Title: A history of international relations theory /
Authors: Knutsen, Torbjørn L.,
Year: 2016
Subjects: International relations History; International relations Philosophy
Abstract: "The third edition of this accessible and popular text presents International Relations (IR) arguments and ideas in historical context. It shows how international events spark discussions about war, wealth, peace and power and how these discussions in turn fuel the rise of theories. The book traces international theories across the centuries - from medieval times until present day - and shows that many old ideas live on and continue to affect the way we perceive world affairs today... This book tells the story of IR. It shows how major events shaped particular theories and how these theories often reflected the concerns of the Great Powers of days past. Yet, it also makes clear that although the world has changed a good deal over the last 500 years, some basic ideas have remained remarkably constant over time"--Back cover.
Contents: Preludes -- Gods, sinners and preludes of international relations theory -- Renaissance politics : the roots of the modern ages -- Philosophies of war and peace -- Reformation politics : guns, ships and printing presses -- Absolutist politics : kings, wars and an interstate system -- Enlightenment politics : the revolutionary rise of popular sovereignty -- Ideological politics : the nineteenth century and the rise of mass participation -- The classic age of international relations -- Intermezzo : becoming contemporary -- The Great War, the big League and the twenty years' crisis -- World War II, the UN and the postwar order -- Rivals, realists and Cold War -- The thaw and the Third World : the Cold War after Stalin -- Arms races and revolutions : systems and structures in an age of upheaval -- The turn : the coming of the neo-liberal world -- A future history of international relations -- Unipolar world? -- Global politics : the end of international relations?