The first half of the twenty-first century witnessed the tremendous upheaval in the world economy. The two world wars totally disrupted the normal course of economic activities in the world. Many millions of people were killed and maimed, cities and villages were demolished, and trade and commerce came to almost a complete halt. However after the Second World War ended, many of the world's economies began to rebuild. This volume deals with some of the relevant issues that affected the performance and growth of the countries in the world during the second half of the twentieth century.