Abstract
The twentieth century has often been defined as the century of internationalism. It was highlighted how, especially after the Second World War, international visions and institutions, in their intertwining with nation-states, interacted to create international connections within the framework of the competitive internationalisms that unfolded during the Cold War. The legacy of these global connections and interweavings is also clearly visible in the twenty-first century on the economic, cultural, and international political relations levels. However, internationalism as a political project aimed at transforming societies and world order—which has been at the center of international visions and discourses throughout the last century—seems to have vanished. This project aims to offer new perspectives to the growing research on internationalism by addressing the topic of its decline in the final phase of the Cold War and its consequences. The working hypothesis is that the emergence of economic globalization in the 1980s and 1990s, as well as the ideas of Western hegemony in the world order that emerged after the collapse of the Soviet Union, only apparently represented the pinnacle of internationalism, while in fact, they laid the foundations for its decline. We will therefore focus on three thematic axes: the last attempts at reform of the Soviet Union and the post-Soviet world; conceptions of a global role for the European Union; and Anglo-American political thought of the "third way" as the guiding principle of a post-Cold War world order.
Results achieved
The project demonstrated that the end of the Cold War marked not the disappearance but the profound transformation of internationalism. It highlighted the crisis of traditional transnational political organizations, particularly within social democracy, and examined the adaptation of internationalist projects to the new conditions created by globalization and European integration. The research also analyzed the decline of Third World political agendas, the redefinition of North–South relations, and the emergence of new forms of internationalism rooted in environmental and women's movements. More broadly, the project contributed to a reinterpretation of the post-Cold War international order by showing how growing global interdependence was accompanied by the weakening of political projects of international cooperation and the re-emergence of geopolitical competition. These findings were discussed and validated through an international conference that brought together leading scholars working on the history of internationalism, globalization, and the end of the Cold War.Dettagli del progetto
Responsabile scientifico: Paolo Capuzzo
Strutture Unibo coinvolte:
Dipartimento di Storia Culture Civiltà
Coordinatore:
Scuola Normale Superiore(Italy)
Contributo totale Unibo: Euro (EUR) 45.943,00
Durata del progetto in mesi: 24
Data di inizio
28/09/2023
Data di fine:
27/09/2025
