In an ever-shrinking world, the need for a global perspective in dealing with the modern world has become acute. This book attempts to provide such a perspective by investigating the major changes in geopolitics and world economy during the past 500 years. It enables the reader to understand the present unravelling of Communism and the growing challenge from Asia to Western superiority. It is shown that in so many ways the problems of the contemporary world spring from the unprecedented era of Western domination, which the non-Western world is now trying to unlive. The book also shows the extent to which the two World Wars undermined Europe’s dominion and led to the resurgence of Asia. Other titles by William Woodruff include America’s Impact on the World and The Struggle for World Power .