History: Cold War

Arne Westad's creates a convincing, powerful narrative of the Cold War. The book is genuinely global in its reach and captures the dramas and agonies of a period always overshadowed by the horror of nuclear war and which, for millions of people, was not 'cold' at all: a time of relentless violence, squandered opportunities and moral failure.

Contents: What was the Cold War?, Korean War, Anti-Communist paranoia, Malayan emergency, Global tensions, War in Vietnam, The Cold War ends.

Soviet troops had occupied Hungary in 1945 as they pushed towards Germany and by 1949 the country was ruled by a communist government that towed the Soviet line. Resentment at the system eventually boiled over at the end of October 1956. Protests erupted on the streets of Budapest and, as the violence spread, the government fell and was replaced by a new, more moderate regime. However, the intention of the new government to withdraw from the Warsaw Pact and declare neutrality in the Cold War proved just too much for Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev.

Covers the Cold War period between the Western powers and the Communist bloc from the end of World War II through 1989. Includes discussion of the historic causes of the tension and information on the lives and actions of major figures, such as Harry Truman, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin.

Addresses heavily debated questions by offering different critical perspectives on major historical events, drawn from all time periods and from all parts of the globe. This volume covers the Cold War. Provides students with an enhanced understanding of events only summarized in history texts, helps stimulate critical thinking and provides ideas for papers and assignments.

Covers the Cold War period between the Western powers and the Communist bloc from the end of World War II through 1989. Includes discussion of the historic causes of the tension and information on the lives and actions of major figures, such as Harry Truman, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin.

Essays by subject experts treat concepts and doctrines, policymaking, commerce and science, human rights and arms control, with specific articles on topics ranging from anti-imperialism to environmental diplomacy, from refugee policies to terrorism and countermeasures. Also includes a chronology.