The Cold War contains a selection of official and unofficial documents which provide a truly multi-faceted account of the entire Cold War era. This volume presents the different kinds of materials necessary to understand what the Cold War was about, how it was fought, and the ways in which it affected the lives of people around the globe. By depicting the experiences of East Berlin housewives and South African students, as well as those of political leaders from Europe and the Third World, The Cold War emphasizes the variety of ways in which the Cold War conflict was experienced. The significance of these differences is essential to understanding the Cold War: it demonstrates how the causes of the clash may have looked very different in Santiago from the way they looked in Seoul, New York, Moscow, or Beijing. The book examines the entirety of the Cold War era, presenting documents from the end of World War II right up to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. A final selection of source material goes on to illustrate the impact of the Cold War to the present day. Again, the emphasis is global: there are documents on the aftermath of the Cold War in Africa and Europe, as well as on the links between the Cold War and the dramatic events of 11 September 2001. By providing a truly international glimpse of the Cold War and its various actors and subjects, The Cold War helps cut through the often simplistic notions of the recent past and allows the reader to explore the truly global impact of the East-West confrontation that dominated international relations in the second half of the twentieth century.
Reviews
an impressive array of primary materials designed to examine the Cold War as a 'global conflict' ... This book's strength is undoubtedly its offering of multiple perspectives, especially for well-established areas of Cold War history. * Vanessa Walker, History in Focus *
The publication of The Cold War: A History in Documents and Eyewitness Accounts is very timely indeed. This first rate book provides students of both the Cold War and the post-Cold War international system with a treasure trove of material condensed in a single, accessible volume. * Andrew O'Neil, Australian Review of Public Affairs *
The collected documents convey a gritty and hard-edged atmosphere often lacking in other accounts of the Cold War.... For anyone who doubts this, Hanhimaki and Westad demonstrate through their judicious selection of documents just how dangerous, nasty, and brutal the Cold War really was. * Andrew O'Neil, Australian Review of Public Affairs *
The feast that the book, otherwise, provides must be acknowledged ... The work has no rivals in its field. * A.G. Noorani, Frontline (India) *
This valuable and original collection reflects the changing nature of Cold War studies based, in large part, on historians' new access to Communist material. * Contemporary Review *
A fascinating compilation of documents that illuminates diverse aspects of the Cold War and from multiple perspectives. This volume is essential reading for all students of the Cold War and should prove invaluable in teaching courses on the international history of the 20th century. * Mel Leffler *



Book Information
ISBN 9780198208624
Author Jussi M. Hanhimaki
Format Hardback
Page Count 712
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 1233g
Dimensions(mm) 242mm * 164mm * 40mm