International Development: A Postwar History

About the Author

Thomas W. Zeiler is Professor of American Diplomatic History at the University of Colorado Boulder, USA.

Product Description

International Development: A Postwar History offers the first concise historical overview of international development policies and practices in the 20th century.

Embracing a longue durée perspective, the book describes the emergence of the development field at the intersection of late colonialism, the Second World War, the onset of decolonization, and the Cold War. It discusses the role of international organizations, colonial administrations, national governments, and transnational actors in the making of the field, and it analyzes how the political, intellectual, and economic changes over the course of the postwar period affected the understanding of and expectations toward development.

By drawing on examples of development projects in different parts of the world and in different fields, Corinna R. Unger shows how the plurality of development experiences shaped the notion of development as we know it today. This book is ideal for scholars seeking to understand the history of development assistance and to gain new insight into the international history of the 20th century.

Review

“Unger’s book is the best single-volume history of international development published to date. It would make a valuable addition to graduate courses on international and global history, and its clear and direct style would make it useful for select advanced undergraduate courses as well. Professional historians will also find the book an excellent resource for writing lectures on topics ranging from international perspectives on the Tennessee Valley Authority to the origins of development economics. The book should be the starting point for any researcher interested in the topic.” – Cold War Studies

“With clarity and authority Unger has provided a firm foundation for those readers eager to grasp a critical global issue, the sprawling and contentious history of international development.” ―David Ekbladh, Associate Professor of History, Tufts University, USA

“In her masterful survey of the literature, Corinna Unger traces the forerunners of development aid yet emphasizing that the Second World War and the Cold War set a different framework for international development. She highlights the origins of great power competition as well as the role of international organizations, and points to the importance of small donor states, recipient nations and academics. Unger discusses the ideas that created the changing fads of development aid and the practices that at times reinforced and as often undermined foreign aid orthodoxy. International Development is what old hands in the field have long wished they could tell their students to read. It is for both teachers and graduate students the point of departure for new adventures in the field of the history of development aid.” ―Helge Pharo, Professor Emeritus of International History, University of Oslo, Norway