Development of International Relations Post 2nd World War

Abstract:

“It might be a good idea if the various countries of the world would occasionally swap history
books, just to see what other people are doing with the same set of facts.”

:-Bill Vaughan

International relations is the study of the relations of states with each other and with international
organizations and certain sub national entities (e.g., bureaucracies, political parties, and interest
groups). It is related to a number of other academic disciplines, including political science,
geography, history, economics, law, sociology, psychology and philosophy.1

As a social science the international had its genesis during the initial years of 20th
century, and it attained adulthood in the wake of the two World WARS and The Cold war. The
world today is a different place from what it was nearly a century ago…… there are multiple
international bodies, interest groups are at play in the functioning of the international relations.
The objective of this paper is to study the development of international relations post the 2nd
World War period.

Key Words: International relations, international organizations, world war, international politics,
cold war etcetera.

1
McLealand Charles, Britannica Encyclopedia, inc.

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Development of International Relations Post 2nd World War

General:

The world as we know today is much more civilized than what it was about a century
ago. The world has seen multiple international disturbances it was almost like a jar packed with
most volatile ingredients which would blow at the slightest influence.

The international relations developed as a means to

understand the issues influencing such behavior initially the intellectuals behind this were only
concerned with the historical perspective, post that the brilliant intellectual minds were only
concerned with the present perspective, neither of which proved to be of any use. Little did they
realize that the need of the hour was to ponder on the both present as well as historical
perspectives.

Towards the end of the First World War, it dawned on the intellectuals of the world that
international relations required more practical approach and thus they began to consider the
historic events and current situation on the same plane.

Initial Developments:

The field of international relations began in the initial years of the 20th century
particularly in the western countries. This field of social science prominently emerged in the
United States as it grew in power and influence whereas in the eastern part of the contemporary
world it did not have much effect or recognition as the countries such as Soviet Union, China
were much more inclined towards Marxism and showed little interest towards a peaceful world
order. Consequently, the international relations flourished in the west.

A growing demand to find

less-dangerous and more-effective means of conducting relations between peoples, societies,

governments, and economies; a surge of writing and research inspired by the belief that

systematic observation and inquiry could dispel ignorance and serve human betterment; and the

popularization of political affairs, including foreign affairs. This new perspective was articulated

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Development of International Relations Post 2nd World War

by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson (1913–21) in his program for relations between the Great

Powers following a settlement of World War I. The rst of his Fourteen Points, as his program

came to be known, was a call for “open covenants of peace, openly arrived at” in place of the
secret treaties that were believed to have contributed to the outbreak of the war. The extreme
devastation caused by the war strengthened the conviction among political leaders that not
enough was known about international relations and that universities should promote research
and teaching on issues related to international cooperation and war and peace.

The Inter-War Period & International Relations:

After the First World War the Europe and North America saw the emergence of different
centers and institutions dedicated to the study of international relations. These numerous
institutions were looking for the roots on which this whole world war had sprung up.

Three subject areas initially commanded the most attention, each having its roots in
World War I. During the revolutionary upheavals at the end of the war, major portions of the
government archives of imperial Russia and imperial Germany were opened, making possible
some impressive scholarly work in diplomatic history that pieced together the unknown history
of prewar alliances, secret diplomacy, and military planning. These materials were integrated to

provide detailed explanations of the origins of World War I.

Based on their findings of these root causes the western powers came up with an idea of
International organizations. Most of the weight of the world’s peace was shoved on the shoulders
of these international organizations which could not handle the weight leading to the
deterioration of the world order and shoving the world towards another World War.

The League of Nations:

After the victory in a devastating war the President of United States of America Mr.
Roosevelt brought his brainchild “the League Of Nations” in front of a War devastated world.
The League of Nations objective was to maintain universal peace within the framework of the
fundamental principles of the Pact accepted by its Members: “to develop cooperation among

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nations and to guarantee them peace and security”. The first years of existence of the League of
Nations were marked by great successes. In accordance with the provisions of the Pact, several
international disagreements – between Sweden and Finland, and between Greece and Bulgaria –
were resolved peacefully. The Locarno Agreements signed in October 1925, which marked the
beginnings of a Franco-German reconciliation, were entrusted to the League. A direct
consequence, Germany, beaten and excluded from the League by the Treaty of Versailles in
1919, became a Member in 1926. In 1929, the delegate from France, Aristide Briand, put
forward to the Assembly the very first political project of a European Federal Union. In spite of
these early successes, the League of Nations did not manage to prevent neither the invasion of
Manchuria by Japan, nor the annexation of Ethiopia by Italy in 1936, nor that of Austria by
Hitler in 1938. The powerlessness of the League of Nations to prevent further world conflict, the
alienation of part of its Member States and the generation of the war itself, added to its demise
from 1940.2

The 2nd World War :

The 2nd World War was inevitable, considering the partial attitude of the contemporary
countries towards each other. The War had its genesis in the Greco-Bulgarian Border conflict in
the year 1925 followed by the Manchurian Crisis of 1932 and the conflicts in Ethiopia in 1933.
The International relations were not in order to prevent these conflicts although there was an
international organization at play which was formed by the unification of 48 countries, but even
that could not prevent the world war. Germany saw emergence of Nazism and Hitler who was
furious by the multiple vulture like sanctions imposed on Germany and because of the 28th
failure of the Weimar Republic within a span of merely 14 years. The internal disturbances of
Germany combined with the international instability, primarily caused by Fascist Italy and
Imperial Japan, led to the emergence of 2nd World War.

End of 2nd World War: Advent of a stable world order

The world war ended in complete devastation, there were victors in name, but no victors
in fact. Each side whether the Allies or the Axis suffered mortally. This was a call for a better
world order away from all the devastation and violence. Post World war era saw the emergence
2
History of The League Of Nations, UNOG Library, Registry, Records and Archives Unit. UNO.

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of new independent nations with power surplus, now the technological era had come a war was
bound to lead to a thermo nuclear war from which now nation could survive.

Following are the some remarkable changes which took place post world war 2 and international
relations evolved:

1. Power scarcity that characterised the classical international system got replaced by power
surplus (Nuclear weapons, overkill capacity and two super powers) in the new system.
2. The Balance of power got replaced by a Balance of Terror.
3. The formulation and implementation of foreign policy became a more complicated and
democratic exercise.
4. A big change in world political relations took place as a result of the rise of new states,
and the liquidation of imperialism and colonialism.
5. Peace, security, development and prosperity for all the nations got recognized as a value
in international relations.
6. There developed an arms race between the two super powers and the exercise became
more dangerous because of the birth of nuclear arms race.
7. Because of increase in the number of states, there came to be developed several new
problems and international relations became highly complex.
8. The presence of the United Nations gave a new look to the post-war international system.
9. New and Open Diplomacy came to replace the old and secret diplomacy.
10. The presence of two competing, in fact rival super powers set the stage for the emergence
of cold war and bi-polarity in international relations.
11. The transformation of war into a total war made it much more dreaded and the nations
became more and more interested in preserving international peace and security.
12. All the nations became conscious of the need for preserving peace through a better and
effective device of power management i.e. collective security.

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The birth of UN:

Just like a Phoenix, the United Nations Organization came into existence on 24 October,
1945 on the ashes of the League of Nations.

The UNO was designed to act as an effective platform for international diplomacy

designed to secure international peace and security, and development through collective efforts

of all the nations. The UN assumed the responsibility to maintain international peace and

security by promoting friendly cooperation among the member states. Along with it, the UN

Charter laid down a collective security system as the new device of power management in
international relations.

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