Alan Cassels traces the part played by ideology in international relations over the past two centuries. Starting with the French Revolution's injection of ideology into interstate politics, Cassels concludes by addressing present day preoccupations with the legacy of nationalist discontent left by the collapse of communism and the resurgence of religious fundamentalism in world politics. Cassels includes discussion of Marxism-Leninism, Fascism and Nazism but, eschewing exclusive focus on totalitarianism, he also shows how less rigid belief systems impact on international affairs.