| Synopsis: |
This almanac offers an accessible guide to the global political scene since 1945. It demonstrates the historical forces that have determined the current world picture. Information is offered in both tabular and statistical formats and covers political organizations and movements, including dates of formation, aims, background and members; heads of state since 1945 and the dates of their administrations; diplomatic agreements, including treaties and alliances arranged by individual countries and ordered chronologically; and political parties, their leaders and manifestos.Other material includes information about elections, including general, presidential and parliamentary, with data encompassing the names of candidates, their respective parties, numbers of votes and percentages of the total vote; civil, colonial and international conflicts since 1945, including terrorism and descriptive data concerning it; nuclear arsenals, explosions and arms control, with dates of treaties and a chronology of the main events of the nuclear era; population data, including that of major cities; a dictionary of political terms and events like "Bay of Pigs", "Red Guards" and "Fianna Fail"; and a potted set of biographies of important political personalities. |