International Relation

IR Systems Always Change

The world during the 20th century has witnessed four IR systems.

  1. Pre-World War I
  2. Dominance of the Great European empires in the 19th century until 1914. In system theory, this period represents a balance-of-power system, but by 1910 it has decayed.

  3. World War I through World War 2

    The empires destroy themselves from 1914-1945. With the major countries not willing to respond to threats, this period is termed “anti-balance-of-power” system. These systems are stable and temporary.

  4. Cold War
  5. The collapse of the traditional European powers leaves the U.S. and the USSR facing each other in a bipolar system (two country system).

    The superpowers block and exhaust themselves from 1945 through the 1980s, and the bipolar system falls apart.

  6. Post-Cold War
  7. The collapse of the Soviet Union end bipolarity, which leaves the world in a disputed era.

  8. Current theories range from multipolar (several power centers) to zones of chaos and from globalization (interlocked world) to clash of civilizations.
  9. Remember….

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