The world since 1945 often seems to represents the lighter half of the 20th century. Rapid recovery from the ravages of war; the rise of popular culture; the phenomenal growth in affluence, health and quality of life; the communications revolution - in the West at least, the story is a good one. But the years between 1945 and 2007 - those covered in this book - are far from being post-war. They are also, sadly, no strangers to famine, disease, violent political and social upheaval, terrorism, discrimination and environmental catastrophe. Gerard Cheshire’s book picks up where its predecessors left off. Featuring a historical story for every single day of the year, this volume reports the facts of the modern world but leaves the reader in no doubt - the end of history is a long way off yet.