Small state survival and proliferation in twentieth-century systems of collective security and global governance, 1919–2016

Abstract

How did the small state fare in the 20th century? As it turns out, small states did remarkably well. Surprisingly enough, during the height of the Cold War small state proliferation doubled their total number. The 20th century’s international-political environment became highly permissive of small state survival and in fact strongly supportive of small state proliferation. As a result, the 20th century witnessed the reversal of the centuries-old downward trend in small state numbers. The early 20th century saw the introduction of collective action and security and the beginnings of global governance. After the Second World War, the system evolved further towards global governance but was challenged by the end of the Cold War and rise of global terrorism. The chapter demonstrates how these changes were critical factors in shaping a corresponding story of small state survival. The highly permissive environment of the Cold War and its era of decolonization are given particular attention.