"We tend to think of the Cold War as a bounded conflict: a clash of two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, born out of the ashes of World War II and coming to a dramatic end with the collapse of the Soviet Union. But in this major new work, Bancroft Prize-winning scholar Odd Arne Westad argues that the Cold War must be understood as a global ideological confrontation, with early roots in the Industrial Revolution and ongoing repercussions around the world. In The Cold War, Westad offers a new perspective ...
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"We tend to think of the Cold War as a bounded conflict: a clash of two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, born out of the ashes of World War II and coming to a dramatic end with the collapse of the Soviet Union. But in this major new work, Bancroft Prize-winning scholar Odd Arne Westad argues that the Cold War must be understood as a global ideological confrontation, with early roots in the Industrial Revolution and ongoing repercussions around the world. In The Cold War, Westad offers a new perspective on a century when great power rivalry and ideological battle transformed every corner of our globe. From Soweto to Hollywood, Hanoi, and Hamburg, young men and women felt they were fighting for the future of the world. The Cold War may have begun on the perimeters of Europe, but it had its deepest reverberations in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, where nearly every community had to choose sides. And these choices continue to define economies and regimes across the world. Today, many regions are plagued with environmental threats, social divides, and ethnic conflicts that stem from this era. Its ideologies influence China, Russia, and the United States; Iraq and Afghanistan have been destroyed by the faith in purely military solutions that emerged from the Cold War. Stunning in its breadth and revelatory in its perspective, this book expands our understanding of the Cold War both geographically and chronologically, and offers an engaging new history of how today's world was created."--Publisher description
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Seller's Description:
Very good. Ships Within 24 Hours M-F-Satisfaction Guaranteed! Has a publisher overstock mark. Item is in Good Condition. Clean Copy With Light Amount of Wear.
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Good. Size: 6x2x9; Softbound book with mild wear and soil in isolated areas on wrap edges and text block edges. Spine is uncreased, edges still sharp, pages crisp.
This book does a great job of giving an overview of the Cold War and its effects throughout the entire world, from the US and Russia, to Europe, to South America and India. While the overall focus is chronological, the sections of the book are broken down to cover the specific geographical locations at that time, so there can be a bit of jumping back and forth on the short term timescale. (For example, one chapter might describe the situation in Russia from 1945 to 1954, then the next go over the history of Vietnam from 1920 to 1945.) This can be confusing at first, but in the end it allows each location to have a more cohesive timeline. While it doesn't go into excessive detail on any one country or event, it does a great job of describing the geopolitical interplay at work throughout this period of history.
While the author definitely has their own biases, they keep it tempered for the most part, and present the factual information. Overall, I think this is one of the best books on the Cold War because it does such a great job of giving the reader a view of the full picture. Highly recommended!
