The Cold War: A History (Paperback)

~ (Author) "The history of the Cold War has been the history of the world since 1945..." (more)
Key Phrases: political democratisation, nuclear diplomacy, rearmament programme, Soviet Union, United States, White House (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Walker, Washington bureau chief for Britain's Guardian , here traces the course of the Cold War from Yalta in 1945 through the Korean War, the Kennedy-Khrushchev confrontations, Vietnam, the "New Cold War" during the Reagan administration, the advent of glasnost and perestroika under Gorbachev and the "year of miracles" (1989) which brought down the Berlin Wall. The author is concerned with demonstrating, first, that the superpowers found limited responses to crises (the Berlin blockade and airlift didn't grow into a direct military confrontation; the Korean War didn't spread throughout Asia) and, second, how the stability resulting from the Cold War balance of power set the stage for a new international economic system. This cogent reevaluation of the Cold War as a form of economic competition argues that its end marked a shift away from the geo-strategic toward the geo-economic and an accelerated expansion of world trade.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

With the Cold War over, a spate of books are beginning to appear trying to explain what it all meant. Like Edward Pessen's recent Losing Our Souls: The American Experience in the Cold War or H.W. Brands's The Devil We Knew: Americans and the Cold War (both LJ 11/1/93), Walker, U.S. bureau chief for London's the Guardian, goes over familiar ground, treading the same turf diplomatic historians have charted for the past 20 years. For an experienced journalist, Walker's prose is restrained and sometimes tedious. His most interesting point is his comparison of the last years of Brezhnev's rule with that of George Bush's presidency, arguing that both administrations dealt feebly with domestic issues, much to the detriment of their respective populations. For Walker, America's challenge will be how it can best fight the new war for control of the global economy. For general collections and for those emphasizing contemporary history and politics.
Ed Goedeken, Iowa State Univ. Lib., Ames
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Holt Paperbacks (June 15, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805034544
• ISBN-13: 978-0805034547
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #138,521 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Histiry as it should be written., July 13, 2000

By A Customer

There are four really impressive features about this book. First, it is so evidently fair-minded, trying to look at the history of the planet from 1945-1990 from the point of view of Russians, Americans, Europeans and the developing countries alike. Second, it is phenomenally well-researched, taking us from the private letters between JFK and European leaders like prime minister Macmillan or between Reagan and Gorbachev to the secret Politburo discussions on the invasion of Afghanistan. Third, it blends together the economic as well as the politico-military history of the era, and keeps reminding us that while the Soviets throught they were fighting an ideological war, the West knew that is was fundamentally an economic struggle, and that in the end the money would win. Finally, this author writes like a dream, clearly and yet movingly, mixing anecdote and deep historical perspective. I bought this book because the New York Times review called it is the best single volume history of the Cold War, and they were absolutely right. Having read this, I also bought the same author's 'America Reborn', which is even more brilliant.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good, cheap read., April 16, 2006

By	Arithmomaniac - See all my reviews

Before I describe this book, the following needs to be said: This is not a military or Soviet history of the cold war.

That being said, this book is a fine economic and diplomatic history of the Cold War, from an Anglo-American perspective. Whild that may sound like a narrowly-focused book, it really is not, as the author uses well-placed juxtpositions and anecdotes that track the shifting attitudes of NATO Countries and the Soviet Union throughout the war. Particularly interesting is the analysis of each side's economy and the US-USSR tendency to try to bluff each other out.

Reading this book requires sketchy knowledge of the military history of the war.

While there are certainly newer and better general-histories, the unique angle of this book, combined with its bargain price due to age, makes it a great and enlightening read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dense but enjoyable, January 31, 2000

By	"matt_raw" (Iowa City, IA) - See all my reviews

Walker's depth of knowledge is on display here - it is impressive to say the least. For a reader who is not familiar with the key political players and events of the Cold War, this in-depth look at the Cold War is intimidating at first. However, Walker does a commendable job of stating his argument early on and supporting it with both primary and secondary sources (even if one has qualms with his "no one's fault" argument). The argument is logically traced from Yalta to the fall of communism and makes for an altogether enjoyable read.