Democracies and Dictatorships: Europe and the World 1919-1989An engaging range of period texts and theme books for AS and A Level history. The period 1919 to 1989 witnessed major changes to international relations. These included the emergence of the USA as the world's most powerful state, and the impact of Communist Russia on European and world diplomacy. Allan Todd focuses on the problems caused by the First World War and the resulting peace treaties, as well as on the factors leading to the Second World War.