World War II and the Establishment of World Order: How International Relations Were Shaped from 1945–2025

Proroković, Dušan (2025) World War II and the Establishment of World Order: How International Relations Were Shaped from 1945–2025. In: 80 Years Since the End of World War II: Changes in International Relations 1945–2025. Institute of International Politics and Economics, Belgrade, pp. 11-19. ISBN 978-86-7067-351-9

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Abstract

The Second World War is one of the most important events in recent history. From the point of view of shaping contemporary international relations, it is actually the most important event. Today’s world political system was established in 1945, and despite the fact that the international order has changed twice in these eight decades, the system has survived. Among other things, this has happened due to the maintenance of the rules of functioning for eighty years. This paper explains the difference between the world political system and the international order. For the creation of the system, 1945 is taken as the reference year, while in addition to 1945, 1989 and 2008 can also be taken as reference years for the creation of different orders, which denote the transformations from bipolar to unipolar or from unipolar to multipolar. What connects 1945 and 2025 is the continuity of a global political system, which continues to endure despite all the challenges that have arisen over time. After the election and inauguration of Donald Trump and his first decisions, and given the importance of the place and role of the USA in international relations, the question of changing the principles and rules on which the system is founded is open. Although it is too early to draw any serious conclusions about the possible consequences of Trump’s decisions, from a theoretical point of view, due to what is currently happening, 2025 could become another reference year in the study of international relations.

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