History of the cold war book

The series offers books that illuminate the multifaceted history of the cold war in both its european and global dimensions, across and beyond the iron curtain. We tend to think of the cold war as a bounded conflict. In many ways, the cold war began even before the guns fell silent in germany and in the pacific in 1945. Ten histories of the cold war worth reading council on. This book investigates the end of the cold war in africa and its impact on postcold war us foreign policy in the continent. The protatgonists in the cold war were the west, led by the united states, and the eastern bloc, led by the soviet union.

Ten histories of the cold war worth reading council on foreign. The book poses anew, in an admirably lean and accessible way, a question. A brief history of the cold war conservative book club. This cold war site contains articles, perspectives and sources on global events and tensions between 1945 and 1991. Both superpowers engaged in a variety of contests against each. The cold war was a period of heightened military and political tensions between the united states and its allies on one side and the soviet union and its allies on the other. The cold war rivalry between the united states and the soviet union lasted for decades and resulted in anticommunist suspicions and international incidents that led. This site is created by alpha history and contains 308,881 words in 405 pages. At stake was whether the world would be dominated by the forces of totalitarianism led by the soviet union, or inspired by the principles of economic and. A very short introduction mcmahon has produced a commanding short narrative of a vital period in recent world history. I hope readers who lived through the cold war will also find the volume useful, because as marx once said groucho, not karl, outside of a dog, a book is a mans best friend. Choose from used and new textbooks or get instant access with etextbooks and digital materials. The cold war emerges as a distinct period in twentiethcentury history, yet one that should be evaluated within the broader context of global political, economic, social, and cultural developments.

I hope readers who lived through the cold war will also find the volume useful, because as marx once said groucho, not karl, outside of a. The threevolume series, written by leading international experts in the field, elucidates how the cold war evolved from the geopolitical, ideological, economic, and sociopolitical environment. A new history by john lewis gaddis, the global cold war by odd arne westad, george f. How lucky we are that the world survived the cold war and can afford to let it become history and fictive backdrop.

The term cold is used because there was no largescale fighting directly between the two. We discuss the nuclear bomb threat and the many shocking events that took place in countries and regions all over the world during the war. It reveals new details about the 1962 cuban missile crisis, the central intelligence agency, the farewell dossier, and other facets of the cold war. Over the course of five decades, they never came to blows directly. These ten books are by no means the only cold war histories worth reading. Ngo dinh diem and the origins of americas war in vietnam, 19501963, he undertakes to remedy this and concludes that none of americas cold war allies did more to undermine the power and reputation of the united states than did ngo dinh diem. Now that we think it is over, we have to make sense of what the cold war was, how it shaped us, and the uncertain new world that lies ahead. The cambridge history of the cold war chcw marks a coming of age for cold war studies. The cambridge history of the cold war is a comprehensive, international history of the conflict that dominated world politics in the twentieth century. In remarkably fresh and spritely writing style, journalist martin walker explains how the united statesbecame the security state. Cold war the cold war between the united states and the soviet union lasted from the end of world war ii until the end of the 1980s.

National security agency releases history of cold war intelligence activities. In a voluminous but thoroughly engaging 545 pages, aleksandr fursenko and timothy naftali make a detailed study of the cold wars most enigmatic leader in khrushchevs cold war. The period is generally considered to span the 1947 truman doctrine to the 1991 dissolution of the soviet union. Kaplans book is a timely reminder of the need to take a deep breath before thinking the unthinkable. The history of the cold war has been the history of the world since 1954. Examining the cold war, from the bolshevik revolution of 1917 to the collapse of the berlin wall and the dissolution of the ussr, this book explores the suspicion and paranoia on both sides of the greatest standoff in history. John lewis gaddis applies an interdisciplinary approach addressing the problems of social, cultural, and economic changes. The cold war is the term used to define the period between the end of world war ii in 1945 and the ultimate collapse of the soviet union and its satellite states in 1991. The definitive history of the cold war and its impact around the world. Cold war history is now magazine, podcasts, blog and. Soviet relations for decades and resurfaced as soon as the alliance against adolf hitler was no longer necessary. Simple history visualizes the past, bringing history to life through animation.

