In 1815, the exhausted victors of the conflicts that had absorbed Europe for a generation agreed on a new system for maintaining peace. Instead of independent states changing sides, making agreements, and betraying each other, a new "European Concert" would ensure that the barbarity and chaos of the Napoleonic wars would never be repeated.

Mark Mazower's impressive new book reconstructs two centuries of international governance - the struggle to spread values and build institutions that would bring order to a chaotic and dangerous system of states. It shows how what began as a European affair became the framework of today's world, as advocates of free trade, communists, and nationalists put forward their own radical visions for international harmony. The utopian fictions of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells mingled with the plans of Esperanto, dreams of a universal science of information, and the legal codes of a court for all humanity. British and American politicians supported the creation of a unified global security organization.

Every time the world was destroyed by a new outbreak of violent cynicism and shifting alliances, the demand for something that could bend short-term national interests in favor of a broader common good emerged. However, today, faith in old ideals and our political ability to shape the future is weakening. The overwhelming power of global finance has made the world unrecognizable, and the very possibility of governing the world is now more questioned than ever before.

In an era when the UN is discredited, American power is declining, and unstable power coalitions or short-sighted market forces threaten large parts of the world again, this book could not be more timely.

"A unique work: a great historian reconstructs the way in which individuals and nations sought to promote national interests in an increasingly complex international stage. A dramatic, innovative description of ideas and institutions that clash with harsh realities."
(Fritz Stern)

"Mazower proves to be the most prominent historian of his generation... He offers the most convincing explanation that has been formulated so far for the excessive, still hysterical, expectations of the 1990s and the subsequent collapse of optimism after 2000, which is now translated into the fear that occupies large parts of the Western world. Rarely does a history book appear that not only radically reshapes our understanding of the past but also allows us to reassess the past and, with a little luck, influence our future."
(Misha Glenny)

"Ruling Europe, and then the whole world... The idea has found its perfect chronicler in the person of Mark Mazower, whose approaches exude cosmopolitan perception, humanity, erudition, and the necessary skepticism. In addition, his story is written in clear, elegant prose.

"A fundamental work not only for historians, but also for anyone interested in the turbulent world we live in."
(Ian Buruma)

"An important contribution to historical research - the chapters on the impressive wanderings of politics, ideas, and forms of organization in the 19th century are particularly original and valuable... Maier deserves our gratitude solely for this clear description he provides us. However, Governing the World is also an exciting read thanks to the strong argument that runs through it."
(Paul Kennedy, Financial Times)