World History: Unipolar to Bipolar world order

20th century can be divided into three distinct phases. The first beginning – 1900 A.D. to 1945 could rightly be classified as the period of the world wars, the second extending from 1945 to 1991-till the dissolution of the Soviet Union – is the crucial phase of the 20th century and it is the period of the cold war, the third spanning from 1991 and moving on into the 21st century is the period of the World Trade Organisation, the market and Globalisation.

Unipolar to Bipolar world order – Anti-imperialism and Anticolonialism

The year 1945 brought about great changes in the world order since it ushered in the nuclear age. The new world order that was to develop after the incalculable damage to life and property during the Second World War, was to be a bipolar world dominated by the two super powers, the United States of America and the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics. Till the end of World War II, a unipolar structure controlled by the United States was the order of the day, but the victory of Communism over Nazism i.e. of the Soviet Union over Germany, clearly brought about a realignment of power after World War II. In the process a unipolar power structure dominated by the United States was replaced by a bipolar power structure. The new world order that emerged during the post – 1945 period was not merely bipolar, but it also witnessed the triumph of nationalism in major parts of the world like Asia, Africa and Latin America. Anti-imperialism and anti-colonialism were the most outstanding developments of the New world order after 1945. Many new nation-states were born during this period which asserted their independence and also tried to maintain a distance from the two super powers.

However, another major development, which became an integral part of the new world order was the race for nuclear and non-nuclear armaments. It is pertinent to observe that all post-war developments saw the two super powers locking horns against one another.