Corinna R. Unger

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.

A Postwar History

International Development

Dietmar Müller

Liesbeth van de Grift

For a long time agriculture and rural life were dismissed by many contemporaries as irrelevant or old-fashioned. Contrasted with cities as centers of intellectual debate and political decision-making, the countryside seemed to be becoming increasingly irrelevant. Today, politicians in many European countries are starting to understand that the neglect of the countryside has created grave problems. Similarly, historians are remembering that European history in the twentieth century was strongly influenced by problems connected to the production of food, access to natural resources, land rights, and the political representation and activism of rural populations. Hence, the handbook offers an overview of historical knowledge on a variety of topics related to the land. It does so through a distinctly activity-centric and genuinely European perspective. Rather than comparing different national approaches to living with the land, the different chapters focus on particular activities – from measuring to settling the land, from producing and selling food to improving agronomic knowledge, from organizing rural life to challenging political structures in the countryside. Furthermore, the handbook overcomes the traditional division between East and West, North and South, by embracing a transregional approach that allows readers to gain an understanding of similarities and differences across national and ideological borders in twentieth-century Europe.

Rural and Agricultural Actors in Twentieth-Century Europe – A Handbook

Living with the Land

Iris Borowy

Nicholas Ferns

Jack Loveridge

What is development, what has it been in the past, and what can historians learn from studying the history of development? How has the field of the history of development evolved over time, and where should it be going in the future?

Perspectives on the History of Global Development

Heinrich Hartmann

Demographic study and the idea of a “population” was developed and modified over the course of the twentieth century, mirroring the political, social, and cultural situations and aspirations of different societies. This growing field adapted itself to specific policy concerns and was therefore never apolitical, despite the protestations of practitioners that demography was “natural.” Demographics were transformed into public policies that shaped family planning, population growth, medical practice, and environmental conservation. While covering a variety of regions and time periods, the essays in this book share an interest in the transnational dynamics of emerging demographic discourses and practices. Together, they present a global picture of the history of demographic knowledge.

Transnational Perspectives on Demography in the Twentieth Century

A World of Populations

J. R. McNeill

Explores the links between the Cold War and the global environment, ranging from the environmental impacts of nuclear weapons to the political repercussions of environmentalism.

Corinna R. Unger

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