Gaddis has revised and extended some of his analysis as a result, in books such as we now know. Educational articles for teachers, students, and schools including the leaders of the cold war, battles and proxy wars, communism, major events, bay of pigs, cuban missile crisis, berlin wall, and countries involved in this nuclear stalemate. Learn about the berlin wall, the cuban missle crisis, nato, the space race and more. The fall of the berlin wall is widely considered the end of the cold war. Gaddis expertly traces the evolution of relations between the two powers, their allies, and neutral nations during the period in which. The cold war rivalry between the united states and the soviet union lasted for decades and resulted in anticommunist suspicions and international incidents. This multivolume compilation provides a synthesis of the new cold war history. A new history is a history book based on primary documents and materials. In the earlier chapters, hugheswilson explains how aspects of the cold war are rooted in russian psyche and in the revolution. The author applies a revisionist methodology to unveil the main events and conclusions.

Top 10 books about the cold war books the guardian. Since the publication of the united states and the origins of the cold war in 1972, he has written a half dozen more books on the subject, each time finding a new perspective on the superpower standoff that took place between 1946 and 1991. A history, a wideranging narrative by awardwinning political commentator martin walker, which was one of the first major studies of its kind. This is a booklet that pupils will fill in themselves. A brief history of the cold war edwards, lee, spalding, elizabeth edwards on. Clear, concise, and compelling, the cold war is a superb primer on the subject. The cambridge history of the cold war edited by melvyn p. From a bancroft prizewinning scholar, a new global history of the cold war and its ongoing impact around the world we tend to think of the cold war as a bounded conflict. The cold war between communistbloc nations and western allies defined postwar politics. In total, the volumes represent a successful interconnected attempt at describing the cold war in full. John lewis gaddis book the cold war, a new history accomplishes what it sets out to do very nicely provide a general overview of the events, personalities, and issues at stake in the usussr confrontation. The definitive history of the cold war and its impact around the world we tend to think of the cold war as a bounded conflict.

Reed, fought with bayonets, napalm, and hightech weaponry of every sortsave one. These events were the starting point of the longer historical period of unarmed conflict between the soviets and the west that is now known as the cold war. The book describes nikita khrushchevs rise from obscurity to lead the second most powerful nation in the world, until. The oxford handbook of the cold war offers a broad reassessment of the cold war period based on new conceptual frameworks developed in the field of international history. Yale historian john lewis gaddis wrote seminal books about the cold war, during the cold war. The bomb presidents, generals, and the secret history of nuclear war. A new history is meant chiefly, therefore, for a new generation of readers for whom the cold war was never current events. An insiders history of the cold war isbn 0891418210 is an autobiographical book about thomas c. This booklet includes key revision questions and practice essay questions for pupils to frame their revision around.

A readable history, which pulls together many facts and viewpoints into a mostly see below wellwritten narrative. Yale history professor john lewis gaddis is americas foremost historian of the cold war. National security agency releases history of cold war. The history of the cold war is the history of the world since 1945. Exclusive cbc author interview with lee edwards the cold war was a crucial conflict in american history. National security archive electronic briefing book no. Soviet strategic forces went on alert three times during septemberoctober 1962 because of apprehension over cuban situation, top secret codeword history of national security agency shows. Reeds experience at lawrence livermore national laboratory through his time as an advisor to president ronald reagan. Now that its over, its crucial to our future to understand how the cold war has shaped us and, especially, to recognize it as the economic and. New book presents a secret history of nuclear war planning in america in the bomb, journalist fred kaplan reveals how u. Our cold war history series looks at the great battle between the usa and ussr over more than four decades. Secretly plucked a soviet submarine from the ocean floor using a giant claw the international spy museum details the audacious plan that involved a reclusive.

It was waged on political, economic, and propaganda fronts and had only limited recourse to weapons. The cold war was a period of geopolitical tension between the soviet union and the united states and their respective allies, the eastern bloc and the western bloc, after world war ii. I recently got into the board game twilight struggle having a blast playing it. Fredrik logevall, university of california, santa barbara. Cold war, the open yet restricted rivalry that developed after world war ii between the united states and the soviet union and their respective allies. A new history of the cold war yale historian john lewis gaddis wrote seminal books about the cold war, during the cold war. With global powers now engaged in cataclysmic encounters, there is no more important time for this essential, epic account of the past half century, the tense years when the world trembled at the abyss. A brief history of the cold war by john hugheswilson.