Largely conducted under the auspices of the U.S. State Department, plans for reordering the world under a liberal capitalist system were formulated by government planners during and following World War II. Hearden (history, Purdue U.) argues that these plans, and the assumptions that underlay them, have been of the greatest influence for the current world system. He examines the bureaucratic battles that were fought within the State Department, but argues that a significant unanimity of opinion existed among the planners. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)