Cronin explores the creation, structure, and ultimate disintegration of the postwar settlement, tracing how the alliances, institutions, and rivalries forged in the aftermath of World War II created a framework for order that endured until the late twentieth century. He examines how the Cold War’s bipolar system—anchored by the United States and the Soviet Union—brought both stability and division, as Europe was split into competing ideological and military blocs, symbolized most starkly by the Berlin Wall. Cronin’s analysis extends beyond Europe, highlighting how the Cold War rivalry played out in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, and how local conflicts were often shaped by the broader superpower confrontation.

The book delves into the factors that led to the unraveling of this order in the 1980s and early 1990s, including economic pressures, political reforms, and the weakening of Soviet power. Cronin argues that the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War did not bring about a new era of lasting peace, but instead exposed the world to renewed chaos and the return of unresolved historical conflicts. He shows how the structures and assumptions of the Cold War continue to influence contemporary geopolitics, from the resurgence of nationalism to debates over security and intervention.