"The World Wars and their Impact on Global Political Structures"

Abstract

The two World Wars of the 20 th century were events that reconstituted the global political framework changing the course of power, the system of government and international relations. The First World War (1914-1918) undermined empires and created new nation-states as well as providing a basis of multilateralism in the form of the League of Nations. The Second World War (1939-1945) contributed to the demise of the colonial empires, established the United States and the Soviet Union as superpowers and reorganized global politics in the United Nations and the Cold War regime. This article evaluates critically the consequences of the wars in terms of destroying the traditional imperial powers, the emergence of decolonization, and new partnerships as well as furnishing the basis of existing international systems including NATO, EU, and United Nations. The analysis of the catalytic role of the wars on political restructuring on the global front is done through historical review and statistical enumeration.