What Was the Third World Revolution?
Clifford Geertz
Between 1945 and 1965, about fifty-four, depending on how you count, new, independent states, with borders, capitals, armies, leaders, policies, names appeared in the world. 1965 end of century, again a bit how, whom, fifty-seven more appeared. All major colonial empires-British; Dutch; French; Spanish; Portuguese; American; German; Australian; and, via Pacific war, Japanese; collapse communism, Russian-dissolved, most relatively peacefully, few-India, Algeria, Belgian Congo, East Indies, Kenya, Indo-China-amid spastic outbursts generalized violence. An international system, sixty or so officially recognized players (forty-two countries were members League Nations at its start; another sixteen joined later, one has to add United States couple other recalcitrants) was succeeded by with, recent UN membership hundred ninety-one. The world resegmented, refounded, reformatted space few decades. It was, clearly, some sort revolution. But what sort-what it that turned around, which directions-was, still is, imperfectly understood.
Dissent