By taking advantage of the recent opening of information from the former Soviet Union, China and Eastern Europe, Levering has injected fresh insight into his discussions of the origins of the Cold War, the Korean War, the Berlin crisis of 1958-1962, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Vietnam War, the era of detente, and the "third dangerous phase" of the Cold War, between 1980 and 1984. He concludes with a thoughtful analysis of the startling developments taking place from 1985 to 1991 that abruptly ended the Cold War and saw the disintegration of the USSR.
"An outstanding text for beginning students, one that distills a huge amount of scholarship into a concise, readable, and stimulating narrative. It will engage students and at the same time provide them with a sweeping overview of the Cold War years."--Charles E. Neu, Brown University
