The Second World War was a huge man-made catastrophe. When it ended two issues towered over all others: recovery and a new politic order. Their responsive symbols were American aid (chiefly the Marshall Plan) and the United Nations. The main business of the UN was to prevent wars, especially big war and very specifically nuclear war, but the NU and its affiliated bodies were also designed to promote prosperity, relive poverty and bolster justice. Coincidentally the political map of the world was transformed by the demolition of European empires outside Europe. The main aim of this book is to provide material to help to assess how far this programme of unparalleled ambition has been achieved over the short span of two generations.