Socialism Goes Global: The Soviet Union and Eastern Europe in the Age of Decolonisation

Co-ordinated by
James Mark (University of Exeter) and 
Paul Betts (Professor of Modern European History, St. Antony's College, University of Oxford)
(OUP, February 2022)

This collectively written monograph is the first work to provide a broad history of the relationship between Eastern Europe and the decolonising world. It ranges from the late nineteenth to the late twentieth century, but at its core is the dynamic of the post-1945 period, when socialism's importance as a globalising force accelerated and drew together what contemporaries called the 'Second' and 'Third Worlds'. At the centre of this history is the encounter between the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe on one hand, and a wider world casting off European empires or struggling against western imperialism on the other. The origins of these connections are traced back to new forms of internationalism enabled by the Russian Revolution; the interplay between the first 'decolonisation' of the twentieth century in Eastern Europe and rising anti-colonial movements; and the global rise of fascism, which created new connections between East and South. The heart of the study, however, lies in the Cold War, when these contacts and relationships dramatically intensified. A common embrace of socialist modernisation and anti-imperial culture opened up possibilities for a new and meaningful exchange between the peripheries of Eastern Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Such linkages are examined across many different fields - from health to archaeology, economic development to the arts - and through many people - from students to experts to labour migrants - who all helped to shape a different form and meaning of globalisation.

Foreign States in Domestic Markets: Sovereign Wealth Funds and the West

Mark Thatcher (Course Director, Policies and Governance in Europe at LUISS) and
Tim Vlandas (Associate Professor of Comparative Social Policy and Departmental Course Director at the Department of Social Policy and Intervention (DSPI); Fellow and Dean of Degrees at St Antony's College, University of Oxford)
(OUP, December 2021)

Political economy debates have focused on the internationalisation of private capital, but foreign states increasingly enter domestic markets as financial investors. How do policy makers in recipient countries react? Do they treat purchases as a threat and impose restrictions or see them as beneficial and welcome them? What are the wider implications for debates about state capacities to govern domestic economies in the face of internationalisation of financial markets? In response, Foreign States in Domestic Markets have developed the concept of 'internationalised statism', where governments welcome the use of foreign state investments to govern their domestic economies. These foreign state investments are applied to the most prominent overseas state investors, Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs). Many SWFs are from Asia and the Middle East and their number and size have greatly expanded, reaching $9 trillion by 2020. This book examines policies towards non-Western SWFs buying company shares in four countries: the US, UK, France, and Germany. Although the US has imposed significant legal restrictions, the others have pursued internationalised statism in ways that are surprising given both popular and political economy classifications. This book argues that the policy patterns found are related to domestic politics, notably the preferences and capacities of the political executive and legislature, rather than solely economic needs or national security risks. The phenomenon of internationalised statism underlines that overseas state investment provides policy makers in recipient states with new allies and resources. The study of SWFs shows that internationalisation and liberalisation of financial markets offer national policy makers opportunities to govern their domestic economies.

The Greek Military Dictatorship: Revisiting a Troubled Past, 1967–1974

Edited by
Othon Anastasakis (Director of South East European Studies at Oxford (SEESOX) and Senior Research Fellow at St Antony's College, University of Oxford) and
Katerina Lagos (Professor of History at California State University, Sacramento and the Director of the CSUS Hellenic Studies Program and Hellenic Studies Center)
(Berghahn, September 2021)

From 1967 to 1974, the military junta ruling Greece attempted a dramatic reshaping of the nation, implementing ideas and policies that left a lasting mark on both domestic affairs and international relations. Bringing together leading scholars from a range of disciplines, The Greek Military Dictatorship explores the junta’s attempts to impose authoritarian rule upon a rapidly modernizing country while navigating a complex international landscape. Focusing both on foreign relations as well as domestic matters such as economics, ideology, religion, culture and education, this book offers a fresh and well-researched study of a key period in modern Greek history.

Europe Beyond the Euro: Building Protection for Europe's Economies

Charles Enoch (ESC Visiting Fellow (2020-2021), St Antony's College, Oxford)
(Palgrave MacMillan)

This book observes that a key determinant of Europe’s welfare over the coming decades will be how the region manages crises, both financial and societal. It examines how key institutional developments, such as Economic and Monetary Union, reflected differentiated integration (DI) in the EU, but argues that modern-day risks are highly interconnected, and their management therefore has to be inclusive. In that connection it looks in particular at the European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB), whose mandate to protect financial stability also gives it relevance with regard to other crises. The book considers that the strengthening of this institution, and bringing it to the fore, would help EU member states, as well as countries around the EU including applicant nations, to manage financial and societal risks, including COVID-19 and the transition to a green economy, thus safeguarding the economies of Europe. It builds on a model of the EU allowing for DI in some activities, while ensuring sound governance arrangements between those inside and those outside that activity, and embodying inclusivity in the fundamentals of the EU, including in the management of risk. Charles Enoch is the European Studies Centre Fellow at St Antony’s College, University of Oxford, UK, and Previous Deputy Director, International Monetary Fund, and Senior Advisor, Bank of England, UK.

Ruin and Renewal: Civilising Europe After the Second World War

Paul Betts (Professor of Modern European History, St. Antony's College, University of Oxford)
(Basic Books, November 2020)

In 1945, Europe lay in ruins - its cities and towns destroyed by conflict, its economies crippled, its societies ripped apart by war and violence. In the wake of the physical devastation came profound moral questions: how could Europe - once proudly confident of its place at the heart of the 'civilised world' - have done this to itself? And what did it mean that it had? In the years that followed, Europeans - from politicians to refugees, poets to campaigners, religious leaders to communist revolutionaries - tried to make sense of what had happened, and to forge a new understanding of civilisation that would bring peace and progress to a broken continent. As they wrestled with questions great and small - from the legacy of colonialism to workplace etiquette - institutions and shared ideals emerged which still shape our world today.  Drawing on original sources as well as individual stories and voices, this is a gripping and authoritative account of how Europe rose from the ashes of the Second World War, forging itself anew in the process.