in international relations, called the New Cold War.